Overwhelming Success for Solopreneurs

Who do you think you aren't?

That’s not a typo in the title.

I’m asking you to pause for a minute or more (given how much we introverts like to reflect), and ask yourself: "Who am I not?” Make a list of 10-20 attributes and/or personality traits that are not you. For example, I told myself for many years (and still do) that I am not an athlete or athletic, as I have been overweight and slow my entire life (also a little clumsy).

Look over your list. You have just identified your perceived limitations! They hold you back; prevent you from reaching your goals (you DO have specific goals, right?) or even stop you from attempting certain objectives.

The limitation usually takes the form of this belief: “I can’t do X because I’m not Y.” (Where X is the desired objective and Y is the attribute you are not.) This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You believe you can’t do X so you don’t try, or you attempt it half-heartedly and give up at the first sign of difficulty or lack of progress. So you don’t get X and you now have “proof” that you “can’t.”

If you want to overcome a perceived limitation (remember you don’t have to if you don’t want to), here’s what you can do:

1. Recognize and acknowledge the limitation you currently hold.
2. Accept it; make it OK to believe this for now. This is also known as “Meet yourself where you are.”
3. Now start questioning your belief. Is this really true? Who says? Any exceptions?
4. Start playing with definitions and meaning for the attribute; expand your possibilities for success.
5. Do X anyway. I’m going to start sounding like a broken record, but action goes a long way in helping you shatter your limitation myths. The trick here is to not give up too soon.

To use my example from above, I once believed I could not participate in group long-distance competitive events such as triathlons and century rides, because “I am not an athlete.” In fact, I entered my first triathlon (in my 40s) because I thought that if I actually completed it, I would finally “feel” fit and athletic; that I would start perceiving myself as an athlete.

I picked a triathlon because, at the time, it appeared to be well out of my reach. I did not expect to win; nor did I expect to place within my age group. I expanded my possibilities for success by deciding that a win for me was to finish the event. All I had to do was to enter and not drop out. I finished, not last, but at the very back of the pack.

I did a few more triathlons in the years following, and then switched to bike events (easier on the joints). I’m fit, but still overweight, still slower than most, and still occasionally enjoying these types of events in my own plodding-but-determined style.

Guess what? I still don’t see myself as an athlete, but what I learned is: It does not matter whether I think I am an athlete or not. I did what I set out to do anyway. You can too. I know you can.

Just focus on what you want, set your limitations aside as best you can, and DO IT.

Do it your way, at your pace. Who says it has to be any other way?

Business Plans for the planning averse (and everyone else)

Dare I admit that I have managed to run my business so far without a business plan?  Yes I dare!

I like to believe I'm in good company; I believe a lot of us who became entrepreneurs after working in the corporate world have similar motivations: "I just want to work for myself;" "I'm tired of having a boss tell me what to do;" "I'm too creative/innovative/don't like structure/don't like routine; the corporate environment is too stifling." Sound familiar?  So the last thing I want to do (besides marketing, but that's another post) is sit down, and write a boring, long-ass business plan that locks me in.  And besides, I do have a plan; it's just in my head.

Well guess what; I'm not getting the results I would like. I asked myself: "What am I doing wrong? What do I need to do more of, what to do less of, and what needs to be done differently?"  And that's about when I realized I needed to think about my business aspirations and put them in writing. I needed, and wanted, to get very clear about where I wanted to go. Once I knew where I wanted to go, the path to get there would be a lot easier to map out. And, I'm getting too old to rely on my memory -- I do have "senior moments"  from time to time, so putting it all on paper would help keep me on track. Next thing you know, a business plan sounded like a great idea, but I still dreaded writing the plan.

I found myself a mentoring program offered by my local chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).  And whaddaya know, their mentoring program starts with walking the mentees through writing a business plan!  And it gets better; the textbook chosen for us mentees is titled The One Page Business Plan, by Jim Horan.  Yes, you can write a business plan that fits on one page.  This plan may not be detailed enough to get you that venture capital investment, but it is quite handy for what most of us need -- a blueprint to help us focus, design action plans, and keep on track.

I can't do the book justice in one post, and I would recommend you buy your own copy anyway. There are different versions of this book depending on the type of business you own. The link above is for coaches and consultants (people who sell a service); the links on the sidebar of this blog include a version for entrepreneurs who sell products.  Here's the main nugget of this book:  If you can answer 5 questions, you have all the elements you need for your business plan. Here's the five questions:

1. What are you building? (vision)
2. Why does this business exist? (mission)
   
3. What results will you measure? (objectives)
   
4. How will you build this business? (strategies)
   
5. What is the work to be done? (action plans)

For those of you who make decisions quickly, you'll be done in no time. For those of you like me, who tend to over-analyze, it will take a bit longer. But remember, it's your business plan -- change it when you wish.  You are not locking yourself in, just documenting your best thinking at this time. Review, revise, refine -- when it's just one page you can tweak it without causing you a lot of grief. 

I would love to get your feedback; please leave a comment. Do you have a business plan? Do you dread the idea of writing one? Do you think a business plan is necessary? If you buy the book, did you find it helpful?