The other day a former colleague of mine posed an interesting question, ” If you were guaranteed success, as an entrepreneur, what business would you start?”

The purpose of this question is not to identify a personal opportunity that was just feasible, (i.e., something you could)  but rather the thing you want to do.

Bonne Chance

Selecting the road well-traveled may be safer but choosing something you really desire is far more likely to be fulfilling.  There is a good chance you will succeed even if it is only personally satisfying not necessarily financially.

Unfortunately, there is never a guarantee of success, the purpose of this question is to remove the doubt which arises from uncertainty so you can identify a business or other opportunity that really resonates with you.

This is not to say fiscal and feasibility considerations are not really important and should be discounted.  Rather ask yourself what you would do if there were no constraints to help filter out default opportunities (those that are just there).

Because it’s there

I have always felt the rationale for climbing a mountain peak needed to be more than because I could (Although that is some people’s answer).

Results are much more satisfying when motivated by a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.  Choosing a career path or entrepreneurial opportunity simply because you can might pan out, and maybe it won’t.

If you seek entrepreneurship, asking yourself what that looks like without constraint followed by the application of reasonable constraints might result in a decision not to proceed.

In and of itself this would not be a bad thing.  Doing something just for the sake of doing it often just does not pan out.