I had to laugh at myself yesterday evening as I sat there on a Friday night catching up on some reading and watching short Rails video online. Ah what a differnce a year makes in ones life! The video was just kind of a fluke but the reading that I found myself diving into was very important to the plan I am about to put forth in this brief bit of writing.
Without really getting into the back story as you can read about that in depth elsewhere, here is a quick glimps. I am basically at the point where I feel I need to make a decision. The decision being that I either A. continue to go with what seems to be working (that is freelancing) or B. toss out that type of thinking to realize my true vision for where this business will go. With the awful state of the economy you might think I am best to stay where I am at (comfortable income), wheathering the storm and saving my idea of granduer for another day. And that is why I am confidently betting on my plan, while most spend their time thinking aobut recession I envision expansion.
The Build
Having a few failures as an entreprenuer under my built I am finally starting to recognize the importance of the build. The build is the foundation, it is your first day of business, it is your daily operations and it is where your business will be ten years down the road. It comes in the form of vision and it comes in the form of extensive documentation, but it is necessary.
Example 1
Some months ago I recognized the impending failure of my at the time , current employer. Failure not as a business but as a company able to keep me on the payroll long term. When I recognized the future I started planning for it. For me it was as simple as getting the name out there, starting a blog, joining the social community. Advertising in small chunks and securing a small customer base to build off. When the day came, I gave myself two weeks to start generating income as a freelancer. At the end of those two weeks if it didn’t look promising it meant searching out new employment. Two weeks! That’s not nearly enough time to recognize anything substantial, but it worked, the build that had led up to that day paid off and I have not had the time to look back since.
Whether it be vision or a 50 page document, formulate a plan and start building a foundation. Now make it happen, execute. Yes you are crazy but you are also confident in your plan. If I would have listened to everybody else’s opinion when the day came that I found myself unemployed I would be still be wondering what if, not to mention sitting in yet another job with an uncertain future. Fortunately for me I was confident in the foundation I had put down in preparation for building.
Forward
When I saw the opportunity I moved on it, I went forward. Again I was confident that I had built a sturdy foundation and I was not willing to listen to “the others”. I did so without questioning failure, in fact it never even crossed my mind that I would fail. You need to go forward positively and with confidence. Now here’s the key to why I am once again at a crossroads faced with the question of which way I would like to go next. While I was enjoying my newfound career as a freelancer, plenty of jobs, good money etc, I did not lose site of vision. I continued the building phase, one foundation on top another setting my self up for the next step. The 110th floor can not exist without the 109 floors below it correct?
Fast
Remember foundation, fast does not mean skimp and skip, it means to act on opportunity when it presents itself. Waiting around to see what the other guy is gonna do will lead you to one conclusion, he acted before you did, period. Opportunity waits for no one. It’s comes, it goes and it’s gone.
As long as you have given attention to detail in building your foundation the next move can be made quickly when the opportunity arrives. There is always time to revisit the floor below to tweak the lighting or add an espresso machine.
