What’s my endgame?
The one question business owners often forget to ask when starting out
When you start a business, it’s usually about the idea, the opportunity, or simply the urgency of needing to make a living. You jump in, energised by possibility, fuelled by vision and more often blinded to the long game. What’s rarely considered at the start is where this is all meant to lead. Not just in terms of profit, but in terms of the life you’re building, the values you’re embedding, and the people you’re inviting along for the ride.
We often meet business owners who’ve spent years sprinting, only to look up and wonder what all the running was for and more importantly how do I get out.
What kind of life are they actually living? What kind of mark are they leaving behind? And who’s still with them, growing alongside them? When we ask them what they want their days to look like, what time they’d like to finish work, how they’d like to spend their weekends, who they want to empower and what impact they want to have, it’s as if no one’s ever given them permission to think that far ahead. But that’s where the magic happens.
Your business is not just a vehicle for income. It’s the framework for your freedom, your contribution, and your influence. It’s not just about getting out of bed and ticking off tasks; it’s about designing a future that includes rest, purpose, and people. It’s about creating the systems that support you, rather than systems you become trapped in. Some businesses are built to exit, others to hand over, and some to carry the heartbeat of a founder’s mission for generations. The difference lies in knowing—early on—what kind of life you want to lead, what difference you want to make, and who you’re bringing along with you.
As holistic business coaches at The Engine Limited, we spend time helping owners step back from the urgent to focus on the important. We help map a journey that aligns with a lifestyle that feels right and a footprint that feels worth leaving. The reality is this: a clear destination doesn’t just help you get there faster—it helps you avoid places you never meant to end up.
Without clarity, you can find yourself with investors who don’t align with your values, staff you never intended to manage, or worse—waking up at 60, burnt out and wondering how to exit a business that has become your entire identity. One thing we know for certain in the work we do is that with a roadmap, a destination, and a commitment to building with intention, you’re far more likely to enjoy the journey and be proud of where you land.
If you haven’t yet asked yourself, where is this all really going? – then you need to talk with us. And if you are starting out in business, knowing the finish line and what that looks like is essential to achieving your success.
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