How Do You Know if You’re ‘Successful’? (and What is Success, Anyway?)

What makes us ‘successful’? What do we need to do to get that esteemed reference in our bio? When have we earned the title: Successful Entrepreneur? These questions came up for me a few years back when a friend complimented me one day, gushing about what a successful woman I had become. I was surprised by the ‘success’ label she gave me and felt unworthy of it. Sure, I was super busy at work (which was never contained to 40 hours a week). I could afford to pay my bills and put my child in before and after school care. I paid my staff well, took them on overseas conferences and had a big office in the city. I had more things but I also had less time. I had a continuous flow of clients and contracts, and was winning awards for my work. Business was booming, profits were growing and champers flowing at client lunches. So why didn’t I feel successful? Because success isn’t about the number in our bank account and how ‘busy’ we are. Success is so much more than financial freedom. Just ask Bhutan, the little land-locked country somewhere between China and India that measures the nation’s ‘success’ not in Gross Domestic Product but in Gross National Happiness. Here’s an idea: what if we measured our own success by more than business profitability and included happiness and well-being in the mix, like the Bhutanese? I definitely felt more successful when I downsized my business and gave more meaning to what I did in my workday. I felt like I was worthy of the ‘success’ title when I shifted my emphasis from the P&L sheet to people and purpose. Now don’t get me wrong, I am in business to make a profit. As should you be. I’m simply suggesting that success in business is about more than growing revenue. I’m not the only one challenging the definition of business success. There is a global movement of thousands of entrepreneurs measuring the benefit of their business not just the bottom line. Think about that for a minute, then ask yourself: What is the benefit of my business? How does your product or service make someone’s life better? When you know the answer, I wonder how differently you might view your brand, your marketing strategy and perhaps your whole business. Businesses that focus on benefit as well as profit see the links between what they do and the local and global community. Surely then, success in business is about making a profit AND making the world a better place. Let’s re-frame the definition of success in business. Let’s grow businesses into beautiful, profitable entities that benefit those who work in them, those who buy from them and our community. Now that’s a measure for success.