I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I think it’s a beautiful way to live.

I know a lot of people who would like to start their own business, but some aren’t sure what the right business is for them.

But what is the right business?

Countless profitable businesses are serving millions of happy customers. However, when I look at most of those businesses, I know they’re not the right business for me.

How Do You Decide What’s Right For You?

If you’d like to start a business, the right business for you is something you would thoroughly enjoy spending your days doing.

I know I’m in the right business because there’s nothing else that I’d rather be doing. I absolutely love what I do each day.

I am going to be 86 in July, and I have no intention of slowing down. I’ve got as much juice in me right now as I’ve ever had. The idea of retiring is repulsive.

However, not every business owner feels the way I do about the work they do. The kind of joy and satisfaction that I feel every day happens only when you’re in the right business.

If you’re considering starting a business, but you’re not sure what’s right for you, you’re in the right place. Let’s walk through simple steps you can take to help you uncover an idea that is both fulfilling and inspiring for you.

Get Started on the Right Foot

To start the idea process, take out a sheet of paper and write “Things I Love” across the top.

List everything you can think of that you thoroughly enjoy or are good at. It doesn’t matter whether it’s something in your personal life or work life—just write down whatever comes to mind.

Your list might include I’m really good with people. I love kids, reading, and playing music. I love computers. I’m great with numbers. I’m good at coming up with marketing concepts. I am good at solving problems. I love being around and working with dogs. I love riding horses.

When you’ve written it all down, set the list aside, and ask yourself a question many people never consider:

“Why am I starting a business?”

Don’t Skip This Step

When you’re about to do something that will change every aspect of your life, doesn’t it make sense to know why?

To increase your chances of long-term success and happiness, you should not only make sure you are starting the right business but also that you’re doing it for the right reasons.

Starting a business just because you’re tired of working for someone else isn’t sustainable. Nor should you do it for the money. That’s like getting married because you’re tired of being alone or you want someone else to help you with the bills.

Like getting married, starting a business is hard work. It’s not always fun and exciting. Even if you make a lot of money, it won’t sustain you over the long haul if you don’t thoroughly enjoy what you’re doing and fully believe that you are bringing value to others.

Sustainable reasons to start a business include:

• Having a strong desire to solve a problem(s) and change the world
• Being aware of a market gap and having the expertise and willingness to fill it
• Feeling called to do something—it’s in your DNA. If your gut tells you that it’s what you’re meant to do, pay attention to it. If the universe is trying to tell you something, it’s a good idea to listen. Otherwise, you risk spending the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

Look for a Pattern

Once you know your “why,” go back to the list you made earlier—the one with the things you enjoy and are good at.

Look the list over carefully, and then review your reason for wanting to start a business in the first place. When you’re done, look for a pattern or connection to emerge.

For example, you might discover there’s an underserved market that could benefit from your expertise in something you are good at and love to do.

Or, after doing some internet research, you may find out there’s a demand for a doggie daycare center in your area—or some other service or product that you would love to offer.

One More Thing to Consider

Now that you’ve found something you would genuinely love to do, and you know why you want to do it, you might start to wonder how you can earn money at it.

Well, I’m about something that will likely surprise you…

Working is the worst way to earn money. We should go to work for satisfaction.

Listen, one day, I was talking to a doctor in Phoenix. He told me he was thinking of leaving the profession, so I asked him why.

He said, “The medical profession is changing so much. Now, you have to put in more time to earn less money.”

“Why did you become a doctor?”

He said, “Because I love it.”

I said, “So, why would you want to quit? Even If you never paid got paid, you’re still spending your days doing what you love to do. Man, that’s what fulfillment in life is all about. You don’t have to earn money from doing what you love. You can set up multiple sources of income to bring in money.”

You see, you don’t have to earn a lot of money doing the thing that lights you up each day. You can spend your days following your bliss and have income coming in from other sources. You can earn money from investments, joint ventures, affiliate sales—there are countless ways you can earn passive income.

So, just figure out what you love to do. That’s the right business for you. You should go to work for satisfaction, not to earn money. You can provide some kind of service(s) to earn money.

Start Now

Don’t wait until you save a lot of money or have an extensive business plan to start doing what you enjoy. A lot of people do that, and their ideas never see the light of day.

Doing things that you love puts you in a good vibration. And that attracts good things to you—things you want. So, start now—even if you haven’t yet figured out how to monetize it.

Test what it might be like to work in an area you’re passionate about. Build your business network and ask for feedback that will help you develop and refine your business idea.

Doig this can not only show the value you would bring, but you can also get testimonials that will help launch your business when you’re ready to make it official.

I know conventional business advice would be to get all your ducks in a row before you start a business.

But Sandy and I are entrepreneurs who don’t go by “the book.” We go by the natural laws of the universe and our own experience. We recommend taking actionable steps that are in harmony with the Laws and focused on creating the results you want.

After decades of study, business ownership, and teaching, we know the only things you need to start a business are the right idea and a decision to do it.

Sandy and I have helped people start and grow almost every kind of business you can imagine. We show aspiring entrepreneurs, step by step, how to move from the dreadful sense of living someone else’s dream to the delightful feeling of self-expression.

But the thing each person must ultimately decide on their own is to choose a business that they’re in harmony with spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally.

If you do that, if you’d like, we can help you take it from there.

To your success,

Bob Proctor