Over the years, I’ve met lots of people who are waiting for their dreams to unfold. They have a huge vision of their business success. Yet, for one reason or another, this vision keeps them from starting the business. They are paralysed.
In contrast, many successful entrepreneurs will tell you that they didn’t have a big vision to start with. They just had an idea, took action on it, and allowed it to grow. And it grew and grew and grew.
I know this seems to go against the grain of what I teach – that you need to have a vision of your life and business – but in reality it isn’t.
Having a vision is good because it keeps you motivated when times get touch. Getting stuck on attaining this vision as is is not good because it prevents you from taking action and taking advantage of opportunities when they arise.
In the book Like a Virgin, Richard Branson explains that when starting out, he never imagined Virgin would grow into the giant it is today.
He noted that had he done so, he probably would not have taken action because the vision would have been too big to fathom at that time.
Where is your business stuck? If it’s still in pre-startup stage, when will you get it out? When will you remove the “Under Construction” sign?
How I got my business unstuck
Let me give you an example from my business. You see, this week has been great. I finally got the courage to put my book out and that was very scary. I’ve been avoiding this for the last 5 months even though the book was ready and there were people waiting to buy it.
In November 2013, my business coach asked me, “What would have the biggest impact in your life and business if your were to achieve it in 2014?”
We prioritized my list of goals and to my surprise, completing the book was #1. It wasn’t about money or success. It was about completing this book that I had worked on for 2 years. It was about turning the dream into reality.
So what was I waiting for? The manuscript was ready by September 2014 and I still dilly-dallied.
In October 2014, my friend called me saying, “Is your book ready? I have a group of women who want me to help them start businesses and I don’t want to use another book. They’re waiting for your book and we’re starting in November.”
She knew that giving me a deadline would ensure that I don’t try to wiggle out of it, and I didn’t. She received an unedited draft of the book and the women she worked with loved it and gave useful feedback.
This group also opened up for me an unexpected opportunity and I was able to relocate from Nairobi to Mombasa in December 2014. I had expected to make this move in December 2015 but when the opportunity came one year earlier, I took it up.
It’s important to take advantage of opportunities when they appear.
Come January 2015 and I was still editing the book. The same thing happened in February and March.
Finally, I gave myself a do or die deadline in April. I paid for the cover, created this blog. and told my family, friends, prospects, clients and everyone I met that the eBook would be out in May.
I made the deadline so public that I had to do it or die of shame. My reputation was at stake…the book got out…and I’m now taking orders with a big smile on my face.
This book, 12 Weeks to Startup: How to Turn Your Skills, Talents, Education and Experiences into a Business, helps working professionals start and grow businesses in their part-time.
It’s a self-coaching manual based on the first 12 weeks of my business coaching program. If you follow the lessons in the book, you will have a business that’s up and running within 12 weeks.
And yet, I almost didn’t share this with the world because I was scared of negative criticism and wanted to have a perfect product before marketing it.
Where are you stuck?
What about you? Where are you at in your business? Where are you holding yourself back?
- Is your business still a dream?
- Have you been collecting information for a number of years? (One of my clients had cartons full of cuttings and magazines, collected over 8 years)?
- Is your plan ready but you haven't put it into action - you're waiting for perfection?
- Has your business been under construction for a very long time?
- Have you started but slowed down - fear is holding you back?
- Is business something you do when you're broke and forget when your money issues are sorted?
- Or are you someone who starts and kills businesses - you've been in a number of businesses over the years and none has survived for long?
Wherever you are at today, stop and move forward. How do you do this? Below are 3 steps to help you.
1. Create your plan
Write out everything that you need to do within the next month. When the list is complete, rank the items in terms of:
- time (what needs to be done when).
- priority (what is most important).
- sequence (what needs to be done before what).
Take a clean sheet of paper and write out your prioritized list. Start working on #1 – the one that needs to be done now, is most important and needs to be done first.
2. Get your business out
Take the next step in getting your business out (#1 in the list above). Your next step may be:
- Creating a list of people to market to and calling them to schedule a meeting.
- Creating a one-page website about your business and emailing everyone you know the website link.
- Asking your current and past customers for referrals.
- Attending one networking event per week and pitching your business.
- Writing 10 proposals and deliver them.
- Getting your employees to take their duties seriously so that you have more time to network, market and develop your business.
- Creating a sample product.
Whatever this next step is, just do it. And note that one thing the next step is definitely NOT is gathering more data and writing plans!
3. Make your goals as public as you can
Do what I did and tell people about your next step. Be bold.
- Tell people whom you know will either hold you accountable or whose opinions matter to you.
- Post it on social media.
- Send a Whatsapp message to everyone in your contact list.
The goal is to put your reputation at stake. This step alone is enough to make you move.
Will your business ever be ready?
Your business will never be ready until you start. It’s only after you start that you will find out what the market wants from you and you can then change your business accordingly.
When I started out as a coach, I never expected to be an author and for the business to change into what it is today. It’s been a walk of faith, taking advantage of opportunities while learning from my mistakes.
In the process, I’ve learnt how to write (and written a book and over 200 articles), created two blogs, met amazing people, undergone my own personal transformation, made money from my business, spent quality time with my family, and relocated to my dream town.
All these would not have happened if I was not willing to take action.
Grab a copy of my book if you’re starting your business or have failed in business. This book is a system that will help you:
- Determine the business that is best for you.
- Conduct simple market research (no more cartons of books or dozens of computer folders).
- Overcome your fears of starting a business.
- Create your business management systems.
- Identify and market to your ideal customers.
- Start the business within 12 weeks.
Details are here: http://createyourdreambusinesstoday.com/12-weeks-to-startup-book/.
Do you have other tricks to move your business to the next level? We’d love to hear about it so share in the Comments section below.
