While I’ve been chewing on THE BIG IDEA, I’ve started considering what comes the moment after I have that epiphany. It’s big stuff and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and intimidated by all the work I need to do. I joke with people when they ask me “What’s your secret to getting things done, Jenny?” (you’d be shocked at how frequently I get that question; I know I am shocked every time it happens).

My flip answer is: You can’t forget to start.  While that’s true – here is something else that’s true – you need to look at the long view before you actually start. Entrepreneurs spend a lot of their energy chasing down tasks because they haven’t looked at the long view.

One of my favorite TV shows of all time is West Wing. The writing was intelligent and made my brain dance a jig every week! A scene between President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) and his Sr. Communication Advisor Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) translates well to this topic. Both characters were chess players and it was a tool used by the writers to address strategy in politics. The details of the scene are unimportant; Bartlett states “look at the whole board” and then schools Sam on foreign policy. Of course, he then kicks Sam’s ass in chess.  Forgive me my television transgressions – but the point is simple.

Whether it’s opening a business, executing a project, or preventing a detente between China and Taiwan – it’s critical to look at the whole board before you start acting. Consider what tasks are critical and what sequence those should follow.  Here’s an example of what I’m facing right now…

Pretty overwhelming, right? Those are big chunks of work – most tasks can be broken down even farther into a mini-project plan. And in fact, that’s what I’ve started to do. Research is a big part of start up activity. So is a pro forma – although that’s in the works as well. Frankly, I ran out of white board for this exercise. I guess I’ll have to erase it all and write much smaller.

When I look at the whole board, I can start to draw a series of lines – what needs to come before and what comes after. While it’s clear that deciding on THE BIG IDEA should come first, would it surprise you that the company name step actually requires 3 or 4 of these other steps to be complete before hand?  Picking a name (or brand) for your business sounds like fun – but it’s complicated. The most expeditious route is to find an available domain name that’s not already registered as a trademark. More about that ridiculous process at a later time.

Bottom line – when you think you are ready to start something, pause and give yourself time to think. Time to consider dependencies, sequence and timing. If you have a finite set of hours to do something in, invest in a few moments to visualize what it’s going to take to get it done. I find great comfort in that visualization – it gives me confidence – like a dress rehearsal for an actor. Once I can see myself making the chess moves to get me to the end, I know I can focus on the other player.

Here’s the clip to that West Wing scene  – damn I miss smart television.