Meditations for New Entrepreneurs by 321 Liftoff

Wondering how to make your business stand out from the competition? A differentiation strategy will help you win the hearts and minds of your target audience and grow your business, but it requires being firm about who you are and letting go of who you’re not. 

This article focuses how to stand out from competitors. You’ll get all the building blocks you need to get started, including ideas for action, examples of differentiation strategy in action, reflection questions, and plenty of inspiration.

If you’re new to business, you might feel a normal temptation to try to please every single potential customer, to be all things to all people, to not say no, to not rock the boat.

The pressure you put on yourself to jump-start sales, can blind you to what the business grows into. If you’re not a careful steward of your business and brand, it’s easy for it all to morph into something you didn’t intend.

Before you know it, you’re just another generic alternative amongst a sea of options available to customers.

That is, of course, unless you’ve defined and prioritized what makes your business stand out from competitors. And, that is where a differentiation strategy comes in.

It’s what makes your business stand out from the competition – your secret sauce that helps your brand hold a unique and special place in your customers’ hearts and minds.

A differentiation strategy requires that you:

You need to shift from just playing to play, to playing to win. From being a generic and undifferentiated alternative, to having a clear brand value position.

But, it’s not just about making your brand into something special – that’s only part of it.

You also need the right behaviors to protect and strengthen your brand, like knowing when to say no, identifying what’s out of scope, or pausing to consider whether an action will align with or detract from your brand identity.

| RELATED: Start Saying No With This 1 Simple Trick

Keep that in mind as you read on – a great brand is nothing without the commitment to uphold that brand.

As Michael Porter famously published in Harvard Business Review: “Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.”

In other words, make choices about where you play and where you don’t, so you can occupy a clear and compelling space in the market – something that differentiates you from your competitors. 

Seth Godin advises something similar in his brief and brilliant book, This Is Marketing: “Marketers can choose to stand for something. This involves going to extremes. Finding an edge. Standing for something, not everything.” 

Here’s the key thing to wrap your mind around:

Not everyone is your customer and that’s okay. 

In fact, it’s part of having a healthy business and a clear mind.

It’s not about limiting the size of your business. It’s about freeing yourself to focus on your essential customers and ignoring the rest. 

| RELATED: How to see Trade-offs Like an Entrepreneur

Know your customer and serve them well. Let go of the rest.

We’ll get to the steps/tactics you can use, but first, let’s sit with a few examples to help illustrate what this looks like in practice.

A few years ago, I watched a recruiting video for a potential new job opportunity. 

The company touted itself as fast, fun, and hard working. The video showed a clip of two coworkers surprising a third with silly string over their cubicle wall. Another clip had them wearing zany hats and costumes. 

And, I knew immediately that this was *not* the company for me. 

What they’re selling works for some people – just not me. I need something else from my work environment. That’s okay. 

In fact, that they could turn me away so early in the recruitment process is a good thing. I won’t waste their time or mine and they can focus on candidates that might better mesh with their culture. 

By giving me a peek into what they were about, I was able to make a determination about whether or not I was a good fit. 

The same principle applies to our businesses. 

You need to send signals that will simultaneously attract the right customers and repel the wrong ones. 

What signals are you sending? What stories are you telling? 

That’s what makes your business stand out – let’s explore that further with one more example…

Take the case of Dollar Shave Club – a brand of men’s razors and grooming products. In 2011, it was a little startup aimed to compete with big names like Gillette. 

Brands in this category command high trust and loyalty from their consumers – they have to, how else would someone willingly put a razor to their own face? 

So, how do you break into a category like that? The answer is differentiation. 

We’re not talking about unique designs or features – the other brands have those in spades. 

Differentiation requires doing something unexpected – something that inspires curiosity. 

Looking at the existing market for men’s razors, Dollar Shave Club could immediately see two problems at the time: razors were too expensive and getting them in a store was unnecessarily difficult – in some cases you had to call an associate to help you retrieve them from a locked box in the aisle. 

This was a category that took itself way too seriously. And, from there, they had one profound conclusion: this whole thing is ridiculous. 

So, they chose to compete on price and no-hassle purchases – and they solved these market problems with humor, calling bull$&*% on the whole system. 

Dollar Shave Club launched with a now famous viral ad campaign. The quirky CEO touts the quality of their product while walking through a warehouse – in which you can see all sorts of silly things happening around him. There’s a toddler shaving someone’s head, a bear helping to pack and ship boxes. 

The approach was a master stroke in how to stand out from competitors by being unabashedly different. 

Again, not everyone will be attracted to a brand like this. That’s okay. It’s not for everyone and that’s the point. It was enough. 

In 2016, Dollar Shave Club was acquired by Unilever for a reported $1 billion in cash. 

The first step in creating clarity for your brand is to make sure you understand your ideal customer:

But, I would argue, that’s not enough. You also need to define the inverse:

These are just a sample of questions of course – there’s much more to do, but this will get you started.

But, and I can’t stress this enough, you can’t rely solely on your own biases and experiences to answer these questions. You need to hear directly from customers when you can to learn from their perspective.

| RELATED: How Empathy Will Make You a Better Business Owner

Think of these details – of who your target customer is and is not – as forming a kind of boundary. Picture all of these details about your ideal customer inside a circle.

Your brand needs to stay true to everything inside the circle, so that you stay on message. But, if you branding or marketing ever steps outside of that circle, you risk diluting the brand.

Now, you can use that circle as a lens through which to see your business and brand, cutting or updating what doesn’t fit.

| BY THE WAY: This is actually the beginning of an activity I usually do with my 1:1 clients.

Use the slides below to explore this idea further:

Think back to the Dollar Shave Club example above. They looked at the existing market and identified how to improve it. In a crowded market, like razor blades, that step seems obvious now.

Except it wasn’t.

The things Dollar Shave Club chose to disrupt were well-established and accepted truths.

This was a market dominated by big players – players who were so entrenched in their way of doing things that they couldn’t even see the opportunity that they themselves had created.

It takes an outsider – someone who can objectively look at a market or a customer segment and say, “nah, let’s shake this up!”

This perspective is a skill that anyone, including you, can cultivate.

Let’s say you are opening a coffee bar:

Let’s say you want to sell succulents and plants:

| SMALL BUSINESS INTERVIEW: How to Grow A Thriving Side-Hustle – with Wilding Flora

These are just a few examples of how to stand out from competitors. You need to look carefully at them, find their weak points, and flip them into your greatest strengths.

You can also listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify. Search for “Meditations for New Entrepreneurs.” Enjoy!

As mentioned, there’s risk in trying to serve everyone: spreading yourself thin, diluting your brand, and becoming just another generic alternative.

You can mitigate these risks with clear brand positioning – that means naming what your brand is and is not, who your brand is for and not for.

To be clear, this isn’t about posting an “unwelcome sign” at your next pop-up market. It’s about pushing your brand identity, sales, and marketing to a clear and compelling edge.

Your brand identity needs to pull the right customers toward you like a magnet. And, conversely, that same magnet should repel the wrong customers.

| RELATED: 7 Simple Steps You Need to Create a Brand Strategy You’ll Love

If you hope to become something special, you need to give in to the fact that “special” is subjective – what one person might value might not be the same as the next person.

And, all of that is just fine – it’s not your job to please everyone.

The “wrong” customers will self-select to move on. Don’t worry about them. Wish them well as they continue on their journey. If they choose to buy, great, that’s a bonus. But, you don’t need to design for them.

It might sound silly, but your brand needs the same positive self-talk you give yourself:

First, if you’re sitting there thinking your differentiation strategy has to be perfect from the start, take that pressure off yourself, friend, and let go of perfectionism with my free worksheet:

| DOWNLOAD: Think Like a Scientist, Not a Perfectionist (free worksheet)

Second, explore the resources I’ve put together below, including questions to get you thinking, actions to try next, and other tools and places to begin.

Take this as an opportunity to further refine what makes your business stand out.

Keep in mind, creating a differentiation strategy is one of those things that takes iteration to get right. You’re going to have to try some things and see how they work.

Again, that’s why the above worksheet might come in handy – to help you stay in a productive mindset when (likely not if) you get it wrong.

Finally, take a deep breath. Remember, it’s okay to be new at this – you’re learning, you’re stretching your comfort zone, and you’re finding your footing. That takes time and practice. It takes patience and pragmatism.

When you feel stuck, take a break. Better yet, come right back here to 321 Liftoff for more inspiration.

Learn more:

You might like:

Hopefully, you’re leaving with several ideas of what to try next. So, take a moment to aim your effort.

Questions, comments, or ideas for the blog? Sound off in the comments!

What makes your business stand out?

What ideas or questions does this topic spark for you? Share some of your reflections in the comments or send me a message. 

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

Learn more about working with me 1:1.

The post How to Make Your Business Stand Out from the Competition Like an Absolute Pro in 3 Steps appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

If you’re not careful, the journey to start and grow your business can feel isolating. This path is better traveled together, so don’t struggle alone.

Remember, struggle is part of the process of stretching outside your comfort zone. And, while struggle eventually yields growth, it can also more immediately bring loneliness, stress, and a noisy inner-critic. 

So, how might you proactively manage those symptoms? 

Well, it’s no secret that we – human beings – are social creatures. 

We’ve thrived as a species, in part, because of our ability to work together in groups – especially when there have been new challenges to overcome. 

To navigate the pressures of starting and growing your business, you need to let people in. 

Simply put, don’t struggle alone.

Whether it’s another new small business owner, a mentor, your best friend, your parents, a coach, or a classmate; whether you need to hear a second opinion, to test a new idea, or to just vent; think of people as critical infrastructure for your business. 

It’s more important to establish a support network than it is to have a perfect website, for example – because bottling up your fears, doubts, and questions is a sure fire way to slowly kill your business ambitions. If you’re struggling, you need to say so. 

It would be normal to feel a little self-conscious or even embarrassed about the state of your business today. If that’s you, I want you to know that you’re not alone. 

I also challenge you to acknowledge that thought and let it go. 

Your young business is a work in progress. Definitionally, that makes it a little messier, a little scrappier, and a little more fluid. It’s not done. That’s okay. 

It can sometimes feel like the world is watching you, just waiting for you to fail. That you – and your business – need to be perfect. But, I promise you, the people who love you – who really care about you, don’t think that at all. 

Brené Brown said: “You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”

If you want to release some of the pressure you might be feeling, connect with other people. 

You don’t have to open up to everyone. Find people you trust, who will really listen

Be thoughtful about what you want from them, then ask for what you need. 

For example, do you need someone who can help you see from new perspectives, generate new ideas, solve problems, or find inspiration? Or, do you just need someone to listen? 

Here’s something to try: think of one person you want to talk to about the state of your business – maybe it’s someone you know, maybe it’s someone new. 

Now, reflect: what’s giving you pause about starting that conversation? 

If you’re nervous about opening up, think of it this way:

Which is worse: continuing the grind despite the pain and loneliness you feel right now or the discomfort from demonstrating a little vulnerability to ask for help? 

Both might not feel great, but one has the potential to alleviate pain, the other does not.

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

The post You Don’t Need To Struggle Alone appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Make space for fun – regularly introduce a little play and imagination into your day and you’ll find that you’re infused with new energy and perspective.

Rightfully, the business you’re building is important to you. Maybe it has the potential to change the direction of your life, provide you with a new stream of income, or challenge you creatively in a way that hasn’t materialized in your day job. 

You can see it all so clearly. You want that vision to be real and, naturally, you wish you were closer to the finish line than you are today. So, you get to work. You hustle, maybe a little too hard – all in service of bringing it to life as quickly as possible. 

Perhaps, you put pressure on yourself to get it done, putting in long hours, working on the weekends, missing or declining plans with friends and family. “I’m making tradeoffs,” you tell yourself. “It will all be worth it in the end.” 

Except there is no end, no finish line, and no destination. 

You will never be able to simply settle in at some new status quo and let your business take care of itself. That’s not how the market – or the world – works. 

Starting and growing a new business takes a crafty, entrepreneurial drive – you need to constantly overcome self-doubt; make plans and figure out how to execute them; and stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone. 

But, once you’ve built your business, that’s not the end – it’s merely another beginning. 

Additionally, owning and operating a business too requires constant vigilance – you need to manage supply and demand; watch your flank for competitors; and seek out new opportunities for growth. 

Surprisingly, that’s not the end either. 

Expanding or reinventing your business looks very similar. 

So, when in this process are you supposed to enjoy it? ‘

When we’re set on a goal, we can sometimes create a kind of tunnel-vision around that goal. We’re laser focused and everything else feels like a distraction. On the surface, that might seem good. But, it’s actually counterproductive. 

In fact, the narrower your field of vision, the more likely you are to miss something. By all means, work hard – just make sure you come up for air and perspective.

You can be productive, achieve what you want, and have fun doing it. It’s not mutually exclusive. In fact, it’s reinforcing. 

In Martin Reeves’ TED Talk – Why Play Is Essential For Business – he says: “you can’t stretch your strategy unless you really stretch your mind.” 

Well, that really applies to any problem you’re trying to solve. By intentionally stepping away from the work and seeking new experiences, you’ll give your brain the rest and new information it needs to make unconscious connections and generate new ideas.

More fun and play infused into your day makes for a healthier, happier, and more satisfying life, according to Catherine Price’s TED Talk, Why Having Fun Is The Secret To A Healthier Life.

In effect, when you make space for fun, you’ll be infused with creative energy and the capacity to keep going. 

Maybe you’ve said to yourself: 

• I’ll have fun when…
• I’ll enjoy this after…
• If only that happens, then I’ll…

Life is short and fast. There is only so much time you get and none of it is guaranteed. These simple facts alone should make delaying your own joy and happiness not an option. 

Find joy now – in the work, in the people around you, in the ordinary of everyday life. 

Take a vacation. Go for a walk. Read a book. Grab a drink with a friend. Play with your kids and pets. Sleep. Reflect on your accomplishments – even the small ones. Celebrate with people you love. Keep a bowl of Legos on your desk. Grab some crayons and a journal.

Do what works for you. 

You might think of these moments as breaks from your work. But, flip that around. Your real life is in those moments. The work is just work. 

Make space for fun. Now. Today. You’ll be glad you did. 

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

The post You Need To Make Space For Fun appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

To attract the right customers, you need to learn to see trade-offs and their strategic implications. 

Strategy is about making choices about what to do and what not to do. 

And, those choices should go beyond mere survival or optimizing the status quo – they should help your business thrive. 

A NEW WORKBOOK FROM 321 LIFTOFF

This activity-based workbook will help you tackle the three obstacles that block our ability to get stuff done: overwhelm, distraction, and avoidance. It’ll help you prioritize and make decisions with the mindset of an entrepreneur, so you can break through obstacles, build momentum, and keep hustling.

A trade-off is an opportunity cost – it’s when you give up one thing to gain something else. 

In strategy, when you choose to go down one path, you leave another behind. 

That might sound like a bad thing – like you’re missing out on something. But, it’s actually a good thing. It’s clearing away the clutter, so you can focus on what – and who – really matters. 

You might, for example, choose to focus on a particular type of customer, designing products and services around their needs. In doing so, you give up the opportunity to go after other customers with different needs. 

Again, that’s good. 

From there, you can more intentionally do things that resonate with your customer, aiming your marketing, pricing, and more to meet them where they’re at. 

In other words, you can solve a more specific problem for them, deepen your relationship with them, and attract more of them. 

So, how can you take your business there? 

By making trade-offs to create a path that only you can walk. 

Let’s look at the furniture industry as an example. 

Globally, in 2020, furniture was a $500 billion market. By 2027, it’s expected to be $650 billion. 

There are hundreds, possibly thousands of different players. 

In the United States, as consumers we can buy furniture from companies like IKEA, Target, Room & Board, Article, Pottery Barn, Richardson Seating, and Herman Miller – just to name a few. 

Each of these companies made choices about who they serve and tailor their furniture assortment accordingly. For example: 

Companies like IKEA or Target emphasize affordability. As a result, they’ve made trade-offs like having very simple designs and modular, do-it-yourself assembly.

Room & Board and Pottery Barn showcase quality and customization. They’ve made trade-offs like fewer SKUs and more options, colors, and fabrics.

And, Herman Miller designs with a very specific modern aesthetic. Their trade-offs stem from those design choices, so you can expect high quality materials and one-of-a-kind exclusive pieces.

In all cases, it’s because that’s what their customers are looking for – so they walk away from fulfilling other needs, creating a sense of clarity and focus for themselves and their customers.

As a result, their customers feel seen and cared for.

Now, here’s the hard part. You’ve got to let go.

When you make a choice to do one thing, you really do need to stop any action related to the other thing – especially if you’re a Company of One.

You have, of course, limited time and resources. But, you also have limited mindshare. Don’t spread yourself thin by trying to be all things to all people. It’s a recipe for fast burnout.

Honor the choice you’ve made by saying no to anything that doesn’t support that choice.

Sometimes, that might mean stopping something you were excited about. That’s hard to do. But, it doesn’t have to be never – just not right now.

Naming the choice is the easy part – it’s just three questions:

• Who is your customer?
• Who is NOT your customer? 
• And, what choices do you need to make to better serve them?

It’s making the actual choice – seeing the trade-off and confidently walking away – that’s the hard part.

Still, by defining your opposite, you can better articulate your position and stand out from the competition. 

As always, let your customers be your guide. 

Then, you can make trade-offs that reflect what they value. 

So, what trade-offs do you need to make today?

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

The post How To See Trade-Offs Like An Entrepreneur appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

If you spread yourself too thin, eventually you’ll buckle under the weight of everything you’ve taken on. Fortunately, there are proactive measures you can take to prevent burnout and help ensure it doesn’t get to that point. 

A quick note: If you’re struggling with burnout, know that you are not the first person to be where you are and to struggle. It’s okay to ask for help. I’ve linked to some resources below that might help. 

Burnout is a buildup of chronic stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. It’s when you’re so swamped with things to do and you just can’t shake feeling exhausted by it. 

We’re not always conscious of burnout until it hits and we crash. And that’s the crux of the problem. Our conscious awareness of the burnout we are about to experience is low. But, the stakes can be quite high. 

I know that when I experience burnout, of course, my productivity suffers. But, more importantly, I’m also more irritable, I make poorer decisions, I’m more easily distracted, and I generally lack the capacity to give my best effort. It’s also harder to find joy in the ordinary, like when I play with my kids or take a walk. The energy-suck of burnout hovers over me like my own personal raincloud. 

Burnout can also impact your health, triggering both physical and psychosomatic issues – which I’ve also experienced first-hand. 

So, how do we get ahead of it? 

At the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Ford Motor Company included brands like Mercury, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Lincoln, and, of course, Ford, the flagship brand. 

Each with different logos and slight variations in style, but nothing dramatically unique about any of them. Ford had created or acquired all these brands without really differentiating them. 

I once had a conversation with a former Ford employee who admitted: “yeah it’s the exact same car, but this one has the Lincoln logo and a leather interior.”

As an aside, that’s not innovation. That’s more of the same, only in different colors and sizes. 

The point is that, in trying to serve an increasing number of customer segments, Ford lost focus, spread themselves thin, and nearly ruined the company. 

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Ford had divested or retired most of those brands. Today, it’s just Ford and Lincoln. 

Obviously, this isn’t a story about someone who experienced burnout – it’s the story of a company that experienced burnout. Make no mistake, the lesson we can draw is the same. 

Years in the making, a slow motion crisis boils just under the surface, until something unexpected comes along and makes a bad problem worse. 

And, of course, in hindsight, it was all preventable. 

The company is on it’s way back after learning an expensive lesson: don’t spread yourself too thin by serving everyone – know who you are, what makes you great, and let go of the rest. 

Instead of saying: more, more, more. 

Ford should have been asking: what’s essential? 

I believe that self-awareness is the key to making more informed choices about the direction of our lives. That’s what’s needed to prevent burnout too. 

If you can get more in tune with how you’re actually doing, you can be honest with yourself about what you can really take on. 

What might that look like? 

1. Notice how you’re feeling. Listen to your body. Describe the state of your brain: is it clear or cluttered? Is it still or so noisy you can’t think? 
2. Ask yourself questions. How sustainable is this? How have I been taking care of myself? Is the stretch I’m feeling growth or am I spread too thin? 
3. Consider the effort required. What can you reasonably take on right now? Is this essential? Do you want to put in the work? Is the payoff worth it? What’s the cost? 
4. Be honest with yourself. Name a decision and move forward. 

Finally, here’s one more way to think about it: 

Have you ever taken a walk and paused to notice the shape of the trees?

You’ll find some are a tangled mess of leaves, with twigs springing up from the base of the trunk and dead branches at the top – while others are perfectly shaped and trimmed. 

Surprisingly, that doesn’t happen by accident. 

A healthy tree requires regular pruning and shaping. 

Those little saplings at the bottom? They steal energy that could be serving the upper branches of the tree – the ones that helped it grow tall in the first place. 

All branches of the tree compete for energy and nutrients, so you need to be mindful about which ones you let grow and which ones aren’t serving the long term interests of the tree. 

You also need to eliminate dead branches that are just getting in the way, because they are more likely to attract rot, disease, and insects – which can impact every branch. 

The process to shape and prune a tree cultivates its growth and continues over its entire life. 

In truth, our lives are the same. Our branches are our careers, goals, relationships, hobbies, interests, and every other facet of our existence. 

So, does your life need a little pruning and shaping?

Consider questions like these: 

• How has my environment changed?
• What season of life am I in? How might that influence what matters? 
• How have I changed? What’s important to me now?
• What branches are no longer serving me? 

That’s what’s required to prevent burnout. 

Share some of your reflections in the comments or send me a message.

• Read: How to spot burnout and take action, from the Mayo Clinic
• Watch: Talks for when you feel totally burned out, from TED
• Listen: Burnout is Everyone’s Problem, from Adam Grant

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

A NEW WORKBOOK FROM 321 LIFTOFF

This activity-based workbook will help you tackle the three obstacles that block our ability to get stuff done: overwhelm, distraction, and avoidance. It’ll help you prioritize and make decisions with the mindset of an entrepreneur, so you can break through obstacles, build momentum, and keep hustling.

The post 1 Simple Strategy You Need To Prevent Burnout appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

It’s normal to think that big goals require big actions. But, actually, the opposite is true. Your best bet is to start small. 

When you hold an intense desire for something – like a thriving side hustle or a new career, for example – it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the enormity of it. You might feel a little stuck: “when am I going to find time for this?”

The vision you have for yourself and your growth is big and ambitious – as it should be. But, the trouble is our bias for instant gratification. You want it now and you want your schedule to bend to accommodate it. 

It won’t, of course. 

No, the key is to flip it around. See your day – your schedule – for what it is. Then, take small, thoughtful steps to move forward. 

You have time. What you might lack is a belief in progress over perfection. 

Vince Lombardi, the former head coach of the Green Bay Packers, who led the team to five consecutive Super Bowls over a seven year period, would tell his players: “Football is a game of inches and inches make the champion.” 

Even if, like me, you are not the biggest sports fan, you can appreciate Lombardi’s mindset. 

In football, there are constraints, like rules and physics. There’s a limited amount of time to complete plays. There’s an opposing team, who’s job is to push you in the opposite direction of your goal. You could never expect to get to the goal at the end of the field in a single run unimpeded. So, you don’t focus your attention there. 

Instead, you do what you can, right where you are. Move the ball forward, inches at a time if necessary. 

Our lives and our goals are the same. 

There are always obstacles in our path and constraints that we need to acknowledge and work around. 

But, moving forward when and how you can is still progress. 

Just because you can’t do everything you want to do in the limited time that you have, doesn’t mean you should do nothing. In fact, it’s counterproductive to your goal and will keep you right where you are for a lot longer. 

All or nothing is the wrong mindset if you’re hoping to make big changes to your life. 

You don’t always need to reformulate your day. You don’t always need to make new time in your schedule. Instead, you might just need to make better use of the minutes you already have. 

Instead of, for example, scrolling Instagram for 5 minutes, open your notes app and create a rough outline of your business plan. Or, open your journal and make a list of career questions you have. 

Don’t have time for that long hike you wanted? It doesn’t mean you can’t get up and move today.  

Pausing to take 1 deep breath is better than struggling in vain to find time to meditate. 

Reading 1 page is better than not reading at all just because you don’t have time to read a whole chapter. 

Writing for 1 hour today is better than waiting forever to take a magical retreat to finally write that manuscript. 

What’s the alternative? Zero. No progress. Pushing the dream out further and further until it’s just that – a dream. 

You need to see your business and life in the same light. Start small. 

Growing your profit by $1 is better than zero. 

Adding 1 new healthy habit to your day is better than none. 

Selling to 1 customer is better than zero sales today. 

Small steps add up. Progress happens when you invest over time, not all at once. 

Don’t be discouraged by small steps – celebrate them. In them, you’ll find the seeds to keep growing. One small step at a time. 

So, what can you do today, right where you are? 

Share some of your reflections in the comments or send me a message. 

• Read: Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Watch: Talks for when you want to start a business from TED

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

A NEW WORKBOOK FROM 321 LIFTOFF

This activity-based workbook will help you tackle the three obstacles that block our ability to get stuff done: overwhelm, distraction, and avoidance. It’ll help you prioritize and make decisions with the mindset of an entrepreneur, so you can break through obstacles, build momentum, and keep hustling.

The post You Need To Start Small To Make Powerful Leaps appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

The journey to build your new business will not be a straight line. Your path will start and stop and start again, possibly several times.

But, don’t let it get you down. It’s not you. It’s normal.

In fact, it’s supposed to look this way – because creative energy, motivation, and drive can be difficult to sustain over time.

You’re also using new muscles, developing new work habits, busy interacting with customers, marketing, relearning how to handle money, and so much more.

Understandably, anyone doing that many new things at once is going to feel a little exhausted at the end of the day.

As you’ve no doubt learned before in life or in your career, steady execution takes practice and patience. It takes reps.

Imagine any Olympic world champion on their very first day. Do you think it looked anything like their performance at the games in 2022?

Of course not. So, why should your new business be any different?

There’s nothing shameful about starting from the beginning.

On the contrary, it’s brave, bold, and inspiring.

This stage won’t be easy, of course. Success requires perseverance and a growth mindset.

And, for that, it helps to get a little context – to take a step back, zoom out, and see yourself and your new business in a much larger picture. Specifically, what the process of growth really looks like.

As the famed science fiction author and biochemistry professor, Isaac Asimov, once said:

“A neat and orderly laboratory is unlikely. It is, after all, so much a place of false starts and multiple attempts.”

Think of it. Imagine that laboratory.

You might see the untidy piles of books with hastily scribbled notes in the margins; the overflowing recycling bin filled with crumpled paper and abandoned ideas; the stacks of notes and journals revealing the frustrations of someone who’s at square one; the many lists of to-do’s. Sound familiar?

Well, this is what the journey to start something new looks like.

It starts with an idea – a hypothesis. Then, you start asking questions. Eventually, you find some answers.

But, while some of those answers help you move forward, some are detours that move you sideways or backwards, and some just raise more questions.

And, some of your experiments fail, but you learn something with every test.

Sometimes you burst forward with an unstoppable energy and sometimes you feel stuck.

That’s the creative process. It starts and stops and starts again.

In your new business, maybe you:

• Don’t have consistent sales, cash flow, or profitability yet.
• Haven’t found a good routine to manage your energy and motivation yet.
• Aren’t seeing steady returns on your marketing investments yet.
• Or, you haven’t nailed the customer experience yet.

Don’t beat yourself up. These starts and stops are normal.

The key word is “yet.”

You’ll get there. Stay focused and work the problem.

Every experiment will get you closer to what you want, but only if you believe change is possible and then consistently show up to make that change happen.

Above all, I believe your new business depends on you holding onto that mindset.

In the meantime, you’re here experiencing the start and stop nature of the creative process.

Instead of being frustrated by it, learn to embrace it.

Think like a scientist and analyze the situation:

• What were you trying to accomplish? Why? And, what was the result?
• What worked? How do you feel about that?
• How were you showing up when it all went down? Were you playing at your best? Was it in your power to influence? And, if so, what’s holding you back?
• What would you do differently next time? Why?
• What’s the next experiment you might run? Why?

Use each stop or setback as a moment to reflect and plan your next move – because it’s not just your business that can grow from this moment, so can you.

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

The post You Need to See Your New Business as a Laboratory appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

A lot of advice you’ll come across for aspiring entrepreneurs today is to “just start.” 

It looks great on a t-shirt, but if it leaves you wanting more – you’re not alone. 

There’s a few reasons why “just start” sometimes falls a little flat for me. 

First, it doesn’t really honor the complexity of what you might be feeling – especially if you’re feeling a little anxious about stretching outside your comfort zone or overwhelmed by what seems like a scary complex endeavor. 

Second, if you’re sitting there craving some clarity, “just start” doesn’t give you a ton to work with – it might even have the opposite of its intended motivational effect and make you feel even more stuck. 

On a personal note, I’m feeling this right now.

When my son, Ezra, was born this past summer, we were really thrown for a loop. His first few months were not what we expected and so I took a longer than planned break from writing and coaching. Now, I’m in a moment where I’m about to “just start” all over again. 

I’d also acknowledge that the last few years have been really chanelleging – for all of us, in our own ways.

I think it’s also been a bit of a wake up call to take life into our own hands, to stop going through the motions, and to take an active role in shaping your life – because if we don’t, it will be shaped for us, sometimes in ways we don’t like.

Generally, “just start” means that you should stop talking about doing it and get after it. 

Chris Gardner, the business leader and motivational speaker who once struggled with homelessness, said: “Don’t wait for the perfect time to start making changes to your life; the time is now.” 

He’s right. Life is short. It sometimes feels like opportunities are rare and obstacles are plenty. There will never be a perfect time, so the best time is now. 

And, if the change is urgent enough for you, then you’ll rise to the occasion and make it happen. 

But, urgency isn’t the problem. You know you want this. You know you want to achieve the vision you have for yourself. 

So, what gets in the way of us starting? 

It’s many things, of course. Though one problem I’ve noticed over and over again in the people I’ve met and worked with is one of clarity and confidence – Is this idea good enough?

Who am I to start a business?

Who is my customer and how do I find them?

Can I really charge money for this?

What if I fail?

What exactly is step 1? 

When you’re at the beginning of something new, sometimes all you can see is the endpoint – the place you want to get to. It’s much harder to see the path to get there. 

And, we make it more difficult because we’re often looking for something linear – a straight path with clear steps. 

The truth is it’s just not that straightforward. 

It’s a much wilder and freer process. It’s a test and learn kind of thing. It’s a zig zag. 

So, of course you can’t see the path – you’re looking for something that isn’t there yet. 

It’s your job to make the path. 

Making a path is hard work – you might tire out quickly. Therefore, to get started, I’d suggest you pause to aim your effort. 

You need to not just start, but start in the right direction. 

That’s different from knowing the outcome. There is no way to guarantee success or to know exactly how it will all shake out (you don’t want to over-plan either). Instead, this is an opportunity to narrow your scope, prioritize, and name what’s in bounds and what’s out of bounds. 

While every business adventure is unique, I believe there are a few tactics that really help with this process. Generally, it involves getting your ideas out of your head and on paper.

First, start with the thinking that drives your actions – your mindset. Starting and growing a business is going to throw all kinds of new obstacles at you. You need to get into the right headspace for that. 

Second, define the problem you want to solve. It’s important to test and iterate and learn as you go, but it’s a lot easier to make changes if you start from a specific hypothesis first.

Third, interview your customer or target audience. Talk to people. Trust me, listening to how things unfold in real life – from someone else’s perspective – will yield significantly more insights than just thinking about it at your desk. 

Fourth, know why it all matters to you. You might be spending a lot of time on this venture, so it needs to align with your values, stay true to who you are, and help you grow. 

Fifth, pull it all together into a story. Who is this for? What are you doing for them? Why do they care? Why do you? 

I’ve created a workbook to help you with these tactics, including a handy fill-in-the-blank template at the end to help you bring it all together.

Just use the form below to get started. 

So, are you ready to start in the right direction? 

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

The post How to Just Start And Why That’s Really Hard appeared first on 321 Liftoff.

In business, as in life, sometimes things happen that you can’t see coming. You just have to rise to the occasion, jump in, and figure it out.

What you’re about to read is a true story. 

On the surface, I’ll admit that it might not immediately seem like a lesson for a new small business owner, but there is something here that’s worth reflecting on. 

Plus it’s just too absurd not to share. 

I was in the middle of a zoom meeting when I noticed that my dog Gemma wasn’t in my home office with me. If you know Gemma, then you know how strange that is – she’s tied to us with an invisible tether, like she never wants her humans out of sight. 

The meeting wraps up, I take out my earbuds, and suddenly hear a lot of frantic chirping. 

Gemma had found a baby duckling and was sitting with it inside of my daughter’s playhouse outside on the patio. I calmly grab Gemma and put her inside the house. 

The duckling in the playhouse gets quiet for a moment – long enough for me to hear a second baby duckling that was trapped in the pool, swimming in circles with no way out over the five foot tall pool fence. 

Meanwhile, off in the distance, I can also hear what I assume is Momma Duck quacking in search of her missing kids. 

Okay, I thought, the duck in the playhouse is scared, but safe. Let’s get that duckling out of the pool.

The next few things happen quickly. 

I tried to lift the duckling to safety using the pool skimmer net. No good – he was scared and just kept swimming away. 

What can I Macgyver here? I look around. Pool toys – a raft. We had one, but it wasn’t out of the box yet. I threw a pool noodle into the water and draped a towel over it and the edge of the pool, effectively giving the duck a ramp from the water to the patio. 

I ran to the other end of the pool and tried to chase him toward the ramp. No luck, so I take a break. I exit the pool fence to think and check on the other duckling – still fine. 

I turn around and see the pool duckling, now out of the pool and on the patio. He’s still on the inside of the pool gate. I opened the gate, but he ran right back down the ramp and into the pool.

Well, at least the ramp works. 

Okay, I thought, I’m no help here. Who would they listen to? 

I hear Momma Duck again. I briefly contemplated calling animal control, but that felt like unnecessary force in a delicate situation. 

So, dumbfounded, I jumped over to YouTube, searched for “duck sounds,” played the first video I could find, and turned up my phone’s speaker volume. I must have looked like an idiot. 

To my surprise and delight, Momma Duck suddenly gets much louder. 

I pause the video and peer over my neighbors fence. There’s Momma Duck, standing there with two more small ducklings. 

I will admit to talking to her, telling her “hey, they’re over here!”

Somehow, hearing that the missing baby duck’s chirps were coming from my side of the fence, she gets it and flies over the wall. 

At this point, pool duckling is back out of the water and casually flies over the fence – making me feel extra dumb. 

Reunited, pool duckling is now following momma duck around the patio as they look for his brother. Slowly and cautiously, I walk behind to corral them toward the playhouse duckling. 

Momma Duck stops in front of the playhouse, but either she can’t see him, or he’s too scared to move, so momma duck keeps walking. 

When they were a safe distance away, I lifted the playhouse over the duckling and set it aside, exposing the playhouse duckling’s hiding place so he was now sitting in the middle of the patio. 

With him free, I get momma duck and the pool duckling back to the playhouse duck, and they’re finally all together. 

They walk toward the gate out of the backyard. I open it, setting them free. They meet the other two ducklings, who were waiting patiently on the other side. 

I stood there watching as they seemed to celebrate, then, eventually, they strolled down the sidewalk, following their mother in a line. 

That little adventure took 45 minutes and it wasn’t how I planned to spend my morning. But, it happened. I don’t know for sure if I added value, but I did my best to help the situation have a better outcome. 

Sometimes things happen that you can’t plan for – there’s not always a best practice for what you’ve got to do. You just have to figure it out.

When you’re zigging and zagging, navigating the twists and turns of starting and growing a business, this is going to happen a lot. 

“Making it up as you go” is a common experience for many new entrepreneurs. 

And, it might make you uncomfortable. Perhaps, it’s a new muscle for you – that’s okay. You’re going to get lots of practice with it. 

It’s okay to feel thrown off when something unexpected happens too. Take a moment to collect yourself so that you can meet what’s next with creativity and a clear head. 

Your plans can quickly be interrupted by things you never saw coming. It’s not ideal, but it happens, and it’s your job to roll up your sleeves and figure it out.

Starting and growing a business is not a straight line.

It can feel messy – it zigs and zags, it starts and stops. It can feel frustrating even for the most seasoned business owners. And, that’s ok.

It’s also an exciting challenge. It’s going to stretch you. You’re going to learn a lot – not just about business, but about yourself.

And, that’s why it’s worth it.

The post There Is No Plan, Just Figure It Out appeared first on 321 Liftoff.