LESSON #13: Getting a Vision for Your Business

By | July 16, 2008

Up until this point, we’ve essentially been covering the requirements and prerequisite knowledge necessary to increase your chances of building a successful online business.

Today marks a turning point.

It’s time to begin focusing on your personal situation, and to turn our attention to your future business…

(Watch this video…)

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Main points:

  • Without vision, your business probably won’t succeed.

  • I describe vision as being able to “see” a clear picture of your fulfilled goals in your mind.

  • It’s like the box cover of a difficult puzzle…

  • You must begin with the end in mind.

  • Almost every success in my life has come AFTER having a vision for it. (For example, when I won the state championship, and every time I launch a product)

  • The successful business owners that I’ve known ALL have vision.

  • It’s kind of like looking at the world from 30,000 feet. You see the big picture, and not the problems.

  • If you lose sight of your vision, you lose hope. And if you lose hope, it’s game over.

  • As we progress in the lessons, we’ll keep moving forward step by step, but if you don’t start by getting a vision, further efforts could be somewhat futile.

  • If you set your target too low, you may hit it, but there is almost no chance that you will exceed it. On the other hand, if you set your target too high, you may fail, but you will be further along than the “low” target. Therefore it’s better to set your vision higher.

  • One of the biggest things I see holding people back is a “victim mentality”.

  • “Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop this picture. Never think of yourself as failing; never doubt the reality of the mental image. That is most dangerous, for the mind always tries to complete what it pictures. So always picture ‘success’ no matter how badly things seem to be going at the moment.” – Norman Vincent Peale

  • Many of us have taken on a “just get by” mentality.

  • The size of your vision will dictate the size of the result.

  • YOU are valuable. Don’t sell yourself short.

  • Here’s my “disclaimer” that I forgot to include in the video…. “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Prov. 16:9)

    Action steps:

    I want you to take a moment to tell me your vision for your business. The vision can involve other areas of your life too, but since we’re working on building your business, it should be focused on your business.

    It’s important to write your vision down, so go ahead and post it in the comments below. This is YOUR vision, and there is NO wrong answer.

    Focus on the big picture. Don’t worry about the details of how you will get there. We’ll worry about that stuff when we learn about goal setting and business plans, and I’ll be talking about those things in the next lesson.

    As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.

    Have a great day!

  • 1,837 thoughts on “LESSON #13: Getting a Vision for Your Business

    1. Anonymous

      I am trying to get MacFee protection, but don’t have a credit card. What do I do?

      Reply
    2. Linda M

      My vision is to earn at least $250,000 a month ($2200 hourly) through my internet marketing/e-commerce business. I will travel and vacation to the desired places that I have made a list of. I desire to help my family and my closet friends financially. I desire to reach out worldwide to teach others to duplicate my success so that they can live their best lives.

      Reply
    3. Randy

      My business vision is to have a successful online business in which I work as many hrs. per week as I feel like, since money won’t be an issue. I will make enough money to be debt free & give to my church and other charities liberally. I will learn, grow and scale my business to be able to live a retirement like lifestyle within 5 yrs!

      Reply
    4. Moise

      Hi Eric !
      Here is what and where I am walking toward. This is my WHY
      I want to be successful, to earn big money and give a happier and better life to my wife and children. We will be living in a big house that I will build. I will be traveling with then around the world to discover the best places on earth. I want to make $ 50,000.00 per month with a system set on autopilot. I know right now that I got a millionaire mind and I think, do and see already that life. I am very happy today to restate these things. I will help the needy people, I will share and give a part of my income to charities. I got a millionaire mind qnd so is my vision. I think so and I know it will happen. I will never be broke in my life I attract in my life those things each second . I am positive and perseverant (steadfast). Thank you Eric for all the advices. There is enough money for everybody. Lets join our efforts to grab our part of the pie.

      Reply
    5. Anonymous

      My vision is to be a true Internet Marketer and not to be too greedy, giving real value to my customers and in doing so they will respect my product recommendations.Once I have mastered this aspect of my business hopefully the money will slowly but surely start rolling in,leaving me to live the Internet lifestyle I’ve dreamt of.

      Reply
    6. LaDral

      I aspire to be “money worry” free, build other businesses, start a youth technology program for those in rural areas, be able to give back to family, friends and charities and assist in bring their dreams to fruition.

      Reply
    7. Frances

      Eric,
      My husband and I have a small business based in advertising and sales through the internet from home and will take the time to spend with our family. We would like to grow the business to where the income from our work makes our family self-sufficient, out of debt and ready for our retirement. We intend to reach our goals through, honest , hard, dependable work with work ethics based in knowledge. We intend to sell to any person looking for quality products at a good price (based on fair market prices based on research) on eBay (internet auction site), search engine sites and our website. In the beginning we will be satisfied to make a profit of $5,000.00 per month. We plan on working dependably for our business and its growth. At this time, we have bought enough office items to sustain our business for the present time – we do plan on keeping our supplies to an adequate level. We intend to take actual vacations, travel, and visit with family (out of town) once our business is up and running. We have visualized all this from the beginning to the end of actual projections of our internet marketing business. Thank you for all your useful tips and courses to keep our spirits up!
      Craig & Frances Fuller

      Reply
    8. Henry

      My vision is to run my business successful by the end of this year (2013) comfortably,in such a way that I can retire, have time to travel. I also have time to expand my business month by month.

      Reply
    9. Caroline Sabourin

      hi Eric,

      My vision is to be financially independent by working from home online with a personal income of $500k-$1M a year. My kids are grown but I would like to leave a legacy to my grandkids. I see a grand old Victorian house in the country with sufficient grounds to have an animal shelter where troubled teens can come and help out, thus giving them a sense of accomplishment and love they would get from the animals they help. I will have a vet and a psychologist on staff as well.

      Reply
    10. Chris

      My vision is to become a successful internet marketer. I would like to produce $8000 per month from home by 7-1-2014 so that my daily needs are met and so that I can travel with my family while we explore the world on our sailboat.

      Reply
    11. Phil

      My vision is to grow an online business which will have a positive impact on others. Through this business I want to work part time so that I can spend more time with my family and make more money so that I can travel back to my home country every other year for the holidays, buy a house and give abundantly to charities. My goal is to have a successful online business within the next 5 years and be able to sell it and start another business or keep it and keep growing it.

      Reply
    12. Stefan

      I’ll go big, as Tony Robbins use to say “if you want to screw up, go big!” So I am someone in line with John Rohn. Bob Practor, Napoleon Hill, Zig Ziglar. I see myself in perfect health living awesome family life past the age of 110, making over 2 Millions a year.
      Eric Holmlund or Ryan Deiss are managing my campaigns.

      Reply
    13. Jeff

      My vision is to learn and truly understand how to be a successful online marketer that will allow me to fulfill my dreams of unlimited wealth by marketing in many lucrative areas on the internet. My business in the next two years will allow me to walk away from my job. To teach my family how to become independent and to break away from making other rich so they can begin to enjoy life the way God wanted us to live. My success will allow me to more time to spend with my children and grandchildren, and to be able to take them places I could never go when I was younger.

      Reply
    14. sk

      I want to success on my online business.no the more debts.earn my first $100 /day in the next60-120 days.is possibble?fight for it.……!

      Reply
    15. Tich Gombiro

      My vision is to be a millionaire in the next 5 years. I want to be able to retire myself from the day job I currently have and focus more on my passion which is music. I am a very passionate bass player who dreams of having my own house in which I will have a recording studio in the basement. When I reach my vision I will be able to record my own music since I have a somewhat natural talent of composing and arranging music. In the end I would want to help and develop youth who have a passion to become successful musicians by providing resources and tools for them to realize their dreams.

      Reply
    16. Lucy

      My vision is to provide a need for people who share my passion. They will come and read what I have written and build their trust. I want my site to be appealing so they will stay longer and make purchases based on my experience with the products I am selling. My vision is to provide a second income so my husband does not have to worry that he is not making enough to support me and our children. I would be happy to make $3000 a month and happier if I made more.

      Reply
    17. Victor

      My vision for my internet business is to be very successful; pay of my credit card bills by the end of the year and pay off my mortgage within 5 years. I will also like to set up some scholarship foundation to help students go to college. And I will like to travel to see what the rest of the world looks like.

      Reply
    18. Johann

      As I am already 63 years old, my vision is to retire at 65, financially independent, so as to enable me to go fishing when I like, to relocate to a place where there is no cold weather(I hate being cold with a passion), to visit my children and grand children whenever I feel like it and be blessed with good health!

      Thanks Eric for this! I truly need your input!

      Blessings to you and your family!

      Reply
    19. David Vick

      I see myself full of joy when my wife & give money to needy charities as we travel throughout the world helping those that are less fortunate with the funds from my online business!

      Reply
    20. Jorge

      My vision is to have an online business which ensure a long stay in the market, obtaining the satisfaction of my clients through honesty and quality of my products. Growing sustained capital according to the growth of the company to achieve six-digit figures annually. Working time to achieve my goals and passion for hydroponics food production without neglecting my family, traveling and meeting people from other countries and share the fruits of my effort with my loved ones, friends and community. Eric thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and I thank the Lord every day for putting me in your way, greetings to your team.

      Reply
    21. Charlie

      My vision is to have a successful business on line and hint the million $ mark and be able to work when iwant Teach others how to do it also.

      Reply
    22. James

      I am retired and a full time carer for my ill wife. We have 5 adult children, 10 grandchildren and an expected great grandchild soon. Our family brought us great joy but caring for them on a single income left my wife and I without reserves for our old age. We are particularly concerned about our youngest daughter who was born with spinabifida and has endured more than 60 surgeries in her life. Her fighting spirit has enabled her to overcome these setbacks and live a near normal life working part time and buying her own home via mortgage. Inevitably, she will be unable to work long enough to complete her mortgage. My vision is to build a business in the short time left to me which will enable me to cover all of our family debts, offer ownership of the business to our family and to not become a burden to our children or reliant on government handouts.
      I get many unsolicited emails which I normally delete without opening. Although I don’t remember subscribing to your list, for some unknown reason I kept your emails and have just started to read them, I read the first 12 yesterday and will now continue, maybe its a sign of better times ahead. Thank you Eric.

      Reply
    23. Ann

      I am retired and totally dependent on government income. Counting on that money being there in the future is no longer feasible in my mind. Therefore, I need to become financially independent. I need to become business savvy, build a business plan, create an income safe from overwhelming government taxes, own my home free and clear of mortgage, have an income of at least 5 thousand dollars a month or more after taxes. Have all my liabilities paid in full. I want my children to benefit by my example and learn how to create a successful business so they can take care of themselves in any kind of government situation. I want to be able to pay for whatever health situation arises without the need for government funded medical insurance and possible death panels. I would love to have a cabin on a lake so I could go fishing, boating and swimming whenever I want to. I want to travel, not necessarily the world, but really see every inch of the United States because there are so many amazing sites in this great country. I would also love to find a way to help the homeless so they no longer have to sleep in the streets, perhaps by creating more homeless shelters.

      Reply
    24. Dan

      My vision is to have an online business with 2-3 income streams: Internet Marketing, Online Store, and Investing (whichever ones I can make work), that has a net income of $500,000 or more per year. I want to quit my job as a church administrator so I can volunteer when I want and explore the music and drama abilities God has placed in me. I want to fund major capital projects at our church that have been on the dream list for years. I want to take more vacations with my family, seeing the beauty of this wonderful planet God created for us. I want to fully fund my daughter’s higher education and my wife’s and my retirements. But above all of that, I want to be respected as a successful father and provider by my wife, my daughter, and our families. It currently is not that way.

      Reply
    25. Gil Cavazos

      I want to achieve a holistic expansion of my potentiality, in all spheres of my life! I wish to have an impact, by ridding myself of my financial worries, and have the ability to help others along the way!

      Reply
    26. Chris

      My Vision – Like all people that have comment is to have a passive income with Internet Marketing and my personal blog. Having suffered a brain hemorrhage at the age 22 years old which left me with weakness and pain down left side of body, i am going to set up a blog/website thats helps people overcome the mental strength to cope with after effects of illness.

      Provide for my family (Wife and twin sons age 5) Mother , sister and family, Wife’s family that they don’t have to worry about debt and enjoy life !

      Set up the business for my sons for the future !

      Give back to the community through sports coaching which is now my current job – When i’m not in pain !

      Eric – Thank you for these tips and i wish everybody good luck with your dreams !

      Reply
    27. William

      My VISION is to graduate high school with A+ grades and have money to go on my life and continue my business that I will make from these videos from Eric. Also have 2 wonderful children and a wife and live a happy life. And for my business I want to make 5 grand a week

      Reply
    28. kholofelo

      My vision is to build a succesful online business based on my love for effective communication, that will grow ultimtely into a $1million dollar a month venture enabling me to acquire all the assets that will protect me from a life of need, ensuring me a lifestyle that will allow me a lot of free time to enjoy the good things in life and travel to exotic locations of the world.

      Reply
    29. Bill

      My vision is to generate 150,000.00 per month every month in the health and fitness niche. Doing whatever it takes to accomplish this. to be able to give more to charity and spend more time with my family.

      Reply
    30. Mary

      I am 76 years old. My vision is to:
      1) Add $500 a month to my spendable income.
      2) To give a minimum of $1,000 a month to my favorite charity.

      Reply
    31. Clinton Xander Labrooy

      I am a 56 year old retired engineer sick and dependent on legal drugs. My vision is to be Eric’s 1st malaysian online success story and provide my family with a very much better lifestyle and leave behind an inheritance for them and along the way to be help minority malaysians reach and attain their on successful vision in the onlinw world. Thank you Eric as I was about to give up.
      God Bless
      Clinton

      Reply
    32. Ron

      My vision is to have an internet business that requires no more than 2 hours of work per day and generates $10,000.00 per mmonth income. This business can be reproduced again and again if I wish to make more, and it will be simple enough that I can tesch it to my children and my grand-children.

      Reply
    33. John

      My Vision is to become an Online Marketer having a Online Business that makes over a Millions Dollars per year. That I don’t have to work 40 hours or more a week and I have time for Friends and family.

      Reply
    34. Hannah

      Thank you very much Eric for all of the wonderful lessons, as they are helping me very much.

      My vision, as a Health Coach, is to have a super-successful online business helping Baby Boomers get their “sexy” back–an attractive body image that involves simple lifestyle changes…healthy tailored eating plans, fitness and body wraps will be the recipe.
      I will work from home as much as necessary to help each client reach their goals as well as my own. We are all in this together! My online business will bring in $1,000,000 or more in 2014.I will give back to the community, distributing product samples, expressing the importance of healthy eating and exercise, etc.
      My online business is a dual online business in that, I will offer services and products.

      I will attend three spiritual retreats per year.

      My expanded vision will include, organic gardening, organic eating, and green living.

      BLESSINGS, BLESSINGS and more BLESSINGS!
      Hannah

      Reply
    35. Jesse

      My vision is to have a successful online and offline business centered around my passion for knowledge and information. I will work from home, spending a lot of time with my family. I will work less than 40 hours per week to run my business. My business will bring in over $250,000 per year in net income to me. I will give back to the community. I will enjoy several vacations each year.

      Reply
    36. nancy

      My Vision is to be working for myself and not someone else and to be able to work anywhere because i want to travel around and be free.

      Reply
    37. Rodnei

      Hi Eric!
      I’m from Brazil. I love your lessons.
      My vision is to be an internet marketer and create a business value with my ideas and knowledgements. Gain a lot of money working with internet marketing and travel arround the world with my family.

      Reply
    38. Donna

      My vision is to develop a successful online business which will provide an income of $500,000 annually, while allowing me to work the hours I wish to work. That freedom will allow me to travel with my family and pay forward the assistance I have received through the years.

      Reply
    39. Bill

      My vision is to be making four times what I was making by September of 2004.Before my next high school reunion I will have my first seven figure month.By March of 2004 I will start another phase of my overall plan to start bringing together the communities and start helping each other instead of tearing each other apart. Thank You From Texas

      Reply
    40. Lea

      My vision is to be able to be debt free within the next 6 months and to be able to make a minimum of $25,000 a month within that time frame. I have a home for abandoned special needs babies and children that God enabled me to establish in mainland China. I want to eventually be able to personally fund at least 25 – 50% of their monthly expenditures, in addition to help underwrite many of the costly surgeries we frequently pay for. I also met and ministered to many impoverished pastors in southeast Asia, whom I would like to financially sponsor, so that they could be freed up to do what they have been called to do, instead of struggling daily just to meet the bare basic needs of their wives and children.

      I’ve also been blessed with a Chinese daughter who just started high school, whom I had to place in a public charter high school. I need to be able to afford a good Christian or parochial high school, where she could transfer to. So-o-o-o, by God’s grace, I envision reaching a goal of at least $500,000 annually, via my internet business, within the next couple of years, so that I could invest some of this money in commercial real estate, pay my monthly bills of approx. $5000 per month, after tithing and offerings and use the rest for several mission projects.

      Reply
    41. Pearl

      My vision is to be able to be debt free within the next 6 months and to be able to make a minimum of $25,000 a month within that time frame. I have a home for abandoned special needs babies and children that God enabled me to establish in mainland China. I want to eventually be able to personally fund at least 25 – 50% of their monthly expenditures, in addition to help underwrite many of the costly surgeries we frequently pay for. I also met and ministered to many impoverished pastors in southeast Asia, whom I would like to financially sponsor, so that they could be freed up to do what they have been called to do, instead of struggling daily just to meet the bare basic needs of their wives and children.

      I’ve also been blessed with a Chinese daughter who just started high school, whom I had to place in a public charter high school. I need to be able to afford a good Christian or parochial high school, where she could transfer to. So-o-o-o, by God’s grace, I envision reaching a goal of at least $500,000 annually, via my internet business, within the next couple of years, so that I could invest some of this money in commercial real estate, pay my monthly bills of approx. $5000 per month, after tithing and offerings and use the rest for several mission projects.

      Thanks, Eric, for freely investing so much of your wealth of internet online business knowledge, so that “green newbies” such as ‘moi’ can receive the right information and encouragement that we need. You have been amply blessed with the gift for teaching, among other things.

      Thanks for all, Pearl

      Reply
    42. cheryl Agyemane

      I have clearly mapped out and written down a description of my definite purpose in life, for the
      coming five years. I have set a price that I intend to earn and receive through strict application
      of the principle of efficient, satisfactory service which I will render in advance .

      I know that wealth is generally created along the lines of growth and action already
      establish. Therefore, I exercise faith and patience that my concentrated thoughts
      are now causing the creative energies already working in trade and commerce
      to result in the attainment of my objectives.

      Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man but sooner or later
      the man who wins is the man who thinks he can!

      Reply
    43. Modiu

      My vision is to be an online marketer full of knowledge on the internet marketing tips that will empower me to be a source of blessing to others . Also i will to channel any money made through the internet marketing to real estate business. my goal is to also be a pastor so that i can help the needy, and also build a foundation that can carter for adults that are less privilege in the society by helping them on vocational training that can give them so financial freedom.

      Reply
    44. Robert Andrews

      My vision for my business is to make $1,000,000 a year from my online businesses.
      Want to achieve that goal within the next two to three years.
      Will make money via affiliate marketing and ebooks.
      Want to start a non-profit organization to help parents with teens
      Goal is give money to various organizations having to do with education, underprivileged children or developing countries and of course my church

      Reply
    45. melvin williams

      I’m retired but by no means secured financially. I see myself mastering marketing on the internet and sponsoring our family’s functions. My son and my mom live too far to get to know each other and I want to be able to bridge that gap. I’m also seeing myself dressing up as santa clause at Xmas time wit toys for all the little kids…and grown ups to. These are just a few of my visions in the next year.

      Reply
    46. Orlando

      As a Pastor and also working as a System Engineer full time, I cannot do both and serve the Lord and His children properly. If I can create a source of income at which then I can give more time to the Lord, will be the delight of my life. I’ve been giving over 25% to ministries from just salary. I’m not bragging, but to show I’m a doer. The vision is to develop a successful online business which will provide a source of income over a million annually, to continue doing the mission trips in South Africa and other parts of the world, including US. To have the freedom to do what God wants me to do. And of course, to be closer to my family. I have a list of other things to do but I’ll keep those in private for now.

      Reply

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