One of the biggest challenges an entrepreneur faces is that there is no road map for what they want to do because it's their dream that they are following. They don't have a boss telling them what projects to work on and no teacher giving them homework assignments, teaching them what they need to do or showing them the steps they need to take.
Entrepreneurs need to dig deep into themselves. First to uncover their dream and then the hard part; they need to get motivated, stay motivated every single day and take risks to make it happen.
Regardless of where you are in your business you only have one obstacle...yourself. This is true whether you are at the very beginning of building your business or 10 years in and it's true no matter how much revenue you are bringing in. As an entrepreneur it's up to you to take your ideas and make them happen. I know you can do it; however, you will have work to do and while it might not be easy it is really important that it gets done and gets done well.
Two of the biggest challenges my clients face is losing direction and being overwhelmed. There is so much to do, and frankly, a lot of it they are simply not good at. They find it very hard to get anything done. It's so much easier to just put it off for tomorrow or another day.
It's overwhelming! All you want to do is have a stream of happy clients, why do you have to deal with everything else?
The truth is that you have to deal with it. You're not the first person to be overwhelmed by all the pressure and unfortunately you won't be the last. The good news is that there are strategies you can use to help. Here are the most important strategies that I share with my clients. These strategies ease the overwhelm, keeps them pointed towards a single goal AND puts money in their pockets!
1. Do a brain dump. What do you really have to do? Make a list. Put it all out there so that you can see it and know what you're dealing with. Even if the list is big and scary knowing what you have to do puts you in a position of power and control.
2. Create deadlines. You're not going to do everything in one day (or even a week). Look at what you need to do and set deadlines for yourself. When do you want to have that program created by? When do you want to have your website done? When do want to do a presentation?
3. Break it up. The deadlines are important but what do you need to do to reach them? What are the steps that you need to take to get that program completed? Who do you need to contact to help you with your website? Where do you need to network to find speaking gigs? Make a list of these steps and decide when you're going to do them.
4. Don't go it alone. Ask your friends, colleagues, mentors and coaches for advice. Ask an accountability partner to join you for a "get work done party". And do yourself a favor; share your plan with your coach and colleagues. It will keep you honest with yourself.
Most important:
5. Trust your instinct. You really do know what's best for you. Consider the advice and input you've gotten and think it all out. What do you think is best? Now go and do it!
What are you going to do now?
Carrie Greene is a speaker, trainer, coach and author of Chaos to Cash. She helps entrepreneurs cut through the confusion and chaos surrounding them so they make decisions, stop spinning and procrastinating and make more money. Free resources at http://www.CarrieThru.com and http://www.chaostocashbook.com/excerpt