I’m pretty sure that some people impede any chance of success as an entrepreneur or business owner because of overanalysis. Visioning, selling and being action-oriented are what propels new businesses to grow. Analysis, deliberation and politicking are for the big, slow, top-heavy corporations that are getting spun around in this new economy. They are bloated with managers and automation and the internet are obsolescing much of the talent that had a place in the old industrial age.
Masterson’s book, Ready, Fire, Aim, is a great read to understand the evolution of entrepreneurship and growth in general. The early days of a venture are completely about sales. Figuring out what a market needs, iterating quickly and selling are the keys to get started. If you have the talent and drive, you can slot in naturally. If you want to find out if you do or not, I would suggest getting a strengths test to help you see who you are and what you are capable of.
The talent game is critical today. It’s harder for people to hide in the recesses of a bureaucracy. We are all exposed. Organizations are flatter. Speed and innovation are moving us at blinding paces.
Tuning in today means exercising our creative ability every day. We have to think in terms of ready, fire, aim. We have to try new things by jumping in and adjusting quickly based on the feedback. So many systems are set up to equip you to calibrate towards success. Here are a few ways:
- Trust your gut with new hires and make good agreements to dissolve the relationship so you can test the fit in 30 days.
- Build your business on integration and cloud systems. They allow you to change quickly.
- Create new products and collaborate via social media for real-time feedback
- Build a customer experience. Monitor every step. Then change it via real-time analytics of what is working.
- Create a flexible partnership agreement and explore combining forces with a partner to leverage strengths.
- Build a business while working your day job.
If your systems and agreements are flexible, you have the room to experiment. Move to action quickly and use the advantage of technology today to fail forward quickly and drive success.
Read the success stories in magazines and books. You will find it is the process everyone used. Playing it safe is a dangerous alternative to irrelevance and atrophy, otherwise.
What are you going to fire at this year?
