I help entrepreneurs leapfrog over the typical potholes that derail most small businesses with inspiration, motivation, education, and support across a wide range of business topics drawn from over a decade of running my own business, teaching entrepreneurship for the City of New York, and coaching and consulting privately with dozens of women and minority small business owners. Honestly, why go it alone when help is an email away?
The Simple Answer
In a meeting last week with my fabulous designer and website consultant, I had to keep reminding myself to stop making things more complicated than they needed to be.
The goal is to make less work for myself, not more.
But, it's so easy to devise complex solutions when simple ones will not only do but will do better.
There are many reasons for this, but often it's because we're afraid we're going to leave something critical out and/or we are solving for the wrong thing.
Here's how I made things complicate for myself:
I want to automate my pricing assessment, currently a PDF, and integrate it into my new website.
My consultant and I walked through how it would work: You'd answer the questions and get a high-level assessment. If you want a detailed report, you'd need to provide your name and email address.
As we talked through the detailed report, I thought I needed to create individual versions for each permeation of response combinations.
That would be 64 different versions!
That's a lot of work. But, I said, "OK, I'll start working on that next week."
After my consultant left, I felt incredibly anxious about the task before me.
So, instead of continuing to stew, I decided to make a nice dinner for myself as a way to de-stress.
And, BAM! Even before I finished prepping all my ingredients, I had a huge realization:
I was solving the wrong problem, which was why the solution was so complicated.
To solve my actual problem, I only need one report that will work for everyone regardless of how they complete the assessment.
What a relief!
I literally started dancing around my apartment while my meal was in the oven.
You know how last week I talked about how to step into your leadership power by stepping away from your heightened emotions? If you missed it, find it here.
Well, this week, I want to give you very similar advice if you're feeling overwhelmed by what seems like a thorny problem or complex situation.
Do something that uses a different part of your brain and alleviates your stress for a while.
Cook. Exercise. Sing. Dance. Play with your kids or pets. Make some art.
Our brains are amazing! While we're seemingly on a break, they continue to work on problems in the background.
So, give your brain a chance to help you discover a better solution without the added pressure.
Maybe, like me, you'll realize you've been asking yourself the wrong question, too, and that simple solution will suddenly appear like divine inspiration out of the ether.
Until next week, remember to keep it simple!
PS - Want some help simplifying the complexity in your business? Book your Partner-on-Demand session at your convenience.
Easily Said & Done
I help entrepreneurs leapfrog over the typical potholes that derail most small businesses with inspiration, motivation, education, and support across a wide range of business topics drawn from over a decade of running my own business, teaching entrepreneurship for the City of New York, and coaching and consulting privately with dozens of women and minority small business owners. Honestly, why go it alone when help is an email away?
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