We were taught in school to follow a particular system for success.
This method has given us assurance and the confidence that as long as we apply focus and discipline, we’ll be able to achieve whatever goal we have in mind.
No matter your aptitude, there is always extra tutoring, past examination questions to familiarise yourself with, so that you can go in and ace the challenging exam or test.
Whatever grade you obtain can be deceiving.
Does a good grade make you a subject matter expert or does it mean that you are a hardworking, consistent person?
Whatever anyone may say, it does say a lot about your work ethic.
When it comes to charting your own path, work ethic definitely helps.
However, it can also be a hindrance when the circumstance calls for spontaneity and testing the waters before you really know what works.
You might gravitate towards researching the many success models to determine the best one to emulate.
Whilst it’s tempting to do a plug and play, very often, it’s about adapting different pointers from various models to craft your own roadmap.
Here are some pointers that might help you design a smoother roadmap in building your business:
Know your Conative Style
Knowing how you prefer to work will help you greatly. Some people can plunge straight into the unknown and try things out. On the other hand, others may prefer to do ample research before starting.
Your conative mind contains the instincts and innate attributes that define your natural method of operation (MO). When you work in your natural style, you are more productive, more comfortable and more successful. – Kolbe Corp
Know your Fears and Limiting Beliefs
In building a new business, list down all the things that make you anxious, nervous and fearful.
In the next column, write down your belief about that item.
For example, one item that makes you nervous can be self-promotion, and the belief about that item can be “People might say I’m too in their faces if I market myself too much.”
Know why you’re starting a business
Understand the reasons behind you wanting to start a business.
Are the reasons compelling enough for you to keep going to grow the business even when times are challenging?
Know your customers
Do you know how to get enough customers to buy what you offer?
What determines enough customers?
Is it even possible to get more customers?
Is your product or service fulfilling a need or addressing a pain point?
Know what you like about the businesses you admire
It is likely you were inspired to start a new business after seeing some successful examples. Understand why you like them and what aspects about them you would like to emulate.
Be realistic about what is possible for you at this early stage of business building.
List down that ideal aspiration as a goal and list down a version of what you can do right now.
For example, you might like how an experienced coach rolls out a thoughtful email series.
For someone just starting out, you can make growing your email list a priority by creating content that will appeal to an audience who would then be interested to subscribe to your email list.
Get inspired with the end in mind but get started with a practical doable first step.
Know what work you’re actually doing
It is tempting to do a day of research and information gathering and call it a successful day of “work”.
When you’re building your own business, your time spent on tasks is done for you and only you.
Keep in mind that you are not a paid employee just clocking away hours clearing some personal administrative tasks on a day where you’re not loaded with the actual work.
The work you choose to spend your time on, has to be fruitful and effective. It’s not about the quantity of time you spend on the business, but rather the amount of quality actions that might move the needle on your business.
If you’re unsure about how to get started or have some lingering fears about them, go back to understanding the beliefs behind them.
Some people spend a lot of time researching the industry, checking out competitors, gathering wisdom in the bid to delay actually doing the actual work.
Know about shiny objects
Building a business is full of uncertainty in many aspects. You’ll face a lot of self-doubt. You might often talk yourself out of decisions that felt good the day before. You’re constantly second-guessing in the road to product-market fit and customer validation.
There will also be useful literature on blogs, online courses, books and videos on what you should do instead.
It can be so tempting to cave in and say “let me just check this out”.
Once in, the power of the search algorithm and your restless mind, will send you down several worm holes of information.
Information on what you could be, should be and must be doing right now to make things better for you.
The trick to avoiding worm hole crawls is to keep things simple.
A lot of those strategies and tips for business success are practical, however, if you adopt a whole bunch at the same time, you’ll end up tired, over extended and you might even lose momentum in building your business.
Start with a small achievable goal.
It can as small as growing your email list from 5 people to 100 people in 6 months.
OR
Writing a blog post every week on the topic you want to be an authority on.
Know that shiny objects exist and you can use them when the time is right.
When you’re at the starting point, the key is to just get started and course correct from there.
Toying with the idea of starting a side business or a brand new business? You might find this Brutally Honest Side Hustle Worksheet useful. You can download it here.
If you prefer one-on-one coaching, I’ve transitioned from corporate jobs to startups to SMEs and lived to tell the tale. I’m here to listen and see how your entrepreneurship journey can be made more satisfying whilst still hitting the milestones you’ve set for yourself. Read more about how you can work with me here.
This post is part of a 3 post series about starting your own business. You can read them in the suggested sequence below. Thanks for reading.
Scripting Life 
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