Nearly twenty-five years ago, I made a fateful decision that forever transformed my life.

I started my first business, which I ran unsuccessfully for three years.

When I say I ran the business unsuccessful, I bled money each month and struggled to find new customers.

Finally, I called it quits on that business.

A few years passed, and I saw a new business opportunity.

I learned of someone that was selling their janitorial business, and I was intrigued by the opportunity.

I had just finished my enlistment in the Army and was back on my college journey to earn my accounting degree.

I found out about the janitorial business while looking at a community board on one of the halls at Nelson Hall at NC State University.

Things would be this different was a conversation that started in my mind.

By buying this janitorial business, I would already have a customer base in place.

I would have a jump start in making money because the business was already making money.

There was something mystical about the janitorial business.

It gave me the opportunity to right the self-doubt and shame that came from my business failure a few years ago.

After some more due diligence, I concluded that the janitorial business made sense for me.

I spent the next few months learning how the business worked from the existing owner.

Then in August 2000, my new bride Angel and I became the owners of A-1 Cleaning.

I learned how to run a business by running a business.

I later went on to business school and invested tens of thousands of dollars on that graduate degree.

While I value that academic experience, I learned more about business from my years running A-1 Cleaning than I did in the Ivory Halls of that graduate degree program.

Becoming a business owner still remains one of the best decisions I made in my life.

There are a few decisions that we make in life that will dictate the quality of our life.

One of those dictions is the career we choose.

Many people wish they could be their own boss.

Business ownership is not without risk, and it is not for the faint of heart.

Yet, business ownership is the best bastion of opportunity in America.

Here are three reasons why I love being a business owner:

• Unlimited potential
• Serving people
• Freedom

Unlimited potential

I spent three years as a soldier in the Army and another three years working as an accountant for other companies.

One of the things that frustrated me most about being an employee is I had to play the role that someone else wanted me to play.

I’m the type of person that loves to through my whole heart and soul into everything I do.

If I’m not able to play at full throttle, then the game isn’t worth playing.

There’s no middle ground for me when it comes to commitment.

I quickly learned that my all-in approach would never be rewarded the way I needed to be rewarded.

I had become a square peg and would never fit in the round hole of being an employee.

The great thing about being a business owner is if I want to change my direction; all I have to do is change my direction.

In the world of being a hired hand, there were always constraints that limited my potential.

Serving people

The main reason I got in business was to make money.

Making money still remains a primary driving purpose for why I go all in each working day.

What I’ve learned over the last twenty-five years is serving people is the foundation of any great business.

People pay their hard-earned money to buy something from me.

To honor the lifeblood that they give to me when they purchase from me, I have to ensure that what I sell is more valuable than the money I earn.

Improving people’s lives is the best objective to have when running a business.

The business transaction must enrich everyone.

The business owner must be enriched, the customer must be enriched, and the employees of the company must be enriched.

If a business is to be great, it must be a Win-Win-Win situation for everyone involved in the transaction.

Freedom

America was founded on the principles of freedom.

There is no better way to grasp the reigns of liberty than through business ownership.

To achieve the freedom that business ownership, we must pay the price of freedom.

We can’t rest on our laurels.

Everyone who starts a business has lofty dreams of what they want to achieve.

Business is constantly changing.

I’ve had to learn to adapt to those constant changes.

Regularly, I’m faced with new challenges that push me beyond my current capabilities.

Many people think of the freedom that comes with controlling time and living the life of their dream.

While I’ve been able to feast on those liberties, there is one liberty that is more important to me.

Freedom from mediocrity.

Mediocrity is a silent prison that drowns its captors.

The path of business ownership is a path of constant improvement.

I’ve always had to grow as a person before I was rewarded with business growth.

The person that I’ve become as a result of being a business owner has been my greatest reward.

Conclusion

Business ownership is the best way to take hold of the birthright of freedom that is ours.

Sure, there will always be ups and downs that come with business ownership.

I’m continually facing my fears and figuring out ways to conquer those fears.

I’ve suffered humiliating defeats in business.

Then a few months later, I realized that defeat ended up changing me in a way that enabled me to grow to a new level.

By owning a business, I’ve been able to live on the path of unlimited potential.

I’ve learned how to serve people in exciting new ways that have changed their lives.

The best way to live a life of abundance is by growing a successful, profitable business.

Before I end this article, I wanted to ask you if you’re looking to grow your business profits and having more cash in the bank, send me an email at damon@idealmoneylife.com with “PROFIT” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details!