I often wonder how people get started. I’m curious about the things that propel people into action, despite the chance of falling on their face, loosing lots of cash, and wasting precious time and effort. Dreams and aspirations are exciting, and we love stories about heroes that rise to the occasion to fight unlikely battles. Be it Biblical parables, folklore, or nursery rimes, we are conditioned to acknowledge the risks and show up for battle nevertheless. However when we speak of things that are elective, things like electing to open a bakery, or choosing to setup a singing telegram business, there’s the added burden of deciding if you have the right to risk everything for something that isn’t absolutely necessary. Is your wedding catering business really necessary? Aren’t other caterers doing a fine job serving the needs of hungry customers?
Isn’t the thought that you should get out there to spend time and money for your dream a bit decadent?
Do you have the right to want something just because
you’d like to have it?
Being an entrepreneur takes a certain mental strength because, at the core, a decision to own a business seems like an unnecessary risk. There are so many other ways to make a living and to secure a future for your family. Why risk what you’ve created for yourself to attain some lofty goal? My advice regarding this debilitating dilemma is two part: due diligence & procrastination.
Instead of waiting for permission, get into the action of making it happen. Make the calls, take the classes, see the business lawyer, and set-up the corporate structure. The activity of due diligence is an act of defiance against all the little voices in your head that suggest you shouldn’t risk all you have to live the dream. Due diligence helps you write that vision and create the steps to attain it. Often when you begin to count the cost, you find that it’s doable – that you can find the money and the time to get it done. However, when you are plagued by procrastination, your creative imagination is used for evil, as it gives you cruel visions of failure and insurmountable odds. But I’ve discovered a way to use procrastination for good!
Procrastination is a lot like the wind. It’s always blowing around, but if you ever harness that energy in a windmill, you can create even more energy and progress. The windmill is due diligence. When you prepare to begin an enterprise, and you are not quite ready to officially open for business, due diligence is a positive kind of procrastination. You can find solace in the fact that you don’t have to face the big bad wolf of starting your business yet, but you can finish that book on social media marketing, take notes, and decide how you’ll implement the lessons. Also, when you’ve done a full days work of preparing and procrastinating via due diligence, you can further procrastinate by taking the kids and the dog to the park for a few hours. That’s a good use of the procrastination gene. Treat a neighbor to coffee, and making certain the conversation stays positive and befitting an honorable, soon to be successful entrepreneur, take time to smell the roses and live an enviable life. Sometimes, procrastination can breathe new life into your professional planning, and convincing your spouse to take a day trip to the shore in the middle of the week is a reset button for you and your business.
Ultimately, you must be discipline enough to schedule tasks on a strict calendar. You’ll want to faithfully follow-through with each chore without procrastinating. However, you also want to use the gift of procrastinating to breathe new life and offset the stress and anxiety of due diligence. With some discipline, the two activities can actually work in tandem.
Putting Due Diligence into practice…
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