While success and money are all nice end goals, in our experience, most entrepreneurs have something a little bigger in mind. What do you really want your business to accomplish in the next 10 years? How do you see yourself shaking up your industry?
To find out what really motivates young entrepreneurs, we asked 10 entrepreneurs the following question:
Q. Where do you see your business in 10 years and why?
1. Empowering millions of people
Our mission statement is to empower people who wouldn't otherwise have access to labor with long-term rewarding employment. In 10 years, we want to have received more than a million long-term contracts so workers feel secure enough to build a future for themselves and their families.
2. Subsidizing startups
In 10 years, I predict that my company will have spun off at least six successful subsidiary startups, which will all be run by someone other than myself. My core team members will love their new jobs in the family or will be at the point where things are good enough for them to consider early retirement.
- Benji Rabhan, ConversionCore
3. Helping every child with college tuition
The rise in college tuition during the past 10 to 20 years is terrifying. At these rates, affording college is going to be very daunting for a child born today. In 10 years, I want to see Gradsave helping every child in the country with a portion of his college tuition.
- Marcos Cordero, GradSave, LLC
4. Serving as the Brooks Brothers of 2020
We're going to outfit every man who wants to look sharp in a suit, shirt, and tie. We believe current retailers misunderstand customers' needs, and we are filling that gap. Soon, we'll make enough room for ourselves that every business professional in a corporate office will sport our gear.
5. Changing all customized products
In a decade, I bet you will be able to buy customized, personal versions of every accessory. We are building Modify in that manner—assuming that the technology and manufacturing capabilities will improve. Having a long-term outlook means that we can focus on building the entire industry and not just our business.
- Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches
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6. Serving as the top personal finance website
I see my business as the number one personal finance website. We’ve been expanding at a rapid rate, and there’s no reason for us to believe that we can’t do it. Plus, I think it’s important to aim high, no matter what you do.
- Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
7. Solving all homeowner problems
We're building Porch to solve home improvement problems for homeowners. In 10 years, it will be a breeze to find the right tools and information to make good decisions when improving or repairing your home. Just as LinkedIn is the first place you go to look someone up for business, Porch will be the first resource homeowners turn to for help managing their home.
8. Educating top tech entrepreneurs
In 10 years, I believe our business will be the top destination for entrepreneurs to receive tactical advice, lessons, and fellowship in starting and scaling their companies.
9. Creating new consumer behaviors
The potential for image recognition technology like ours is boundless. In 10 years, we see a world where everyday items from furniture to food can be detected and recognized via mobile devices—kind of like a Wikipedia for images. Blippar is an early evangelist for AR; we imagine consumers will be blipping objects and images throughout the day from breakfast to bedtime.
10. Building the best brands
I expect Acquia to become a large company that makes a very big impact on the Web and does a lot to give back to the community and to charity. I want Acquia to be the best Web enterprise company, helping the biggest and the best brands be successful on the Web and build really innovative digital experiences.
- Dries Buytaert, Drupal
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