Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

 

Eric possed a question to me in a different thread, asking what my achilles was.....  and I guess my problem ,in part,  is knowing when the time is right to take action,  I have the tendancy to try to make something too perfect before I take action,

on the flip side I`m sure there are people who  take action too quickly,  before their plan is thought out enough.....

My question  is  in general.... 

When is the timing just right?

How can you tell when it is time to stop thinking  and take action....??

I know it is the old  "depends"  on the situation  but I`m wondering   how others have encountered and made their decisions good and bad  and what type of outcomes  have happened. 

I remember there was a discussion a while back about  when someone should leave  the nest of being employeed  to  going on your own.  I was wondering if there are any experiences that can be shared  about when is it time to take action..

mike

FYI  the reason why I started thinking about this again is because  I was reading jobsitejoe  `s response  to some ideas that were given  and his response  almost sounded like something I may have said in the past.

Yea, thats a good idea  but I have to make sure `this` is working correctly,,,

Yes, I agree with you again but, I have to make sure  `that` is happening first.

 

Then I remembered someone before  saying that he read Donald Trumps book  and the main message was to think  "big"  "BIG"   and it just didnt seem that Jobsitejob was thinking big at that particiular moment,  giving reasons  why  not to move  forward. 

which brings me back to the original  question  When is the time right..  Should  JSJ  start working on the podcaste now,  even though  he doesnt feel ready.  part of me says  ,  it is hard to do something if you are not ready  but on the other hand  some people may never feel they are ready... always trying to make it better...hmmm where do i know that person from..

Thanks  Mike T 

 

Of course the answer is "it depends" for every person and situation, so I`ll just give what I think works best for me.

When I take those personality tests, I usually get classed as one of those "moving" types.  I always need to be doing something, I get distracted easily, my passion for somethings can be very high at times but episodic, and I have a hard time staying interested in a job for more than 9 months unless it changes a lot.

So, when I finally decided to go all the way with one of my business ideas (I have a couple more in various stages in the back burner ;), I decided it was best for me to "do" as much as possible first, then think about it later.  I figured out what I needed to start, trimmed the list, trimmed some more, and trimmed as I went along, until I was left with just the "I absolutely can`t even do anything without this first" list.  It took me a week from idea to ready to go.

As an instructional designer by education and current profession (with a background in technology), I`ve come to see the value of rapid prototyping, which is essentially, getting a product (or service) created at a basic level, then seeing what the users/customers/tests "tell" you.  Then you create the next revision. Wash, rinse, repeat.  Usually, the end product has some big differences than the original in-head design but is much better, since it`s partially designed by the forces that will use it (i.e. customers, users, etc.).

So, back to my business, now I`m working on refining what I`m doing.  I`ve changed the name of the company, am working on a website redesign, have started efforts to uniquely position myself, found out how to alter my delivery (it`s a service-based business) to fit better with my positioning--and that`s only after one customer!

In essence, I recommend that people at least consider starting with the bare-minimum as fast as possible and refine as the market tells you what you should do.

C.


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Conan.

Unless our brains don`t count at all..... if you`re thinking about it~ the action is already happening. 

Personally, I know it`s time to progress from the ideation stage to the pre-startup stage when the idea starts to occupy more of my brain space, more of my think time.  

Then I start to formulate the idea a bit more and start moving towards the idea by discussing it with family, friends, acquaintances and business associates. 

My experience is such that once exposed to the outside world, properly nurtured, the idea kind of takes on a life of it`s own- I`m telling everyone about the idea, I`m meeting with all sorts of people with regard to the idea, more people are asking me about the idea and I`m spending a little more time on it and before you know it..... BOOM!~ it starts materializing and moving forward. 

Hmm.. Did I even answer the question?

Well, I bootstrap everything!  Never have had any capital to start with (even for my restaurant) and couldn`t sit on an idea long enough to secure any so I`ve always just taken the leap and kind of forced it into being.

I wanted to get into podcasting for a business idea but I didn`t want to wait to learn everything about podcasts before I moved into the idea.  It`s new media and new media is hot so I just took the leap and signed up for podcast service.  Haven`t done a podcast yet but BOOM!  Started talking about podcasts, learning (thanks, Chris Brogan & SUN!), etc. and the next thing you know I`ve partnered up to start a company that writes music for new media!  

Hmmm...

Unless our brains don`t count at all..... if you`re thinking about it~ the action is already happening. 

Great point..   all of the books I have read  always said something to the point of taking action  and doing it now....   I feel it is because  some people will think an idea  to death,  never taking action  or the next step ...

I do like the perspective you just gave though,  makes me think  that as long as your reevaluation and continued development of the idea is creating additional  added value, how could someone argue against further development of the idea before its implementation.

Mike

You`ve got a point, Mike.  There`s nothing wrong with further development as long as it`s creating added value.....  AND as long as you have your sights sets to launch and you don`t blow all your funding on development. 

Here`s another way of looking at extensive development....it`s a good exercise in risk management.... the more well thought out the idea the less risk you`ll be taking.

The important thing to recognize here is that your core energy sounds to be Maven meaning you are more focused on the "hows" of a project.  Now you need a Relater and an Evangelist. 

Build a team of advisors which include a Relater to deal with the "who`s" and an Evangelist whose specialty is Action and you have a great team with which to go forward. 

An Evangelist absolutely won`t let you sit on the idea for long.  They`ll push you to move ahead.  A Relater will want to make sure the correct people are in place.  It`s a great balance and one I recommend to everyone! 

I like to compare the development portion of the ideation stage  to waiting for the right weather before I put out the launch pad.  But the Evangelist in me always wants to set rockets to blast!

The important thing to recognize here is that your core energy sounds to be Maven meaning you are more focused on the "hows" of a project.  Now you need a Relater and an Evangelist. 

Build a team of advisors which include a Relater to deal with the "who`s" and an Evangelist whose specialty is Action and you have a great team with which to go forward. 

An Evangelist absolutely won`t let you sit on the idea for long.  They`ll push you to move ahead.  A Relater will want to make sure the correct people are in place.  It`s a great balance and one I recommend to everyone! 

Another great observation, 

Which of the above are you??

Lets open it up a little to all,  who is an Evangelist.

 

Mike

I am sooooo the Evangelist! 

Show me something I believe in and I`ll put wheels on it to get it rolling.  I might get things rolling but without the Maven and the Relater cores along side me..... I`m sure to end up on the side of the road with a flat tire.

This method used to put together powerful project teams is easy for anyone to apply and has made a huge difference for me in understanding myself and my role in a business venture.

Understanding I`m an Evangelist also frees my mind and creativity. I`m not slowing down my action to think out the "how`s" and "who`s".  That is for my Maven and Relater to deal with.  It`s their core instinct as the Evangelist core is mine.  I`m no longer working against my core energy.  I`m doing what I do best and they are doing what they do best. 

I can`t possibly express how much of a difference understanding this method has made for me. 

I now am part of several effective teams and happy to report everything is moving forward for all of us!

Is there  a magic combination as far as the number of people from each group, in your  opinion,  or is one from each the best??

 

 

The amount of people is not as critical as balance.  You should have the three core energies wrapped around each project and all involved should be working within their core energy.  

If the project requires a heavy sales team your Relater should mostly be seeking to place Evangelists because Evangelists are great at sales.  If you`re putting together a customer service department seek Relaters.  But the overall project requires the cores of all three energies.