Today, being a “lifestyle entrepreneur” is the trend, and everyone wants to create a vehicle which will make them profit so they can have a beautiful, comfortable, and easy going lifestyle. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but the greatest creators, innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders of all time thought and still think much bigger. They aren’t bought into the often times painful, lonely, and difficult entrepreneurial way of life solely to better their own situation and circumstances. There’s a greater purpose for them.

Amidst our culture constantly telling us to look out for ourselves and go after what we want in order to achieve happiness, if you study those who actually are living life abundantly and to the max, you will see there are much bigger truths.

Now I’m not saying it’s healthy to live in extreme self-denial only seeking the best interests of others and never taking care of yourself. However, building a business is bigger than just yourself because it brings others into the picture.

If you look at some of the most well known, well respected, most impactful leaders and entrepreneurs, you see that they are more concerned with living an outward focused life. They desire to use the gifts and skills they’ve been given and the businesses they have developed to help others.

Here are a few reasons why they use their companies and skills to greater serve instead of greater gain:

1. They know the best way to leave a legacy is through service

Once you’re gone, no one remembers you by how much money you made, but by how many people you loved and helped. No one says on their deathbed “I wish I would’ve grown a more profitable company” but there’s many who say “I wish I could’ve helped more people and had more people in my life who I truly deeply cared about and who truly deeply cared for me.”

The best way to leave a mark on this earth is through how well you love people. Entrepreneurship is a phenomenal vehicle to do this, because it allows people to be innovative, to solve problems for others, and to leverage financial gains to make a significant difference in other people’s lives. It all starts with the heart and the character of a person, and when those are in the right place, the power of entrepreneurship can take those intentions far.

2. They know focusing on serving others is actually more profitable than focusing on profit

It’s simple, the best way to make money is to figure out what someone’s problem is or what they want, and create something that’s more valuable to them than the money they have in their pocket.

So by simply having a mind set that is focused on making the lives of others better, you will inherently figure out how to grow a better, more monetarily lucrative business. Focus outwardly, not inwardly. With this being said, if you’re only focusing on giving to and helping others just so you can receive in return, is that really genuine generosity? Will you be fulfilled in your business long term?

“When you help others feel important, you help yourself feel important too.”- David J. Schwartz

3. They change by helping people so they desire to help others more

Loving and serving others is the best way to grow. The main reason we are on this earth is to be in relationships. Everything else is supplemental to our relationships. Because of this, when you build a business around helping people, not only will you change their lives, but your life will change. Getting to know other people, learning their stories, caring for them, and loving on them, shapes us.

Just because money is involved in business doesn’t mean you can’t build a business to help people. It doesn’t have to be a non-profit to be highly impactful either. The most impactful entrepreneurs know that living this outwardly way is an amazing adventure and that they will experience radical inner growth through it. Who doesn’t want to go on an adventure and grow?

4. They’re aware that if you live for the applause, you’ll die from the lack of it

Those who want to build a business, or a personal brand, or become an influencer solely for the attention and validation will wither. They will live a roller coaster of a life. When the people are praising them, they’ll be doing awesome, but when their audience is gone or is in opposition to them, they won’t know where to turn or how to respond.

On the other hand, when an entrepreneur or a leader has a mission, and a reason to serve, impact, and love other people, they’re so focused on a greater purpose that the outer noise doesn’t matter. They know that insecure people need to be served, but that secure people are free to serve because they know who they are. Don’t live for the applause, live for others.  

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

5. They know it’s the most fulfilling way to run a business and to live life

Whether you’re an entrepreneur making millions of dollars, or a person with a dead end job barely scraping by, living a life that is focused on serving, caring for, and loving others is the most fulfilling one a human being can live. Greatness is not about power or authority, it’s about service. You’ll never regret taking extra time or putting in extra energy to serve someone, but you’ll likely regret not doing so.

The most loved and well respected people who have built businesses, lead the masses, and changed the world know they’re never too big of a deal to serve anyone. We’re all the same. When you can operate from these principles not only will your business have a better chance of flourishing, but you’ll be much more satisfied in your work, your relationships, and in your life.

You don’t have to be famous or even running a profitable business to implement these truths into the core values of how you operate. Our inward focus usually leads to outward deterioration. Our outward focus usually leads to inward growth. Due to this, be focused on others, be different from the masses and be in services to others.

How do you add value to other peoples lives? Let us know in the comments below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com