Stuck on an idea?
Got a new idea? GREAT! Congratulations, seriously, enjoy the feeling! Some people wait their whole lives to find that next big idea, and you've already got it. Don't worry about it if that's all you've got, it'll be enough, I promise!
But you're stuck, like really stuck in the mud. You know what steps 73 and 242 look like, but how to get there gets a whole lot more fuzzy. OK, well that's enough celebrating. Now let's get to work.
So many of my clients come to me with ideas. Their career needs to change. Their schedule is too overloaded. They have a business idea to get off the ground. And they don't know where to go next. And trust me, I don't know either! They are on a different path than me, my path isn't a copy/paste option. They have a path and theirs is unique. My job as their coach becomes listening to them and helping to unravel the chaos that is all tied up in knots preventing them from taking the next logical step forward.
One of my favorite cartoons to share with these folks is this one below. We talk about not thinking so big. It's causing them to stop in their tracks! When you can break it down into smaller chunks, watch as you start to zoom past where you were previously.
So what's the hesitation? Not sure how to start a business? Here are just a few of the most common tricks and small steps my clients seem to discover after time with me.
Business Plan
Skip it - seriously, hear me out. Fake it for a little bit. Too many of us read the business school mantra of write a business plan before we've even had the chance to nuance the details of our business! Skip it (for now).
Trial Run
Test it out! Sell something. See a prospective client. Start telling friends and family (and strangers!) about what you're building and get their thoughts. This will help you narrow in on what works, and what doesn't, well before you think of a business name or website domain!
Lean into success
If it's working, lean into it. Really, start doing more of it. Offer it out from your personal accounts and share with more than just family and friends. Learn and evolve a bit. Get some practice and good (and bad!) experience under your belt.
Business Plan (told ya we'd come back)
Now you're ready to write a business plan. Take the good and bad and what you've learned from taking a run at things to actually map out what you need to do next. How much money do you need to make? What are your expenses? What are the prices you need to charge, and more importantly, do you have enough of a profit margin to make it work?!
Social Media
Just start. It won't be perfect, nobody likes the early stages of their social accounts. Just start and trust that you will improve and tweak it when you can. And use the free stuff until you start to get more comfortable.
Branding/Marketing
Now, you're probably ready to start looking at a website and business cards, etc. Take it one item at a time and come up with a business name, logo and start to plug that into what you need to be able to communicate with clients. Start with a free template and use profits to pay a pro when you get there!
SO HOW DO I MAKE IT WORK FOR ME?
No matter what you're doing, whether it's a career shift, a new business, or other venture. Simply start out by talking about it. Don't worry about the details. No one's going to stop talking to you because you say you're in the early stages of figuring out what's next. In fact they get curious and usually lean on their instincts to be helpful!
Just start, start talking about it. Let close friends and family know you're looking to change or you have an idea, and see what they say!
These littlest of steps may feel like they aren't getting you anywhere but that's simply not true, because small steps create momentum. Writers know this. They don't write a book in a day, they just write every day and eventually they have a book!
So start small, and if you get stuck, well, that's what a coach is for! Reach out and let's have your Breakthrough moment together!