Five Questions To Ask About the Future of Your Business

The Mission Driven Business Podcast

We are wrapping up the tenth anniversary series with this episode. The first episode was a thank you. The second was a reflection on ten belief shifts over a decade in business. This one looks forward with five questions to help you look forward to the future in your business. Brian also courageously shares a letter he wrote to his future self.

 

Business Shifts: From Survival to Sustainability

The early years of BTF were mostly about survival. Getting the next client, figuring out pricing, learning how to run a business, generating income without a safety net. Ten years later, Brian is asking a different question. Not can I build this, but do I want to keep building this? This intentional shift, from survival to sustainability, is one every entrepreneur eventually faces, and is the theme behind the questions Brian is asking.

 

Five Questions Worth Asking About the Future of Your Business

  1. What do I want to keep? It’s easier to immediately focus on what needs to change. Brian suggests starting with what is already working and what you do not want to lose. If your business doubled over the next ten years, what would you desperately not want to lose?
  2. What am I ready to leave behind? Brian names beliefs he has already started letting go of, including the idea that every opportunity is a good one, the need to prove his worth, and the tendency toward over-control. What are you still carrying simply because you have always carried it?
  3. Where can I create more impact? Your impact and your revenue are not necessarily the same thing. Brian wants to keep exploring how he can reach more people with what he’s learned through the podcast, writing, speaking, or possibilities that don’t even exist yet. How else can your business serve the people you intend to reach?
  4. What kind of life does this business need to support? Perhaps the most important question of all. Rather than asking only what you want your business to look like in 10 years, ask what you want your life to look like. Those questions should come first, and then comes the question of what kind of business supports that kind of life.
  5. Who do I need to become? The next ten years are not just about what your business becomes. They are about who you become while building it. Brian says he wants to be wiser, more patient, more generous, more courageous, and hopefully a little less controlling.

 

A Letter to 2036 Brian

After working through the five questions, Brian wanted a way to bring them all together into something tangible. Inspired by Bonnie Wan’s book The Life Brief, he wrote a letter to his future self. It felt surreal to write and vulnerable to share, but he shares it in full in this episode. If these five questions resonated with you, it is worth a listen.

 

Your Action Step

Pick a date ten years from now and write to that future version of yourself. Tell them what you hope their life looks like, who surrounds them, what kind of work they are doing, what they have kept, what they have let go of, and who they have become. Think of it as a compass as you move through the next 10 years. Share it with Brian on Instagram or LinkedIn if you feel brave, or keep it for yourself.

 

Resources + Links

 

About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast

Brian Thompson, JD/CFP®, is a tax attorney and Certified Financial Planner® who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.

On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

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