Sometimes, when my children come across an idea related to one of their hobbies or something they enjoy, they ask me, “Do you think this could be a good business?”

My usual response is another question: “What problem are you trying to solve? What gap are you trying to fill?”

Most of the time, they get stumped.

Sometimes they ask me, “Do we really need to solve a problem to start a business? That makes it so much harder.”

I tell them to pray about what is in their heart.

Because I have come to believe that entrepreneurship is first a heart issue before it is a financial one.

Of course, a business needs to make money. We need profit to pay our people, meet our obligations, reinvest, and keep the business going. There is nothing wrong with wanting a business to succeed financially.

But over the years, I began to understand that making money and having a purpose are not the same thing.

Our purpose comes from the heart and answers why.

Our goal comes from the mind and answers what.

We should not confuse the two.

Our purpose in business is to create value for others by solving a problem, filling a need, or making something better. Our goal can be to make money and build a sustainable business.

When we fulfill that purpose and people find value in what we do, they are willing to pay for it. Profit then becomes a byproduct of fulfilling our purpose.

As I continue my own journey as an entrepreneur, this philosophy has become a reminder of why we do what we do.

The longer I am in business, the more I realize that a business may carry our name, our ideas, and our dreams, but it was never meant to be only about us.

It is about the people we create value for, the people who work alongside us, and the lives we touch along the way.

Perhaps that is why I have come to believe that entrepreneurship is a heart issue.

At its heart, doing business has always been about serving—and, in our own way, loving—people.