30 Minutes to Transform Your Business and Change Your Life

What if 30 minutes could change the trajectory of your business (and life...)

Sarah Dusek started a business, Under Canvas, from scratch. She had no savings, no experience in building a large business, and no investment. After 7 years of doing business as usual, she encountered 4 questions that changed her business, and her life.

These 4 questions were presented to her on a plaque while she was attending a summit herself, much like the summit Pranary just hosted. She initially thought she was stuck with desk clutter, but when she took the time to let those 4 questions in, it changed everything.

In this 30 minute video, she explains what those questions are, and how they transformed her business from a profitable entity, to a 100 million dollar enterprise in less than a year!!!

Join us as she shares her insights, and ABOVE ALL, participate in answering these 4 questions for yourself. You never know where you will end up in a few years' time. 

QUESTION 1: What Do You Want?

We need to know what we want. Sarah elaborates on this thought:

"What do you want?" That was the first question that stared me down. A really simple, really unassuming question, right? There was nothing new about it. Bu tI realised I was really unfamiliar with asking myself what I really want? And I don't think until that point I'd ever really contemplated or voiced out loud or been brave enough to say what it was I really wanted. 

So, I eventually wrote down something crazy: "I want to sell my company for $100 million and I want to build an investment firm that invests in women and helps women rise." That felt totally crazy to say out loud. Remember, I was sitting where you are right now. That was a really, really crazy thing to say. But almost like the moment I dared to say that out loud, I suddenly got clarity about what I was doing and where I was going. I realised I needed to own it, because if I could own it, then I had a chance of making it happen.

Your Turn

Take a moment to ask yourself the question - What do you want?
Consider this deeply. Go beyond the surface-level responses and truly reflect on what it is you desire. Give yourself the space to dream without limitations. This simple yet profound exercise might just unveil the clarity you need to define your path forward.

QUESTION 2: What Will It Take to Make That a Reality?

To turn your aspirations into reality, you need a clear plan. Sarah reflects on this pivotal moment.

I had a business, I had revenue, and I had profitability. But I knew I wanted to grow that into a £100 million business. So, I began to ask myself, 'What do I need to do, to learn, to understand to be able to scale to that level?'

I realised I would need certain things in place. These were:

1.  A strategy
2. Focused finances
3. The right people

With regards to my strategy, I needed to know what my numbers needed to be to sell my business for £100 million. I had to get into my key metrics.

I had to start asking:

• What do my numbers need to be to sell my business for £100 million?
• What would my revenue need to be? (top line)
• What would my EBITDA need to be? (bottom line)
• How many sales do I need to drive?
• How many customers do I need to get to that level?

These questions helped me to understand the end game - where I needed to be to meet my goal. From there, I defined where I am now and measured the gap in the middle that I needed to fill. This led me to determine what I needed to do to make that happen. This was my strategy. I could start breaking everything down into bite-sized chunks. What do I need to do this quarter, next quarter, the quarter after that?

Once I did this, I could suddenly see a pathway to get to my ultimate goal. I realised that I could actually get to my goal in around 2 years if I followed the plan.

With regards to finances, I had to be laser-focused on what I spent money on. I couldn't waste a penny. Everything had to be channelled into making the plan happen and getting the results I wanted.

With regards to people, I had to determine who I needed on my bus to take me to my destination. Every second you waste not having the right people in place, the less things you are making happen. People are as critical as cash in your business. There has never been an entrepreneur who built a successful business on their own.

Your Turn

Take a moment to reflect on your aspirations and the steps needed to achieve them. Consider the key metrics and milestones that must be met along the way. Think about the resources you'll need and the people who can contribute to your success. By outlining a clear plan and tapping into the right resources, you can pave the way for your own journey toward success.

QUESTION 3: What Might Get in Your Way?

In other words, what's going to stop you from executing your strategy? What could hold you back from making what you want a reality? In my experience, the biggest challenge for almost every single one of us is quite simply our own thinking.

The universe is not going to lay out a red carpet for you to get from where you are now to where you want to go. You are going to face obstacles, challenges, things will go wrong, people will betray you, people will steal from you, people will compete with you. But how you think about all those things will be the difference between success and failure.

Here are common ways of thinking that trip people up:

• Scarcity Mindset - I don't have enough to do everything I need to do. This could be time or money, but your mind has settled on scarcity, and that is how you see the world.
• Externalising - You wait for something external to happen. You expect your big break to come from somewhere else.
• Playing it Safe - You make excuses for why you can't change things or do things differently. You focus on what you could lose.
• It all Depends on Me - You believe you can't get the right people to help you grow.

The way you think will determine if you are able to get the skills, cash, resources, and ideas to succeed.

Your Turn

What thinking do you struggle with that's most dangerous for you? What and why is that? It's constantly tripping you up. Let's name it, right? Because if we can name it, we can tame it.

QUESTION 4: How Will I Hold Myself Accountable?

We need to know what we want. We need to understand what it's going to take to make that a reality. We need to understand what's going to get in our way and trip us up at every turn. And finally, we need someone or other people to help us stay on track.

We need someone to hold us accountable to the things that we need to do. You need someone who will walk alongside you and push you to be your best.

So, ask for help, ask for other people to hold you accountable for the things that you are trying to achieve. You want to feel intimidated by them. You want to feel like you can't meet with them and tell them you didn't do what you said you would. They need to keep you on the pathway you set. 

Your Turn

So, who do you need to help you stay accountable to your big dream or help you realize your big goals? Maybe that's a business coach, maybe it's a mentor, maybe it's a community like this one, but none of us can do it alone.

Conclusion

I had initially planned for a two-year journey to reach my goal. However, with the clarity that came from asking myself these four questions, I managed to achieve my target in less than a year. Selling my company for over $100 million was a testament to the power of defining my aspirations, strategizing, overcoming mental barriers, and seeking external support. If I could achieve this, I believe that you can too.

I encourage you to make this moment count in your life. Embrace the transformative potential of these four simple yet profound questions. Consider how you can change the trajectory of your business and life by earnestly asking yourself these questions and taking decisive action to bring your aspirations to fruition.