How Do You Know You’re Taking Your Business Seriously?

by Alex Dzierbicki

Jul 25, 2025

< 1 min read

Most business owners will tell you they work hard. Ask 100 entrepreneurs if they’re committed to their success, and 99 will say absolutely. But here’s the question that stops people in their tracks: How do you actually know you’re taking your business seriously?

This isn’t about working 80-hour weeks or having the fanciest office. It’s about understanding what serious commitment looks like—and more importantly, what it costs.

The Trade-Off Test

The clearest indicator that you’re taking something seriously is what you’re willing to trade for it. As Gandhi said, “The true price of anything is the amount of life that you exchange for it.”

The Mental Real Estate Check

When we work with clients, we look for evidence of real commitment:

  • Time allocation: Are you spending your hours on activities that move the needle, or busy work that feels productive?
  • Financial investment: Are you willing to spend money on systems, people, and processes that matter?
  • Opportunity cost awareness: Do you understand what you’re saying no to when you say yes to your business?

Here’s another way to measure seriousness: What occupies your thoughts during quiet moments?

When you’re sitting with your morning coffee, where does your mind go? If your business problems and opportunities naturally surface during these unguarded moments, you’re likely taking things seriously. Your subconscious is working on what matters most to you.

Beyond Good Intentions

The gap between intention and commitment is massive. Intention says “I want to grow my business.” Commitment says “I’m willing to fire my cousin who’s been underperforming for six months.”

We see this constantly in our consulting work. Business owners who claim they’re serious about growth but won’t:

  • Invest in proper bookkeeping systems
  • Fire underperforming employees
  • Stop doing $15/hour tasks when their time is worth $150/hour
  • Have difficult conversations with clients or vendors

The Data Integrity Question

Here’s a practical test: Would you make a $50,000 business decision based on your current financial data?

If you hesitated, you’re not taking your business as seriously as you think. You can’t optimize what you don’t measure accurately. Most businesses we encounter are making million-dollar decisions with mediocre data.

That’s not serious. That’s hoping.

Moving from Hoping to Knowing

Taking your business seriously means creating systems that give you clarity:

  1. Financial systems that provide accurate, timely data
  2. Decision-making frameworks that remove emotion from critical choices
  3. Performance metrics that connect daily actions to long-term outcomes
  4. Accountability structures that ensure follow-through

The Mirror Moment

Ask yourself: What would change if you truly took your business as seriously as your life depended on it?

Because here’s the truth—it does. Your business isn’t separate from your life. It’s the vehicle for creating the impact and freedom you want.

Stop telling yourself you’re working hard. Start asking if you’re working seriously.