How often do you stretch yourself, I mean, REALLY stretch yourself in your job, career or business? Do something completely out of your comfort zone where your stomach bottoms out, palms sweat in an instant and you feel the urge to melt into the floor out of sight? If the response is NEVER, you have some exploring to do.

Depending on your personality, a big stretch might be trying a veggie burger when you usually get a cheese burger with bacon. Well, good for you — but that is not a gut-wrenching challenge that takes any real cojones. I am talking about trying something your heart has always dreamed of, and ignoring the loud obnoxious voice that bellows “this is comfy”, to listen to the lighter, fainter voice that says “I would be happy if I…”.

Being Scared is Normal

I get it, fear can stop you in your tracks. Doing something new is scary, and can feel completely overwhelming. However, as human beings we are also often terrified by actually getting what we want. By trying something new, that might actually come to pass. So, get off your butt and pick that one thing that truly scares you, and DO IT! How else will you ever know if you are really afraid our just making excuses? This is especially important for entrepreneurs because without innovation, your business can quickly become complacent or obsolete.

Even businesses with simple formats such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries are innovative. They stick to their base plan and formula but continue to innovate in small ways to stay on the top of their game, despite the owner’s initial fears about stretching outside his own comfy box and business plan.

Entrepreneurship and Night Terrors

Being an entrepreneur is a risk in and of itself. It takes guts, vision and often self-soothing pep talks at midnight when you are so freaked out you swear getting each fingernail plucked out one-by-one would be a better deal. Yes, it might feel that way, but what is the alternative? A long, slow march forward doing things that feel comfortable and safe but never even get close to igniting your passion?

When you really get quiet, shut out all the distractions and To-Do’s, there is a voice, a general direction guided by your internal passion for your purpose on this planet. If you are going to be here taking up space anyway, you might as well do something that gets you fired up and happy. Not sure what that might be? Then get relaxing! Yes, not doing, relaxing!

Why keep doing when you are not even sure what it is you want or makes you happy? Take the time to find peace and quiet in your life and your mind. Yoga, sauna, exercise, trips, nature, do whatever it takes to get you centered, and then begin to build a practice around creating that time REGULARLY in your life. Life changing events happen in a second and transform your entire outlook on life. Keeping your mind open to new ideas is a life long process.

The Busy Mask

Yes, I get it, we are all busy. Heard it all before. I minimize it as much as possible in my own life. Look, only you can decide if you are too busy to help your own ass. So let’s leave the excuses at the door and find time to take a risk that has no SURE outcome, but leaves you with a sense of being forever changed for at least having tried. I guarantee it will change your outlook on life, and in turn, change your perspective and approach to business.

So now that we have all the fancy buzzwords out of the way, let’s pose an important question every entrepreneur should consider… is it critical to have a long, detailed business plan to support a new venture effectively?

Turn-Key Strategy vs. Strangling Innovation

Well, yes and no. Do you need a strategy about what you are offering, who will want it and the different ways to get that information to your target audience? Yes.  Should it be in writing somewhere that is easy to access, created on materials that do not resemble cocktail napkins? Yes. Do you need a large, cumbersome very detailed plan that tells you when you will finally be free to take a bathroom break? No. Being flexible is one of an entrepreneur’s most important assets.

Today’s consumer is constantly changing their interests, focus and means of gathering information. With a basic plan and strategy in place that clarifies the cornerstones of your business and general approach, you can remain more fluid and expansive as a business and weather the consumer-driven marketplace. This leaves you more open to meet growing and changing demands on the fly, and react to opportunities as they emerge.

Google is one great example of a company that follows this approach to business. Are they off their original course? Yes, but in staying open to consumer demand, they are able to stay on the cutting-edge of what consumers want — and deliver it. If they had stayed locked into a very specific plan of attack, they would be missing key target markets of growth.

That is not to say a very detailed plan is not great for a very fixed goal  such as a diet, budget or other important internal business goal. In the marketplace however, its best to create a basic, fluid plan that includes cornerstone ideas that serve as the foundation, but are also flexible and open for change as needed.

Support Long-term Growth By Staying In Touch with Your Business

Its important for a business to pick a check-in point to regularly examine business strategies and how they are working. This way you are constantly reviewing the successes and failures of your business and responding in kind, instead of doing an annual check in on a wordy document. A monthly review is a good place to start, especially if you are a new business and have a few paths you want to try before creating a more solid basic plan.  Its also best to have it on hand for easy reference, not shoved in a drawer for a rainy day. Once the business has been moving along, you can move the check in to every quarter or as needed.

Having a short five page or less document that outlines the mission and vision of the company, as well as your target market and core strategies to meet those market needs is a good place to start.  Include additional resources you may need to promote your business effectively, such as a social media strategy, marketing, content writing, basic financial information too.

The real trick is to stay in touch with your business as a living, breathing thing, and you will see that the business plan is more like a fun map to make sure you are on track instead of a long, cumbersome waste of time and energy.

Time is an Entrepreneur's Ally

As human beings we are faced with multiple choices each day. Some are easy, some are necessary and others completely change the shape of  our life — taking it in new and exciting directions. Entrepreneurs can face all of these types of decisions at once, without any hard and fast rules to manage them.

When are decisions are imminent, one  key factor often gets us into trouble and we don’t even notice it distinctly. It is the is the fallacy of time. Yes, some decisions are time sensitive including, “what the hell do I eat for lunch now that I am starving and may pass out?” Most often, the pressure to make a decision quickly is mostly self-applied.

Save the Drama for Ya Mama

As humans we have an uncanny ability to add our own drama to a variety of situations. That drama is generally the idea that choices need to be made quickly. This happens because we just don’t want to have to think about the situation anymore, or the reality of making a decision puts epic-level fear into our hearts — and we want that feeling to end immediately.

The truth is, time can be an ally. Don’t feel you MUST act quickly or say something without thinking it over. If your decision impacts others, just ask for more time to feel sure about it. There is no harm in that and in fact, people will respect you more for being comtemplative and confident before making a decision that changes their lives as well.

Life Isn’t Rush Hour

So next time you feel rushed to make a decision ask yourself…Is it true that I need to make this business decision immediately? Does the fate of my business hang in the balance? Or does it feel more comfortable to take a walk, chat with a friend or confer with a bag of chocolates? My research has proven that chocolates can be quite insightful as well as delicious, and Dove chocolates even have messages as part of their packaging! Chocolate and guidance; what more could you want?

Make time your friend and snuggle with it, don’t try to race past it out the door. The perspective contemplation brings can open great doors you never would have noticed, and melt away any anxious thoughts about “doing it wrong”. Just remember its all about choices, and the best choice for you can be much clearer to see with a little extra time.

Know yourself, know your business

That is what we need to remind ourselves of pretty regularly, especially when the business of business has gotten us down.  It was also a great reminder for me personally, when I ran across a cool, comprehensive marketing idea book online today.

The short free PDF includes all of the core points for a solid marketing plan, and is similar to what I review with clients when I work with them one-on-one. It is a fantastic guide for new entrepreneurs,  and a perfect review opportunity for current businesses and entrepreneurs.  The simple, clear framework makes it easy to identify, review and clarify what our business means to us, where its going and how to get what we want from it.

As I  mentioned in my last post, we all have creativity we express in different ways. To run a successful business based on your creative genius, its important to have some ideas and goals clear in your mind and on paper (or computer). By using a solid framework to map out those ideas, its much easier to stay on track to grow your vision and outreach, rather than flinging random marketing ideas like cow pies  to an audience that may not even be paying attention. Or they pay just  enough attention to deflect your half-assed marketing efforts, which they ultimately view as manure — but I digress.

I highly recommend you take a look at this marketing idea book and see how you can further explore your freakin’ genius. Do it! I dare ya…