Avoid Overwhelm When Planning Your Ideal Business
Don’t Let Yourselves Go Into Overwhelm
Do not make yourself crazy worrying about everything that must be done. Learn to avoid overwhelm – do not fall into that pit. You do not need every tiny detail in place before you begin. Plan your basic model in as much detail as possible and note ideas for branches you may want to build over time. (A mindmap can be useful for this purpose). You can add more sales funnels as you learn about your target audience. You will want to be able take advantage of new opportunities, creative ideas, and changes in your niche – including re-purposing “aging” sales funnels to give them a fresh new slant.
When you clearly understand that buying a home overlooking the ocean in Hawaii from the income you will generate by simply writing copy is an impossible dream – no matter how many hours you work every week – you will be more driven to come up with ideas for alternative, creative ways to boost both your reputation and your pocket book.
Set Realistic Goals
Let’s say that have written down the goal, “In five years, I want to be the next great Copywriting Coach.” Only when you are completely committed to that goal and always keep it uppermost in your mind, will it have the power to stop you from blindly churning out copy, day-after-day and continuing to react to clients’ demands without a single thought for how your actions are impacting your ability to build your business. When you set clear goals with action steps you will avoid overwhelm and your chances for success will improve.
An absolute knowing where you want to be in five years will help you make smarter choices such as investing in that certification course, making sure you develop a strong public image, and taking the time to mentor others.
The first step may be to create a compelling sign-up incentive – the free short report mentioned in our example – and then, develop the next two products in that funnel. Those would be important first steps. But, you also have to keep in mind that the CD set must be created before April 15 (the date your Autoresponder is going to send your subscribers an announcement about it). Knowing that it must be done within a specified time frame will help you do the following:
- Slot it in at the right point down the road.
- Determine who you have to hire and/or what you have to do to produce it.
You may think you do not have time for it right now which can trigger trying to do too much but to avoid overwhelm go back to your business plan, and diligently take the necessary steps to implement your plan. Then, you will be ready and waiting when your customer has worked her way through your first two or three products and is prepared to take the plunge and swim even deeper.
Or you may take a different view and start off with something as a springboard to something better. You may say: “In five years, I want to be famous, doing TV talk shows and making megabucks teaching people how to follow in my footsteps as “The Millionaire Entrepreneur.”
With that goal in mind, your sales funnels are going to look very different from those that support the goal to become a premier Copywriting Coach. These funnels are going to target people with similar mega dreams – those using copywriting as a means to a different end – and will steer them into the “How to Handle Mega-Millions” Sales Funnel.
Keep all the different possibilities in mind as we return to the simple basics of planning your ideal business.
Allow Plenty of Gel Time
Take plenty of time to let your business plan and lifestyle goals gel. These are critical factors in building a highly successful business. Discuss them with trusted friends and/or relatives. (NOTE: Be careful – Discuss them only people who will support you. Avoid people who may have a tendency to shoot you down and try to persuade you to find a real job.“)
Choose people not tied to you financially who can be more objective and less inclined to impose their own fears and goals on you. In fact, sometimes complete strangers are best – but like-minded strangers. For example, joining a mastermind-type forum that is filled with business peers – not competitors – would be a good place to “hang out, toss around ideas, get feedback, and gain support.”
Get Feedback
You will find feedback is extremely useful at various stages of your business life – but remember . . . feedback is just information that you can choose to use, or not. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to make changes based on everyone’s feedback. To avoid overwhelm, always remember you have the option of saying “that’s not what I want to do” or “that is your dream; not mine.” This is particularly important when people are trying to convince you that your dream is too big or too outrageous or impossible.
Keep an open mind and listen to those you trust. There will be times when simply having a conversation with a trusted friend will spark new ideas that work even better than the ones you have been pursuing. People who have no vested interest in your dream can look at it with fresh eyes, pointing out roadblocks you may not have noticed or considered while viewing the dream through your personal rose-colored glasses. They may also point out opportunities that you missed.
In summary, seek out counsel from like-minded people and trusted friends. Both will help you stay grounded and avoid overwhelm, while at the same time act as powerful stimuli for creative idea generation.
See you next time when we will discuss mistakes that are important to avoid.
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