I don’t think that very many small business owners think much about their business legacy. Many of us have a mindset of just hoping our business will last until we no longer want to do the work anymore. But whether we realize it or not, we do leave a business legacy, bad or good.
The other night I watched the special Grammy salute to the Beatles, celebrating 50 years since their historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. Even for those of us who weren’t of that era, the story of how the Beatles got their start in the U.S. is legend.
I watched as so many world famous musicians showed up to pay tribute to the Beatles as a group and to the two Beatles who are still with us – Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. And I realized that these two musicians (along with John Lennon and George Harrison) have left an amazing and unmeasurable impact on the world through their work as musicians and composers.
Which leads me to ask, “What is the legacy you want to leave with your business?” Because you WILL leave a legacy – even if you close your doors tomorrow. Your business will be interpreted through the stories people tell of interacting with you or your team. Your work, no matter its quality, will have an impact on those who hire you – either positive or negative.
Most often we have no idea the legacy we leave when we touch the life of another person. But your business legacy is worthy of your thought. You might want to leave your business to a family member. You might want to sell your business and use the profits to endow a charity. You might decide to build your business even larger than it is because you have an elderly parent you want to take care of until she passes away. You might want to work every day to build a name for yourself and your business that is associated with a specific value – honesty, quality, or good value.
That your business legacy will exist is a given. How do you want to shape it? What do you think the Beatle’s legacy has been? Love to hear your thoughts below.
I often think about this because my focus is on education. I know I have managed to help a lot of people learn how to “eat well to be well” and will continue to do that while I’m here. The health benefits of that for those I’ve helped, their families, and the connections they have will have a ripple effect that will continue after I’m gone. Cool thought. I’m a raindrop 🙂
Sue,
Yes , thinking about legacies and exit plans is important. I sometimes wonder about people who have Internet based businesses with no real strategy for once they are gone. I think it is important to give this some thought so our legacy and content lives on.
Write on!~
Lisa
This is exactly why I begin everyday with the thought,
“who will I add value to today? May I recognize and enjoy
every minute of it.”
I get to see the legacy of my company everyday as I watch television and movies and see my clients’ names in the credits and know because they are working, their work is impacting the world and therefore my legacy is impacting the world.
I have thought about the legacy I will leave: a different and better way of looking at mental health – one that includes food and nutrients, finding the root cause, biochemical individuality – and no more stigma.
I agree with Heidi – doing it now is important too
You’re right about many business owners not thinking about the legacy that they want to leave–and that is very sad to me. I can’t even imagine not thinking about it. My business is completely built around the legacy that I want to leave. Without the legacy first, I wouldn’t have a business. In fact, I only work with people who want to change their life or the lives of those around them.
Sue, i think the legacy I would leave, even if my doors closed tomorrow, is in the young women PR professionals whom I mentor. It is so important to give back and to boost the next generation in my opinion. As to the Beatles, they left us with truly classic rock and roll. Classic in the same way that great Beethoven is classic. The Beatles will still be around many many years from now.
Great topic to ponder Sue. I am a firm believer in working backwards and starting with the end in mind so that you live out every day from your legacy and not wait until you are gone to leave it!