Stop Planning and Start Doing!
Since I was little, I’ve been told that I could do anything I wanted to do or be anything I wanted to be. Growing up, I always saw my dad working for himself, starting businesses, and taking risks, which instilled in me those same desires. I knew I would own my own business someday – I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly. It happened because I jumped in and starting going right away. I didn’t waste my time planning. I just started doing it, and so can you.
Ready, Fire, Aim!
I always plan what my next move is, but I think the secret to getting quick results is ditching the Ready, Aim, Fire philosophy and adopting the Ready, Fire, Aim philosophy. There’s actually a great book entitled Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson that illustrates this philosophy. I spent time thinking about what kinds of businesses I could start, and I evaluated whether I thought they could be successful. But I didn’t spend too much time on anything except getting started. That would be my advice to anyone contemplating starting a business: Get over the fear of failure and get started. Even if you fail, you will most likely gain knowledge that you didn’t have before and skills that can be used for a lifetime. Thomas Edison didn’t invent the light bulb overnight, and failing until you get it right is sometimes what it takes to build a successful business. Don’t underestimate movement!
How to Hit the Ground Running
This goes back to the same ready, fire, aim principle. If I’m being completely honest, I think so many entrepreneurs overthink, overanalyze, and overprepare before launching their ideas because of one simple thing: the fear of failure. I know because I’ve been there. There’s not a new business, website, or product that I release that I don’t struggle with before putting it out to the public. But you have to get over that if you’re going to succeed. So many of us put off simple tasks, saying, “I’ll get to it later,” because we’re afraid of completing them. When you can get over that fear, you will start to see results like you’ve never seen before, and the feeling of accomplishment will outweigh that false sense of fear.
What You Have to Plan
The things that I worry about before starting a new business or launching a new product are pretty simple. First, do people really want what I’m selling them? No matter how good a product or service you have, you must find out if there is demand for what you are selling. If you find there is demand, you have to figure out much will it cost to create and market. Once you have answered these first two questions, determine what price you can sell your product or service for. You can get started only after you’ve answered all of these questions for yourself. If you’re struggling through this phase, take some time and talk to your target audience. Interview people one-on-one or in a group setting; it will make all the difference for your marketing and your sales. This feedback will provide the foundation to get you off and running, without worrying about whether you can make a profit or survive. Having answered those questions will give you the confidence to work as if both of those goals will come true on their own.
What Can Wait
There are some things that can wait when you’re starting a business. You don’t need to know right away what kind of market share you can achieve. Projections are exactly that – projections. They won’t help you actually get better. I also feel you can wait to determine what kind of legal protection you will need and what your logo should look like. Don’t spend much time on something superficial like a logo. Stick to the meat and potatoes. Stick to what actually counts: sales. Also, don’t worry about your office location. You need to start generating revenue before you can take on that kind of overhead. Don’t worry so much about your startup capital. That’s for overhead. Sell your product, and then worry about the startup capital when you know you have a product that’s selling.
Selling your product first solves all other problems that don’t need to be addressed at the beginning. Think about how much time you normally spend designing a logo, business cards, fliers, searching for office space, etc. All of that is wasted time if you aren’t selling a product. Go make some sales first, and use your newly earned cash to buy yourself a nice logo and hire someone to make your product better. Don’t waste too much time planning. Shoot first, aim later.
Brian Moran is the director of online sales at Get 10,000 Fans, a marketing agency and blog that teaches business owners how to make money off their Facebook pages.
