When you’re starting a business, it’s easy to focus only on the day-to-day: answering emails, making content, sending invoices, and keeping things afloat. But if you’re always making decisions from where you are right now, it’s hard to grow into the business owner you want to become.

That’s where “future you” comes in.

Start With a Clear Vision

In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill explains the power of having a definite chief aim—a clear, specific picture of what you want to create. Hill believed that success starts in your mind. If you don’t know where you’re going, it’s easy to get stuck reacting to the moment instead of building something bigger.

So, who is “future you”? What kind of business are they running? What does their day look like? What do they not have to do anymore?

Paint a picture of your future self as clearly as possible. Then, let that version of you help guide today’s decisions.

Say Yes (and No) Like Future You Would

When you know who you’re becoming, you can make better decisions in the present. Would future you say yes to this client—or would they only take projects that align with their bigger goals? Would they spend hours tweaking their logo—or finally launch the website?

This mindset shift helps you stop overthinking and start acting in alignment with where you’re headed.

Invest Like the Person You’re Becoming

Hill also wrote about belief and action working together. If you want to become a confident business owner, you have to act like one—even before it feels comfortable. That doesn’t mean spending recklessly. But it might mean choosing tools, systems, or habits that will support you down the line.

It could be as small as organizing your emails today so your future self doesn’t have to dig through them tomorrow. Or setting up one automation now that saves hours later.

Final Thoughts

Future you is not some far-off fantasy—they’re shaped by the small decisions you make today. So the next time you feel stuck or unsure, pause and ask: What would future me want me to do right now? That one question can lead you closer to the business you’re really trying to build.

 

This article is part of our Business Coaching blog series. At Dataczar we talk to a lot of small businesses. We’ve found a few books that we keep recommending time and again. To better help our customers, we’ve added a Reading List for Small Businesses to our website. We encourage every small business owner to read and keep these timeless business books on their office shelf.

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