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.

You must begin at the beginning, right?  For the most part, that’s right. It seems logical that the first step in starting up a business is to select your “BIG IDEA.” In other words, identify your product , your target market, your competition, and your unique value proposition.  Sounds like something straight outta the “How to become your own boss” handbook!  Some people actually have true epiphanies – they see a need in the market, or have a deep passion that they can somehow monetize and presto magico! Their big idea appears before them.

For those of us who are not prone to epiphanies, we have to muscle it out. That’s right – inspiration through brute force. Setting out to find your niche, you go through a process to answer the question What do I have to offer the world?

In my previous work, I’ve accomplished this by

locking myself in a room with a whiteboard and not coming out until I am either exhausted or finished. It’s quite daunting and might not give the best possible answer to a big question, but it gets the job done. In most of these situations, it was a solution to a big problem, rather than a big idea, but it’s still the same blank white board staring at you when you start!

 

Alternatively, you can sit in a field of daisies and day dream, go on a walk and cogitate, or hash through ideas while riding a stationary bike. Those are great beginning processes, however I find my moments of inspiration tend to be right at the most inopportune times, and I have no way to record them. I’ve done everything from pulling over and sending myself a text message or voicemail, to writing on my hand to promising myself that I’ll remember.  I have also bought special notebooks or journals to keep THE LIST.

This time, my process is a bit different. Still somewhat brute force, but allows for a little more natural flow.

Check out this box – my husband gave it to me as a “Good luck and kick ass on your new adventure” gift! (Isn’t he the sweetest guy ever?? ) In addition to being a wonderful gift and well designed by a cool company in New York, (@bestmadeco), it’s going to be my Little Box of Big Ideas. I keep a stack of blank notecards with me everywhere I go, including my night stand. While any scrap of paper will do, I do like a little order to minimize the chaos. Whenever I get an idea – big or small, I write it down and it eventually gets into the box. The box stays on my desk so I can’t misplace it.  Right now I have about 15 cards in the box – not all big ideas, but some may lead me down a path to a big idea. Some have ideas like Serve the community, mom and pop retailers, something to do with scooters, light blue and yellow. All fragments of what I want in this new adventure.

Once I get enough Potential Big Ideas, then I’ll start on the white board and muscle my way through to inspiration. But in the meantime, I’ll carry around index cards and a writing instrument with me everywhere I go to make sure I don’t miss my chance  – whether I’m having lunch with a friend, hiking, building a bunkhouse in Pine County or writing at a coffee shop.

Here’s the bottom line: Do whatever works for you to get your own Big Idea  – because no matter how hard you work, you need to be inspired by what you bring to market! If you aren’t in love with it – your customers won’t be either!

 

 

 

 

It’s true – no matter what that adventure is, you should always feel this way about starting! Optimistic, energized, determined to bring the focus and drive to make it a successful venture. Coupled with that optimism is the dark side of adventure – fear of the unknown. Fear of the correct process, the path, the partner, the roadmap. Ultimately, fear of failure is what stops many of us adventurers from even starting!

My story is not unique, it happens to people like me every day. I’ve spent 30 years “adventuring” in corporate America. It’s a very safe place to be an adventurer. The trails are mostly paved, or at least well worn. Many people have gone before me, and many will take that trail well after I’m gone. In fact, there are even maps posted along the way – performance reviews, talent assessments, promotions, etc.. For the most part, each one of those 30 years was spent “progressing” along the trail. Of course, there were a few times when my path suddenly disappeared when the company I worked for changed direction and I found myself off the trail a bit. However, with minimal effort, I jumped on a different trail and headed out. Elevation changes weren’t bad – it was pretty easy going. Every once in a great while, I’d meet up with a great partner and climb really big hills – pushing my limits and feeling energized by it. But in recent years, I have been traveling on the same trail – a long loop. I became all to familiar with the landmarks along the way and knew what to expect and how to succeed with minimal effort. There’s nothing worse for an adventurous soul than repetition and tedium.

Some workers appreciate the repetition and mastery of the route; in fact they set that as their terminal goal. It’s a very comfortable spot to be in – you know what your days hold, you know who you’ll meet on the trail and you know exactly which sunny rock you’ll choose to eat lunch at. You know you can easily finish the route by the end of the day, and get home in time for dinner and family. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed and took advantage of those trails when my personal life was out of balance. Who needs to climb out of a deep ravine at work when you have a mountain to climb at home? Nope, I totally get it.

But in reality, it’s not for me. And my friends know that about me as well. To continue the hiking metaphor, I met a friend one day on the trail. As we met, she asked me “Jenny, why are you on that trail?” I paused and said “Because it’s my job”. And she asked me again, “why are you on that trail?” and I tried again “Because I enjoy the scenery and I am familiar with it – ??”. Then she looked straight in my eyes and grabbed my hand -“ Jenny – why are you on that trail!? Can’t you see that you can create your own path??” I paused again, scratched my head and said haltingly “Well, I suppose so – but how on earth could I? I don’t know anything about that.” The conversation kept going with my friend helping me remember the trails I blazed but had forgotten about. And with that question, she helped me see that there was an opportunity in front of me that was mine to explore.

That was about a year ago. Since then – I carefully considered the trail I was walking on. I had come to memorize nearly every tree, rock and flower along the way. I looked for new vistas, new friends and new challenges, but had limited success. I found myself longing to get off the trail and onto a new one.

And so three weeks ago, I resigned. “It’s not you, it’s me”… “It’s time for a change”…. As I said these words over and over again, I knew I had stepped off the trail and started walking towards an unknown section of the wilderness. I waved farewell to my friends, they all wished me best of luck and hoped to see me again. I knew it would be only when our trails interconnected somehow; that I would never get back on the trail they were on.

And then a few days ago, I lost sight of the old trail and am looking out on the most intriguing vista – blue sky, amazing forests and prairies, a lovely lake in the distance. Today I find myself with my toes on the upper ledge of a huge cliff. It’s time to jump! Am I afraid? A little bit – a healthy amount. But I know one thing – if I stand on the edge of this cliff for long, I know this beautiful vista will turn into another predictable scene; the vibrant colors will fade and I’ll start looking over my shoulder. So it’s time to take that leap and START TO SUCCEED! Follow this blog for updates on my adventure. I’ll try to keep the metaphors to a minimum (I promise), and focus on the more surprising things I see along the way. Maybe you’ll learn something about adventure and how to start your own!