Have you ever had a brilliant business concept pass your desk? Like, you knew it would work. You knew that there were people out there that would be hungry for this. It was only a matter of connecting the dots… Only a few hurdles stood in your way to make it happen.
And if you could pull this off properly, your idea would bring in rich dividends, for all your efforts you’ve invested over the years.
And after all, why not?
- Your years of experience would have prepared you for this moment.
- Everything you’d have overcome would’ve brought you to this point.
- There’s nobody else who could have pulled this off your way.
In every entrepreneur’s journey, we see the home-based entrepreneur venture out of their world and into an entirely new one – only to beat the odds and return home, victorious. Yet unlike every entrepreneur’s journey, what we find instead is…
The brilliant idea stays a brilliant idea, dusty and thrown into the cold, dark room where all our other brilliant ideas have been left behind. And for what?
Why are we afraid to test out our ideas in the real world?
There are things we need to be, to take advantage of the ideas that can help us better:
- Stretch ourselves,
- Build a better business,
- And build a better lifestyle,
Do you know what these things are?
1. Business owners need to be engaged, plugged in and aware of what they can do, before they can do anything with an idea.
On a scale of 1-10… how engaged are you?
For you to take a brilliant idea and make it real, you need to be sure of exactly where your company stands, in relation to what it can do. Otherwise, how else will you be able to know what resources to put where?
What gets in the way…
What problems do you solve, as the business owner? If your only aim is to cover the bills at the end of the month… Losing perspective becomes very easy, because you’re reaching for the bare minimum!
It’s not to say we shouldn’t focus on the pressing issue but it’s good to know that we tend to disconnect ourselves from what’s achievable, a way to cope with what’s right in front of us. After all, it can seem crazy to devote more mental space to a new grand goal, if we should simply be covering the bills.
All this describes what it feels like to be in “survival mode,” a space most SA business owners find themselves in.
How to get ahead of the “survival mode”
Get back in touch with what you want to achieve. A helpful way is to reach out to a business expert, who has been where you are and overcame the issue, by means of books, online learning or even one-on-one coaching.
This “survival-mode” is something business owners all know very well, and getting past it takes knowing what your business could achieve if survival wasn’t an issue.
2. The business owner must be formidable, a force on their own that commands their presence in the room.
Have you ever sat in a boardroom meeting, amongst other business owners… but there was that one that commanded real presence?
With deliberation, they don’t waste time, they get to the point and they make their position known. There are some thoughts behind their words, and actions behind their decisions, ready to become something real.
They are formidable. And a real player to make changes in the industry. How do you become formidable in your industry as a company? Well, you can start by removing all the ways in which you weaken your position in business.
How we tend to weaken our character and reduce our formidability
Sometimes, we take the “easy way out.” We’re talking about making excuses for not doing anything – not taking action – and feeling like a victim to the things that are out of your control, constantly. See, the more we practice at something, the better we get at it – if you practice the lines you tell yourself, examples being…
“Well, I simply don’t have the time…” Or “I’m too busy…”
Eventually, you’ll become so good at taking things out of your own hands, nobody will be able to convince you that you can do anything!
How to get ahead of this obstacle
Do you catch yourself mid-sentence, making an excuse for something that went wrong? Try to take note of that. Be aware of the words as they exit your mouth – and shut off that faucet. You’ll find that you’ll become more discerning about what you say in front of people and how often you contradict your actions with your words.
This might make you uneasy. Uneasy enough to question whether choosing to take action is worth valuing over making the excuse for having not done anything.
And you just might do something about it.
3. For an idea to take shape, it must collide with already existing ideas. Therefore, the business owner must fit the idea with their current vision.
What vision do you have for your business? By this we mean, how will your business impact the world, your country or your community? At some point, you have to decide the reason why you get out of bed in the morning. And it can’t be to “simply pay the bills.”
That’s a “result” – This keeps you going – But doesn’t describe the impact you want to have on the world. To help a customer, and see the smile on their face as they experience the benefits of your service… This can be a reason. Or to empower your team, so that they may one day start their own companies – these are forms of impact you cultivate.
And this is where the rubber meets the road… Do new ideas that come your way fit your vision and the impact you want to create?
What gets in the way:
Not knowing the impact you’re working to bring means that you might chase every idea that crosses your way – leaving you distracted and without any momentum.
How to get ahead of obstacles:
It is vital to find out what you want to offer to the world, not just your industry or your customers – you can listen to authorities on this topic, like Simon Sinek, to find out your “cause,” and how it will impact the decisions you make moving forward…
To make great ideas work, you need to be great in certain areas. We hope these will help light the way for you to do exactly that!