How to be strategic when you can't see clearly and you're going round in circles

entrepreneurship marketingstrategy onlinebusiness Jul 15, 2020

Has trying to be “strategic” got you in a twist? Here’s how to move through paralysis into clarity.


Are you trying to get something out into the world, but feel stuck because you don’t have visibility on your next step, much less your ultimate destination?

Feeling like you’re trying to plan 10 moves ahead in a chess game, when you barely have clarity on your next move?

It’s something I see a lot – people who are told they “need to be strategic” but are left feeling muddled and have no idea what their next step should be.


The dilemma of the modern-day entrepreneur.

We constantly hear about “all the things” we should be doing, and just the thought of trying to figure out what to do next can leave our brain feeling short-circuited.

The vast array of choices and options are unfortunately the curse of the modern-day business builder.

And it takes in many great minds round in circles, to the point where they finally stop, regroup only to end up on the hamster wheel, going around in circles again.

 

I’ve got good news for you.

Being strategic doesn’t need to mean complicated.

Nor does it mean you have to have your ultimate destination clearly mapped out, with a place, plan and intention behind every stroke of a pen right from the get-go.

It should certainly NOT leave you feeling paralysed, overwhelmed and confused.

That said, you probably already know that it doesn't equate to throwing a ton of spaghetti at the wall, hoping it will stick.

This approach leaves you none the wiser about what you should be doing and when, and what’s working and what isn’t.

On the contrary. The essence of being strategic should be giving you clarity not confusion.

Direction, not distraction.

And I'm going to show you how to do it, even if you're just getting started, with no idea what to do next!


Why this is a widespread problem.

But first, a bit of background to help you understand the way you feel like this. 

We live in probably the most exciting time in history for building a business. So many ideas and visions are bursting to be released into the world.

And most likely, you're reading this because there's something inside you that's ready to come out too. 

But I see so many great minds stuck because they’re trying to think so many steps ahead with every move they make, with everything they put out there.

It leaves them feeling paralyzed, because they feel they don't have clarity on what should be in Step 5, let alone 10, steps ahead.

And don't get me started on being clear on your ultimate destination when you're just starting out. 

That's just a recipe for confusion - because when you're trying to reverse engineer a path from something you have no idea what it might even look like yet - of course your head feels muddled.


It happens to everyone starting an online business. 

I feel you. It was my experience too. Even as a professional marketing strategist with 25 yrs experience.

I say this just to validate your feelings. Everyone struggles with it when forging a path in the online business space.

Experienced business-owners. Seasoned Marketers. Accomplished Experts. Renowned Authors. Well known Speakers. Pretty much everyone. So you’re not alone.

As a marketing and brand strategist, and agency owner for over two decades, I made a good living out of thinking ahead and doing the strategy game for others.

But gosh it’s so much harder to do it for yourself. That I can tell you without any doubt.


Why it's different today.

Our current environment is also more confusing and complex than ever before.

I launched my first e-commerce start-up in 2001, (sold it in 2008). In many ways, it was much simpler back then.

We didn’t have social media and the vast array of choices and approaches that came with it.

Back then was just Email, Search Engine Marketing along with the traditional media and PR approaches.

While it certainly wasn’t “easy” the path to building an internationally-known brand was certainly much more straightforward in many ways.

15 years later it’s a completely different ballgame.

The choice and options that lay before us have the propensity to easily overwhelm us, making us feel as confused.

As a result, so many of us feel lost in a mirror maze of seemingly unlimited opportunities and pathways, unable to tell which are true and which are illusions.

And with the number of people out there making a quick buck spruiking purported one-size-fits-all “magic-bullet solutions,” it's no wonder the illusions are increasing by the day.


How I learned this.

In the last 3 years, I’ve pivoted several times before really finding my stride in the online realm.

Even with my experience, setting out to building a personal brand and a new online business by design, that was my experience as I entered the online business foray more seriously a few years ago.

But each of those things came through taking imperfect action and I grew a lot through each experience and taking action, as imperfect as it was.

I tried plenty of things that didn't work. And along the way, discovered lots of things that did. As Thomas Edison so rightly said. 

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

That is me. Exactly. It still is, as I experiment on a daily basis to forge a path that isn't a direct copy of someone else. 

So I got comfortable with doing things that don't work. But don't mistake things that don't work with random things. 

The difference was, there was a clear and definite objective behind each of the actions I took, even at the beginning, when I didn't know what the "end goal"  would look like. 

Then as I go along I've been able to refine my strategic approaches many times to adapt to this crazy new fast-evolving wild west online business landscape.

So now I've set the scene, here are some very practical tips that have worked for me, that may help you.

 

1. Know you’re working with very limited data.

Trying to plan indefinitely and questioning every move when you’re starting out will drive you around in circles.

It sounds counter-intuitive but I can tell you as a professional strategist that the data you’re working with when you’re starting out only paints a small part of the picture.

So how can you possibly factor in a whole lot of unknowns?

As you go along you have more to work with (more knowledge about your audience, your strengths in an online environment/ what people like about your style, and where the biggest demand is).

So I've found the best approach when you’re just starting out is to simply do the best you can with what you’ve got available knowing that there simply isn’t a “right step” – there’s just the “first step”.

And the sooner you make it the better – and once you’re actually moving you’re in a position to incorporate your learnings and improve as you go.


2. Your ultimate destination is a moving target

I do believe that where you end up is very different from where you imagine you will when yyou start.

And the struggle you’re going through NOW is part of the process for “most” people (there are those that are 100% clear from the get-go but that’s a rarity).

The rest figure it out as you go.

I love and live by Stephen Covey’s famous quote “Begin with the End in Mind” from his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

But when you’re just starting out in online business, you don’t know what the end is going to look like.

And what "end" would you be talking about anyway?

5 years? 10 years? 20 years? 50 years?

Ultimately your business sweet spot is the intersection of
- what you’re good at
- what you enjoy
- what is in demand
- what pays well

The thing is, it’s rare to know where you sit with all of those things when you’re just starting out.

So I believe your definition of your “end” needs to change – albeit temporarily.  

I'll show you what I mean, and I think it'll give you a lot of mental relief.


3. Know that "it's ok to not know". 


When I launched my first membership site I thought I was onto something huge as it ticked the first three boxes above and I loved it (I still do), and it had raving fans and got a lot of mainstream attention.


It was only though doing it I realised that it was going to take way too long to make it profitable.


So I pivoted. Took the experience I’d gained from that experience and created something new.

I still do the original "thing" but I've found a way to align it with the subsequent thing I launched and as a result, make it even better and more enjoyable.

Now, because I’ve found the “main thing” that I want to focus on and be known for, I am in a position to be far more strategic at every step, because I have so much data and learnings (not to mention new skills!) to work with.

And what I'm doing now as my primary focus, taps into other areas of my specialty and skill set I didn’t realise were so valuable initially. 


I know that now, but there was no way of knowing that back then.


Because there wasn't quite the same mainstream need in the marketplace for that three years ago. 

So I couldn’t possibly have wrapped my head around that three years ago when I started.


4. Work out your best "first step".

At this stage, rather than figuring out what you want to do with your business/life, I  suggest you identify an initial big goal.

Initially, it may look something like ONE of the following.

- validating a proof of concept so you can work on getting a viable business up and running,

- or making $x /month in revenue online, or

- helping as many people as you can get XYZ outcome,

and then reverse engineer your first actions from that first, temporary “end” goal.

It will still take you time but your actions will be aligned with helping you get there and you won’t be trying to do and factor in everything at once.

That’s where overwhelm kicks in and paralyses you, and that's what you'll avoid by taking this approach instead of trying to figure out how this is all going to work together to leapfrog you to your ultimate destination (whatever that is, and if that really even existed anyway).

You can’t possibly take everything into consideration initially because you’re still building out the elementary skill sets you need for running a successful online business/membership/program/offering.

And once you’re moving and have some momentum it’s really easy to adjust your course and direction.

Which you can’t do when you’re paralysed by inaction.

Bottom Line?

Just set your first significant goal and know that what this actually “is” is probably less important ( in the grand scheme of things ) than the process you go through and the skills you learn to get there.

 

5. Develop a muscle of strategic ignorance

Once you have clarity on your first step or next step, you are going to be bombarded with choices, options, and plethora of "must-dos".

That's when the power of strategic ignorance can kick in.  

it definitely becomes a very powerful discipline to work out what to "strategically ignore" right now because it's not the thing that you need to focus on in this instance.

It has taken me years to build the strategic ignorance muscle.

That is, the ability to say "Yes I do need this, and I'm grateful to have it on my radar, it's not for right now. But thank you, I know where to come when I need it".

When you can filter everything through that lens it is actually the essence of being strategic because you are keeping things on your radar yet at a distance without letting them stop you from actions now.

I do this all the time especially with social media, and my own marketing. It's been so powerful and a game-changer in helping me focus on things that are going to propel me forward in the direction I want to go.

And the beauty of it is then you've got good foundations, you're making progress towards your initial goals, and then, later on, you're in a brilliant position to dovetail additional things in, knowing exactly where they fit!

 
Remember, you're not alone!

I hope this gives you some comfort & reassurance that what you feel is completely normal.

Many of the biggest names in the online business space have pioneered through this initial confusing phase.

The key is to keep going, and surround yourself with the right people, who are going to help you make sense of the limited data that you DO have, so you can make the best decisions you possibly can based on where you're at now, 

Remember, small actions trump big plans.

And the next time you feel overwhelmed about what to do next, come back and go throught he five steps, and I guaranteed you'll eventually make progress in the right direction. 


Got any questions?

I do feel very passionately about this having gone through it myself, and having helped people see their way through situations like this, so hope this helped you.

If it did, or if you have questions, would love for you to post your comments below, and I’ll gladly answer them!

 

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