British comedian, Jimmy Carr, is not universally beloved – in fact, by many, he’s considered a controversial character.

Twice across a three-year period, Carr has appeared on entrepreneur Steven Barlett’s hugely popular podcast, Diary of a CEO, to talk to Bartlett about his philosophy on life, work, and finding your purpose. You might find it odd that a comedian has so much wisdom to share (together, the podcast episodes last nearly four hours) but in fact, the view from the stand-up stage has taught Carr many important life lessons.

One subject Carr keeps coming back to across his interviews, recorded in 2021 and 2024, is the idea of “finding your purpose”. This could sound like a wishy-washy sentiment, but keep reading, and you might find that it’s more complex, and more important than you originally thought.

So, here is what Jimmy Carr can teach business owners about the importance of finding your purpose.

In his 2024 interview, Jimmy Carr emphasised that “What do I want?” is the most important question you can ask yourself

In Carr’s 2024 interview with Steven Bartlett, he says, “You want to know what to do with your life? Ask yourself, ‘What do I think about all the time?’”

Indeed, the idea of knowing exactly what you want is crucial to Carr’s mindset as a comedian and writer. He says, “If you’re going to be an Olympian, you’re going to have to give up a lot of important stuff. But you’re going to be an Olympian.” What he means here is that knowing what you want from life is only half the battle – it’s about knowing where to make sacrifices to make it happen.

As a business owner, you will be familiar with sacrifice. Unlike many employed individuals, for whom their role is “just a job”, you’re likely to live and breathe what you do. This may have come with drawbacks – less time spent with your family, and often feeling like you’re at work even when you aren’t.

But when it comes to finding your purpose, it is important to recognise that, as you age, your approach might change over time. When you started your business, you may have gone “all guns blazing”, doing everything you could to make your ambitions come alive. Now, you may be approaching retirement, having completed your “purpose” as an entrepreneur and wondering how to find out what’s next.

At this stage, it might be helpful to ask yourself:

• What do I want from the next 10, 20, or 30 years?
• How have my ambitions changed, and what might my “purpose” be in retirement?
• If I’m not sure, how can I work towards finding out?

If you feel lost about finding your purpose as a business owner – whether you are at the beginning of your career, or nearing the end – we can help you here at iQ Financial. We work exclusively with business owners like you to ensure your goals are aligned with your personal finances.

In 2021, Carr talked about why we crave recognition, and why finding a purpose can help us “belong”

In their 2021 conversation, Bartlett describes how he believes the young people of today want fame and recognition more than actual success.

Carr responds: “The norm for most of human history is that everyone knew everyone. We used to live in tribes – encountering a stranger was a weird thing. Now we see strangers all the time and pretend it’s normal.” He goes on to say, “That desire to be ‘famous’, to be known, has always been that way.”

The conversation continues to unfold, and later, Carr talks about the balance between knowing you are “enough” as you are, while craving further success and ambition. Carr chalks his ability to balance these two elements up to being a comedian: “Gratitude is hugely important, but that does not mean you don’t want more or better. And the great thing about being a comic is that we’re brilliant with failure.”

There is so much to unpick from the points Carr is making – especially for business owners.

Firstly, there’s the desire for recognition. You may wish to be noticed by investors who would help grow your business; gain further respect and admiration from your team; or become recognised in your profession for being one of the best. This is especially true when sites like LinkedIn may fuel your competitive side and make you strive for likes, reposts, and comments that validate your viewpoint.

Reflecting on Carr’s advice, you could take a step back and accept that it’s normal to seek validation from those around you, but doing so relentlessly could exhaust you. Instead, it may help to feel grateful for the love and attention you already receive, especially from your colleagues and loved ones, and use this to motivate your next steps.

Then, there’s the idea of being “brilliant with failure”. Although you are probably not a stand-up comedian, learning to fail could actually solidify your confidence in yourself and your ability to ride out life’s ups and downs.

All these concepts relate to the idea of “purpose”. Rather than setting arbitrary goals that might gain you more superficial recognition, take the time to think about the kind of success that actually makes you feel grateful. Then, if you are sure about your vision for the future of your business, and have people around you who genuinely support you (beyond providing clicks on LinkedIn), failure might not feel like such a setback.

Work with us at iQ Financial

We support business owners like you on your personal finance journey, be it retiring on your own terms, supporting your loved ones, or ticking items off your bucket list.

Email us at clients@iqf.ie or call 353 71 915 5560.

Please note

This article is for information only. It does not constitute advice.

It describes the financial planning services that iQ Financial can offer to you. Financial planning services are not regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.