No, I’m not talking about a funny, little bald-headed hunter who gets frustrated hunting wabbits. I am referring to another, more wascally FUD that can trip up the most talented solopreneur … if you aren’t alert.


F.U.D.

Fear

Uncertainty

Doubt


Usually, FUD is a sales and marketing (and politics) ploy to play on your emotions to get you to buy … and buy now! Some common FUD catchphrases are, “Buy now before it’s gone …”, “Get yours today before the price goes up …” or “Leading experts agree that if you don’t use product xx, you will not …”


Separate from making you aware of the common FUD tactics, today’s post is not about protecting yourself against sneaky salespeople and their wily ways.


There is a more sinister strain of FUD … the self-induced FUD that a struggling solopreneur can fall prey to.


How do you know when the FUD has a hold of you?


You start feeling frustrated more frequently. Desperation and fear set in. Instead of taking action, you stall … second-guessing your instincts. You become more and more uncertain about your business. You allow negativity to cloud your perceptions and beliefs about your business and your customers. You begin to doubt your actions. They start feeling like they are just a hopeless struggle.


If you don’t free yourself from the FUD, you give in … and then you give up.


How can you avoid this self-induced FUD of a struggling solopreneur? Here are the top 6 steps:

1. Start a business that is an extension of you.
Do what you love, right? Yes, … and do what you’re good at, and have experience doing, and helps you achieve your financial and personal goals. The more excited you are about your business, the more emotional fortitude and justifiable optimism you will have for dealing with the unavoidable struggles and frustrations associated with any small business. When you hit an obstacle, do you see the opportunity or a reason to give up?


2. Have a clear vision.
Who are you? What is it that you do? Who benefits the most from what you do? What is it about your service that beats the competition? Know who you are. Know what you do well. Stick to it.


3. Set goals.
If the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, the quickest way to get from Point A to Point B is to have clearly defined goals that are in line with your vision and that you are committed to accomplishing by a specific date. This method clears the clutter of offers, options, wayward opportunities and other daily distractions that can tempt you to wander off course.


4. Get organized.
The only disorganized, successful entrepreneurs I know have a talented team of organized people to develop and manage a support structure for them. However, you are a solopreneur, and there is no team in solopreneur. Disorganization leads to distraction. Distraction leads to wasted time. Wasted time leads to a loss of focus and a declining business. A declining business leads to FUD.


5. Create systems.
Businesses big and small run more efficiently when they have systems in place. Henry Ford mastered the concept of the assembly line for mass production of automobiles. You are a solo manufacturing facility. Creating systems for marketing, responding to prospects and customers, fulfilling orders and providing customer service will allow you to increase your throughput while minimizing the possibility of derailing important details.


6. Be patient.
One quality that sets successful people apart from struggling wannabes is the ability to make the difficult appear simple. This takes time. Typically, businesses don’t boom overnight. And for those that are on a meteoric rise, is this the first attempt?


Don’t set yourself up for failure and by believing you will be stashing away stacks of cash in a short period of time. If you do, great! Congratulations. However, this isn’t the norm, so don’t plan for it. If you were to get insight into the story behind some of your industry’s successful leaders, you would see they invested long, hard hours, months, and years before they saw any kind of return.


If you feel the FUD moving in and need some help getting it under control, send me the distress signal by writing to thesologuide@gmail.com.


All the Best,


Doug Dolan
The Solopreneur’s Guide
Small Biz Break

“There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction” – John F Kennedy

All solopreneurs experience times when the self-motivation motor isn’t turning over. You get up in the morning and the mind is a little hazier than usual. Your goals for the day are waiting in line behind your need for a cup of coffee, chatting with friends, answering a few emails, completing a couple of personal attentions needs – even re-organizing your closet seems like a more welcoming task than getting down to business.

So you make one last attempt by looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, “I am an entrepreneur of action”. And yet sometimes still no spark has been lit.

You are a rechargeable battery. Action is the positive terminal, inaction the negative. If you hook up the negative terminal of a battery to the positive, the electrons from the negative terminal flow quick as they can to the positive terminal and wear down the battery in a flash.

So what are some steps that you can take to kick in the positive charge of action?

Here are 9 easy action igniters:

1. Envision your results from inaction.

Most people don’t take action because they perceive the positive results from procrastination. Turn the tables. Enact a paradigm shift. Visualize all the negative results that come from inaction. If not, you’ll soon find that you’ve lost a week’s worth of productivity waiting for the right time to take action. The right time is right now.

2. Have a work-first-play-later attitude.

Don’t use up all of your energy on playing. It makes it far too easy to procrastinate. Put your energy to good use getting your daily goals done. You can set up other days for play. If today is a work day, get to work.

3. Don’t be afraid of failure.

Fear of failure is one of the deadliest delay makers. Although we don’t hope for failure, welcome the lessons learned from it. Some of the greatest achievements come only after failing first. If you welcome failure (if it comes), you won’t hold back from going for it.

4. Prioritize your day from difficult to easy.

Tackle the toughest tasks first when you have the most energy. Carrying around the psychological burden of tough, daunting tasks will only further drain your energy and lessen your effectiveness throughout the day.

5. Go with your flow.

If your creative juices are flowing for, let’s say, writing copy – write copy. Don’t frustrate your energy by trying to force it to focus elsewhere. However, keep a check on tasks that you may be avoiding. If you repeatedly put off a necessary task, quickly make the decision to just get it done or outsource it to someone who will.

6. Take small steps.

Break down big tasks and goals into smaller loads. Create a list. As you complete each task, check it off. You gain an instant gratification from seeing your tasks completed. Let this momentum carry your forward to tackle the next bite-sized piece of business.

7. Create a reward system for yourself.

Sometimes the best reward is a sense of accomplishment. Award yourself with a proverbial “gold star” or some other comforting compensation.

8. Set up appropriate breaks.

Sometimes the best reward is taking a break. Gauge your energy for the day – are you feeling like a sprinter or a marathon runner. Set up breaks at appropriate intervals based upon your energy for the day.

9. Set a count-down clock.

Have a count-down clock timed to the completion of a goal. Seeing the time ticking down can be a great visual reminder that you better get down to business before you miss out on the rewards at the completion of a goal.

These next two aren’t actions – they are necessities.

Stay healthy.

Stick with the metaphor of you as a rechargeable battery – the better your health, the bigger and better the charge of the battery. Getting enough rest, exercising regularly, and watching your diet are the best ways to keeping your battery charged.

Build a business around your passions.

When I am passionate about something, my energy is up and I get tunnel vision. I can’t wait to get down to work. Inaction isn’t even an option. Ever try to sleep the night before a big event? Passion is one of the best stimulants for action.

Beware – both action and inaction create their own perpetual motion.

So which will you choose – another wasted day or sparking up some action to getting on with completing your goals?

All The Best,

Doug Dolan
The Solopreneur’s Guide