3 Leadership Gains You Unlock When You Define Your Personal Mission

My first business — before I owned the Exit Planning Institute® (EPI) — was a landscaping and snow removal business. It was the kind of work where, if you were willing to grind, there was the potential for success. Revenue, sales, hiring/firing, even jumping in a plow myself — my name was on the side of the truck, so it felt like the business deserved my 24/7/365 focus.

Not surprisingly, that eventually led to burnout.

When I went to sell my business, I realized I had created a business that became my personal purpose, rather than a vehicle for it. Instead of relying on my business to bring me fulfillment, freedom and financial gain, it simply brought me cash flow.

When potential buyers looked at my business, they didn’t see a path to a better life. They saw a job. And no buyer wants to buy a job.

This time around, I’m doing things better and smarter, building a more significant company as a result. What changed? I started with myself: reflecting on my personal purpose and how to leverage it for professional impact. My personal purpose is to create unique experiences for the people around me. Understanding that has reinvented not only my personal life, but also my professional life. Now, I live my personal purpose by focusing on my company’s culture, creating a business where people want to stay and thrive.

Entrepreneurs should prioritize a personal plan for three key reasons:

Reason 1: Personal planning changes how you see yourself

I didn’t realize how much of my self-worth was tied to work. If things were up, I felt confident. If they weren’t, I questioned everything. What I’ve come to understand is how easy it is — even as a leader— to operate from a place of doubt and not even recognize it. Getting clear on my purpose and the values behind it gave me something more stable to measure against. Instead of making decisions out of fear or insecurity, I started making them based on what actually aligns with who I am. That shift has done more for my confidence than any external win ever did — and my team at work is better for it.

Reason 2: Personal planning makes you a better leader

When I lacked a clear sense of purpose, leadership felt burdensome. I held onto things too tightly. I took challenges more personally. And if I’m being honest, I measured my success too much by how others responded to me. As I’ve gotten clearer on what drives me, I’ve become more comfortable not having all the answers. I delegate more. I collaborate more. I don’t feel the need to prove myself in every moment. Instead, I can focus on setting direction and trusting the team. As I’ve trusted the team, I’ve created value in my business since I’m not the only driver of success.

Reason 3: Personal planning makes you build a life now, not later

I used to assume that one day, after the next milestone, the next phase, the eventual “exit,” I’d have time to focus on everything else: relationships, experiences, the life outside of work. But I’ve realized that doesn’t just magically come together at the end. If I don’t invest in those things now, they may not be there waiting for me later. Thinking about life beyond work has changed how I spend my time today. It’s made me more intentional about relationships, balance, and building something meaningful — not someday, but in real time. My conversations with colleagues, clients, and collaborators are deeper, more meaningful, and more productive.

How I got started (and why you should, too)

Honestly, I started personal planning because life and work were not going well.

I was a top-down leader because I needed to feel in control. My personal relationships struggled because I thought grinding equaled success. I was driven by quick money wins rather than long-term strategy.

Understanding my personal purpose allowed me to focus on what fulfilled me at work. I found fulfillment — and, by the way, more success — at work, it felt less and less like I was carrying something with me when I got home. Suddenly, my business was working for my life, rather than my life working for my business. And, as I came to understand my personal purpose, discovering what will fulfill me post-exit became clearer. So, I’ve started planning for that, too.

Even if you haven’t thought about your exit, you could probably tell me your dream version.

But sometimes exit comes for us, we don’t come for it.

At EPI, we’ve realized that half of exits stem from the 5Ds: Divorce, Disagreement, Disability, Distress, and Death. These negative, outside factors often come quickly. Without a personal plan, you’ll likely spiral. If you don’t know your personal purpose, then you won’t know what to do next.

What helped me most was talking to an advisor. And, luckily, more and more advisors are specializing in personal planning as it relates to exit planning. You can find a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPAÒ) near you today, and get started on the rest of your life.

My first business — before I owned the Exit Planning Institute® (EPI) — was a landscaping and snow removal business. It was the kind of work where, if you were willing to grind, there was the potential for success. Revenue, sales, hiring/firing, even jumping in a plow myself — my name was on the side of the truck, so it felt like the business deserved my 24/7/365 focus.

Not surprisingly, that eventually led to burnout.

When I went to sell my business, I realized I had created a business that became my personal purpose, rather than a vehicle for it. Instead of relying on my business to bring me fulfillment, freedom and financial gain, it simply brought me cash flow.