_Buying a Business is a high risk step for the new business owner. While developing the materials for Business Model You, it became apparent that many of those who take the time to create a Personal Business Model end up considering entrepreneurship. To keep the book on focus, the authors decided that this was a new topic and those interested in it should consult additional materials.

We supplement the book in our Career Reinvention Workshops with information about small business ownership, buying a franchise, and other career alternatives. In the spirit of Self Discovery and then Customer Discovery, we use a short test in the Workshops that reveals at least one critical aspect of business ownership personality, Grit.

Anyone considering owning their own business should take a moment to examine their "Grittiness" with a Grit test.The Grit idea comes from the work of University of Pennsylvania researcher Angela Duckworth. She has been able to find that a determining quality for the success of a student is their ability to stay on focus. This may be far more important than what standardized entrance examinations try to measure such as intelligence, knowledge, and/or creativity.

Grit is a difficult quality to describe. My mother, who was born in the area of Europe that was formerly East Prussia, is fond of telling us she has Prussian determination, while others are simply stubborn. She is an incredible entrepreneur, continuing to create value for others even with the physical limitations of being 75. She just keeps going and that has been an inspiration to everyone who knows her.

Grit is a personal determination that is different from stubbornness. The difference is that Grit has purpose, stubbornness only has a past. Before taking the leap of buying a business, it's worthwhile to do a bit of Self Discovery. Click here to download the 12 question Duckworth Grit Questionnaire for yourself.

If you find you have Grit, the question then becomes why? Do you have a purpose that could be fulfilled in your own business? Then buying a business makes great sense. Perhaps that Grit is for another purpose, such as a leadership position in a larger organization (which may not be a for-profit organization). Your Personal Business Model will help here.

Those scoring lower on the Grit scale still have purpose; however, it may be important to associate yourself with another leader in a more supportive role. Buying a business is not for everyone.

It sounds odd; but first we Grow Up and then we Grow Down. We spend 30 to 60 years accumulating relationships, skills, knowledge, assets, and responsibilities, only to have them successively removed until at the end of another 30 to 60 years we leave with nothing. That's assuming everything has worked out well; but even working out well doesn't seem to be in today's forecast.

Our culture prepares us to grow up. As we become capable, opportunities to expand our purposes are presented to us. We become used to "adding" more to our lives, a family, friends, an education, a career, our own family, financial and other assets. The challenge is adjusting to adding onto yet another part of our lives. But somewhere at some point, we all shockingly find ourselves losing an unrecoverable part of our life.

It could be loss of a career, a loved one, financial assets, or even our health. Not an opportunity to move on; but a real unrecoverable loss. Years of growing up leave us completely unprepared. No one has ever taught us how to handle the challenges of going "downhill".

If life has a purpose (and we all have to take a position of this), then we are faced with the conclusion that this process is one of personal focus. Life narrows itself to focus us on our extended purposes. Removing any significant piece of our personal life system causes everything else to lose its former purpose. The resulting emotional turmoil is often debilitating.

The process of Personal Reinvention has helped many facing this life crisis. Some have worked through this themselves, others have taken advantage of self-help, and many are now trying Personal Reinvention Workshops. The methods start with the remaining pieces (resources) and views them through the lens of your life history. A new, more focused, purpose can emerge if you seek it.

Although we use Personal Business Models as our tool, the results may not relate to business at all. We often find our purpose in service to others. Finding that service will put the meaning into Growing Down.

Career burn-out is inescapable when the individual and their job have become mismatched. This insidious condition presents itself with 6 well known symptoms.
1)  No time - The demands of your work exceed your capacity to handle it.
2) No authority - Others have control over you.
3) No rewards - Money and recognition have become insufficient.
4) No community - You are becoming more and more isolated in your job.
5) Unfair to You - You are being treated unfairly
6) Unfair to Others - You are being asked to treat others in ways you believe to be unfair.

There is a mistaken belief that these are symptoms of someone who just isn't "tough" enough to make it in the real world. A problem with career burn-out is that by the time the misalignment between your strengths and your career has reduced your effectiveness, your self esteem has also been worn to the point you start believing this fable. Rounds of renewed personal effort continue as your career leads nowhere.

Starting a career change is tough. It means going into the unknown without any assurance that life will actually get better. Most don't have the heart for it unless pushed by circumstances (like a health problem or job loss). But it is possible to match yourself to your career. A powerful way to do this to see yourself as a personal business.

You don't need to quit your job to begin the process. The new guide being published in early 2012, Business Model You, goes through the process. For those tried of working for others, Business Franchise counselors also offer similar guidance in examining your personal business strengths. In the end, everyone needs answers to not only what you do and how you do it, but most importantly, why.

I was reading Exodus 20 this morning and saw that things really haven't changed. With apologies to the original author............

I A business career is the vehicle used to accomplish life goals. Never allow it to be the driver.
II. Keep in mind the image of who you really are. This is leads to your life's purpose, not a collection of status symbols.
III. Money is necessary; but it also leads to vanity. Learn to recognize when you are "in vain".
IV. Find a way to rest and recover and religiously keep it separate from business. The penalty is early burn-out.
V. There are always new business opportunities but family opportunities will never repeat. Honor them.
VI.Competition is about making you and your business better, never about killing others.
VII. Your commitment to your mate is singular. You cannot have it and another primary relationship, either with another person or a business career.
VIII. You will know if an act is stealing. Even if successful, you now have to live with a thief you cannot trust.
IX. Personal integrity will carry you through the most difficult of circumstances. It's always a mistake to trade it for a momentary career convenience.
X. Even if the grass on the other side of the fence is greener, it's not your grass. Take pride in your grass and that focus will drive your success.

There is a spiritual side to career reinvention. This isn't religion, which is a belief system. Spirituality is deriving meaning from life experiences.  The development of a Personal Business Model uses very modern approaches to help us find that meaning from our lives; however, the importance of meaning in life is both sacred and centuries old. It's always comforting to see the connections between where we are trying to go and where mankind has always been.