How to be Your Own Super Hero

 

• Trying every thing that works, doesn`t work. In business, that is. Every business is different. Thinking about the unique needs of your business will give you a deeper insight on the best course of action, rather than trying something because it worked for someone else.
• The Calvary ain`t coming– Having a take charge attitude and taking stock of your assets will make your ingenuity and creativity shine. This has been my motto for years, specially the years when I was alone, teaching myself the ropes of my online business. No one held my hand. I researched day and night, read page upon page of information. Then made my decision. Chris Gardner said those words, here.
• Try on all the shoes before making the purchase. This is the best analogy I can give you. Take your time and tell the sales person to take a hike. Notice I said try, not buy. To try represents to contemplate a possibility or course of action, not implement it and quickly dump the idea when it doesn`t work. I always say, live with the decision for 24 hours as if you were going to do it, then ask yourself in the morning, does it feel right? By the next day you should have a clear answer on what is your next course of action.
• Learn it yourself. Empowering yourself with knowledge is always the best route. I play this video game where learning for yourself makes you more skillful and successful at the game. I have always applied this practice in my business and the results are always on my side.
• Don`t jump from the frying pan into the oven! Ok I am not really sure if that is how that saying goes. I have a client who has a fantastic blog but needed to shift focus and efforts to her online store. Using her blog as a marketing tool was my advice. Someone else in the social media field gave her not so good advice, which would have meant redirecting my client`s marketing efforts to make it seem as if a fictional character that was “blogging” for her. Ummm- NO! This didn`t work for T.J. Maxx and it wouldn`t have worked for her. The credibility of her company would have suffered. So has T.J. Maxx’s CREDIBILITY for fabricating a fashion blogger. I have been working in Social Media since it was called Web 2.0 and I know this is a bad idea. But the other expert had a degree. Degree and experience together are worth more than the “degree” alone.
• Never pick the lesser of two evils. EVER! That is just code for settle for what is available. Being over-picky is not good either. But if you know that the choices offered are wrong, then it doesn`t make sense to make a choice, because whatever choice you make will always be wrong. It wastes time, assets and keeps you from making the decision that will give your business momentum. Which brings me to my next point…
• Analysis Paralysis– UGH! Who doesn`t do this? This is just a fancy term for stagnation due to over-thinking or over-researching. It is to avoid making a decision because you are continually over researching the subject to see what works, what doesn`t, what others are doing, and how it is done or not done. Now, don`t get me wrong. Researching has its place and will equal to my ‘trying on shoes’ point above. Analysis paralysis equals to buying a pair of shoes after trying all of the shoes at the store, but then noticing a whole wall of shoes that you just ‘need to see and try’. You don`t need to see and try  them if you already bought a pair. Why waste time? Unless you picked the ‘lesser of two evils’, like in my point above, then return them and buy another pair.

With all the information we are bombarded with on a daily basis, it is easy to fall prey to analysis paralysis or taking the wrong advice because someone who seems qualified.  There is nothing wrong with taking your time when making a decision, but wasting time also wastes money. Have confidence that you have the skills and know how to do what it takes to make your business succeed.