You’d have to be crazy to start a new business right now!
By: PJ McClure
He sat quietly for a moment, perhaps realizing the gravity of our conversation. Unwilling to accept defeat he finally said, “Well, when you get this thing out of your system, give us a call. We’d love to have you back.”
My former boss could be called many things… excited about my new venture as The Mindset Maven was not one of them.
For more than 10 years, I had danced around, or completely hid from, the idea of getting back into business for myself. As I launched into this new plan for freedom, I was also a full-time MBA student, building a new house (actually swinging a hammer), maintaining a successful sales career, and trying to be husband and dad of the year.
Every news story or water cooler discussion centered on the collapse of the economy and how someone would be crazy to jeopardize their job. “Why would anybody take a chance on starting a business right now?”
And I agreed. Why would anyone take a chance? The Internet makes it possible to research countless ways of developing a business. Performing due diligence and picking the system that is right for you is easier than it has ever been. The trouble for most would-be entrepreneurs isn’t finding a business to start… it is doing the actual work needed to make it successful.
Having grown up in a self-employed family, and working as and with entrepreneurs my entire adult life, I knew that the tendency for perfectionism could derail everything. To give myself the best chance for success, I made the pact to strive for efficiency, not perfection. That one distinction made all the difference in achieving success. It can do the same for you by sticking to five key concepts.
The keys for efficiency:
Don’t talk your energy away – Every goal-setting guru I’ve ever heard talks about the value of accountability. They continue by saying that we should tell someone what our goal is and how we plan to accomplish it. I’d like to invite you to swim against the current on this one.
When we have an idea that becomes a goal, there is a massive amount of energy behind it. That energy needs to find an outlet. When we begin talking about our goals, the tendency is to communicate with great passion and detail. In doing so, we create the illusion of accomplishment and spend our energy without result.
Instead, keep quiet about your goal until you’re 75-80% done. Let your energy escape in the form of progress and tangible results. Then you can tell people what you’re up to and results will speak for themselves.
Plan your work –Having a plan before beginning is a proverb, yet so many of us jump in without the slightest idea of what we’re doing.
I’m not suggesting that you have every single step mapped out before taking the first one. Every step of a journey reveals new things to consider.
However, we need a general purpose in place that guides our decision-making. With the general purpose in place, we can plan our daily activities and distinguish between valuable tasks and busy work.
At the end of every day, evaluate what you accomplished and write out your punch list for the next day. This one practice can change your life instantly.
Work your plan –I took the time to make an action list based on my purpose, so it only makes sense to tackle that list… right? Some of the items will not be exciting (more on that in a minute), but if they are vital to accomplishing our goal, they need to be done.
Ultimately, you have to trust that your plan will yield the results you seek. The author of, As a man thinketh, James Allen wrote,
“Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that the right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about the right results.”
Avoid shiny objects – Maybe the most devastating of all entrepreneurial ailments is distraction. By nature, we are constantly seeking new and inventive ways to do things. And it can strike at any time.
“New ways to drive traffic… an undiscovered method for massive sales conversion… how you can get rich selling llama’s milk from the comfort of your home…” distractions abound. Stay focused and complete your projects.
One finished, mediocre product will make more money than four half-finished, brilliant ideas.
Write down your flashes of brilliance for the next project and finish what you’re in the middle of.
Celebrate frequently – I’m going to assume that you’re taking off on this entrepreneurial journey for a payoff. We’re driven by rewards. Make sure to take advantage of that bit of knowledge by putting frequent rewards in front of you.
A round of golf. A quiet evening with your spouse. Dinner with friends. A weekend excursion with no email or cell phone. The reward must suit the task and the timeframe, but have some fun with it.
“But PJ… what about the risk?”
There has never been a time in history where an idea can become a business is such a short period and for so little money. That isn’t an excuse to disregard time-tested business principles and be reckless. It’s an invitation to try your hand at business ownership without turning your life up-side-down and risking it all.
Additionally, taking efficient action gives us our best chance to identify where we really need help and get it. I knew what it took to turn anyone’s life around and provide massive breakthroughs for business owners and executives, but I wasn’t at the top of my game when it came to getting my message out there. I needed an expert to help me craft my business model and marketing plan. Enter Sandi Krakowski.
With Sandi as my personal mentor, we went from start-up to recognized brand. From “how do I find people” to a system that has people finding us! Beyond that, we discovered that the clients we had in common were experiencing insane amounts of growth compared to those that coached with only one of us. Hmmm.
It didn’t take 14 years of corporate coaching and 15 years of Internet business success to figure out that we needed to combine efforts into a program, but that’s exactly what we put in. Now the “Your Best Business Ever” coaching program brings both my and Sandi’s expertise for maximum power.
Even though we planned it all out, neither of us got caught up in perfection of the program before releasing it. We approached each step with the idea of efficiency and sold it out. The real measuring stick of its effectiveness is the amazing results of the participants, pouring in every single week.
The simple principles I’ve outlined here, using credible resources for my business system, and pouring my energy into my passion gave birth to:
- A deeper understanding of running a business than I got with my MBA
- A successful content (writing and video) platform that attracts 1,000’s to my business
- A product creation strategy that is attracting the A-players in my field
- Invitations to speak at events I used to pay to attend
- The ability to start a business and walk from a 6-figure job in less than a year
- And a lot more.
I’m not even in the same zip code of the level of success I want. However, I’m a lot closer and more on track than I would have been leaning on my old boss for support. You can be too.
PJ McClure mentors aspiring entrepreneurs to multi-million dollar business owners destroy roadblocks and seize opportunities to achieve their ideal vision of success. He is an award-winning speaker and the best-selling author of Flip the SWITCH: How to Turn On and Turn Up Your Mindset. You can download a copy of Flip the SWITCH for Free by clicking here.
