If you’ve been thinking about starting a business or that project you’ve been waiting to get your hands on for the past 18 months, here’s the best advice that I (and even Seth Godin) would give: Stop planning and start doing.
Just finished rereading (the second manifesto this week along with two other books) Seth’s Bootstrapper’s Bible. It’s slightly outdated, considering that it was published in 2004, but the fundamentals are sound and quite relevant to this day and age.
Here’s why Seth thinks you shouldn’t plan too much when it comes to building a business:
- Starting a business is the most public, most expensive, the riskiest way of all to be wrong.
- There has never been an entrepreneur with a crystal ball. Thereʼs no way to know for sure whether your business is going to work, whether your targeted customers will buy, whether your choice of technology is a good one. Youʼre going to be wrong. Get used to it!
Makes sense, right? And here’s a rationale that most of us don’t even think of (bold and underscored for emphasis, mine):
You donʼt have to quit your day job. But you do have to get out there and do it. The more you do, the more you do. Doors will open. Opportunities will appear. Your model will change, your reputation will increase, you will become a magnet for smart people, good customers, and investors. But none of this will happen if you stay inside and keep planning.
Build your business. One day at a time, one customer at a time. Lower your downsides, focus on the upsides and start building. But start.
And you know the reason why I love that advise so much? Because I’ve been stupid enough to be that person who’s always planning and not executing. And that changed when I just focused on action. Irrespective of how big or small that would have been. Just moving forward and trust me when I say this, momentum is a great motivator.
If you’re worried about other people and their opinion, just remember that a rolling stone gathers no moss. Momentum, my friend. Momentum.