Self Sabotaged by Research

A woman in my MasterMind group posed a question today: why did she spend all her time doing research and never actually go on with "doing" the thing she was researching? She loved looking up information, finding resources, interviewing people, gathering facts. But taking these facts and applying them to her business seemed to always be put on the back burner.

It's called "analysis paralysis." The idea is this: if I could just gather this information, if I could just find this fact, if I could make this list a bit longer -- you get the drift. As a small business coach, I see this my clients get caught in this trap all the time.

The cause is simple: it's easier for many people to research than to "do" because gathering research is often a successful task, while acting on the research is fraught with the possibility of failure, stress, or pressure. So we stay in the research mode because it's safe and we get a lot of positive feelings about having uncovered the information we need.

Don't get me wrong: research is vital. I've seen many businesses fail to thrive because they haven't done the marketing research necessary to see if people WANT TO BUY the service or product theywant to sell. The key, as always, is balance. When you find yourself doing more and more research, then you can bet you're procrastinating on the "doing" side of things. You have two choices:

1. Try to figure out why you're not doing the work, or
2. Just do the work.

Either choice is valid, but guess what? Choice 1 is still "research!" :)

Courage, and the Self Employed

Each week, I hear people telling me they want to be self employed, but they don't (or can't) move forward on their dreams because they're afraid. There are so many things to be afraid of when you're self employed: fear of failure, fear of success, fear of illness, fear of lawsuits. No money, no time, no skills, no help, no support.

Being self employed takes a particular type of courage. You have to be willing to take action with no guarantees of success. You have to be willing to put all your heart and soul into your enterprise, and you have to be willing to face and overcome the roadblocks that get in your way. You have to be willing to dream big dreams, and have the guts to learn new things that you never knew how to do before.

On top of all that, you need the type of courage that shouts, “I must do this or I won't have lived my life purpose.” It takes strength, focus and responsibility to succeed or fail on your own merits, and to be willing to ask for help or education when you need it.

Do you have the courage to face your fears and keep walking towards your dream anyway? Do you have the strength and dignity to act consistently and responsibly towards your business, on a daily basis, without whimpering in self-defeating behaviors and excuses? Do you have the guts to set a big goal, create reasonable action plans that stretch and challenge you, and move forward on those tasks knowing that you have no guarantee of success?

Every self employed person feels fear at one time or another. The next time you hear yourself saying, “I'm afraid,” reply with a knowing smile and say to yourself, “Join the crowd.” Then, summon up that well of courage and take responsibility to create the life and business you've dreamed of.

Because, if you don't have that type of courage, you probably shouldn't be self employed in the first place. Being self employed is about challenging yourself and the world. It's not about taking the easy way; it's about taking the only way that will give you a sense of self-fulfillment and success.

Tips on Moving Your Home Office

People seem to be moving to a new home more and more often as our society becomes more mobile. Moving house is stressful enough; what do you do when you also have to move your home office and be up and running for business quickly?

Here are some tips to help (from someone who just did it a month ago!):

1. Work backwards. Start by packing the items that you won't need immediately and label those boxes, "Unpack Later." A few days before the move, pack items that you can live without for the first week and label those boxes, "Unpack Sooner." Finally, the day before your move, pack the items you will need as soon as your office re-opens, and label those boxes, "Unpack Immediately."

2. Choose "immediate" items carefully. What do you really need during the first few days of business? Some items to consider: client files, stapler, tape, pens, telephone, notepads, computer, printer, printer paper, and a clock.

3. Give yourself time. After you move to a new home, you need time to unpack all your personal belongings as well as your business boxes. Give yourself a week after the move before you start up your business again so that you have time to do all the tasks involved without stressing yourself, your family and your pets.

4. Notify your customers. About a month before the move, begin to notify your customers that you will be unavailable for the week of the move. It's helpful to explain to them that you will be without phone or email during that time, but that you will pick up voicemail and email starting on your first day back. Also notify your customers of your new address, new telephone number and new fax number, as needed.

Are You a Jumper or a Planner?

There appears to be two types of small business owners: people who jump right into running their business and marketing their products and services with little or no planning, and those who plan a strategy -- and a service or product design -- before they ever dream of offering it to the public.

Is one better than the other? Yes and no.

Planning often allows you the time to brainstorm and think through possible scenarios before you commit your time, energy and money into your business idea. Ninety-five percent of the time, I advocate planning, especially if you’re starting a new business or launching a new product or service. The time you spend with research and working through possible alternatives, as well as the time you spend thinking about how you might handle worse-case scenarios, will reap huge rewards later on.

On the other hand, over-planning often leads to inaction. A phrase I love that sums it up is, “Analysis Paralysis” -- the inability to move forward on a project because you feel you don’t have all the facts, and the unwillingness to move forward until you’re 100% sure of success. Every self-employed person will tell you that there’s no such thing as being 100% sure of anything.

There is a place for jumping in the world of small business. Jumping allows you to be flexible, and to ride the wave of enthusiasm and passion. Jumping allows you to be 85% sure and then go for it. Good Jumping is action, combined with knowledge, courage and trust.

So when is jumping okay? Jumping is okay if you’ve already got a solid business foundation underneath you. This means that your finances are in order, you’ve already got a working business model that brings in reliable income and steady administrative processes that support your next great adventure. Jumping is okay if you’ve done as much research as you can and have a good sense that your project is advisable, even if you’re not 100% certain of its success.

In the end analysis, a combination of planning and jumping is required of all self employed people. The key is to find a balance point.