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After helping hundreds of people get past their fear of launching that new business, product, project, or new program area, the consistent theme I’ve witnessed is the fear of taking the wrong first step. Some people respond to this anxiety by getting stuck in thought loops and never putting anything on paper. Some respond by coming up with elaborate plans they keep modifying. Some allow themselves to make writing the business or strategic plan the goal and get stuck there. Some attend every class and do everything but launch their idea into the world. Whatever the response, the outcome is the same for those who don’t garner the courage to act definitively and intentionally and birth their ambitions: the problem they were called to solve for the people they were intended to support, goes unmet.
Undergirding this fear is the frightening prospect that they may set their dream up on shaky ground. What if I get it wrong? What if I mess up? I have kids and people relying on me; I cannot afford to make mistakes. The number of times I have heard some form of this, especially from aspiring Black and Brown entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders, speaks to the unrealistic expectations that we as BIPOC individuals place on ourselves. We often feel like we must get everything correct the first time. Like we don’t get to f#$* up. But the reality is that making a decision and truly acting on your vision is not only honored by the Universe but is sound business sense. More on this in later posts.
Today, I want to help ease your concerns with launching. I could tell you to get over the white supremacist norms that make us feel like we must be perfect in order to exist or dream in a world that measures success in productivity over wholeness. I could. But I’m a strategist, and I know that knowing a thing doesn’t always dictate that you can change your reaction to that thing in a timely fashion. And we want you unstuck. So instead, I want to provide you with some steps that can increase your confidence in launching.
1. Strategy Over Planning!
What do I mean by strategy over planning and why? So glad you asked. Strategy is an agile response that is both proactive and reactive to evolving circumstances that allow you to remain true to your core. Planning is a finite step-by-step action outline. Both are important. If done correctly you will have an overarching strategy and smaller subsequent plans to enact each piece of that strategy. The reason why we begin with strategy over planning is because the vision that you have doesn’t become clearer until you start doing it. Strategy is like identity, when we know it, we move in confidence. Planning is like the outfit that we put on to better convey our identity. A well-suited outfit doesn’t proceed the person. Generating your org’s strategy allows you to create your org’s identity.
So, the question becomes how do I figure out my org’s strategy and in turn my org’s identity? That leads me to number two.
2. Ask Yourself Disruptive Questions and Document the Answers to Guide Your Steps!
At Ewulomi Works, disruptive questions are those inquiries that go to the heart of an issue and have the potential to propel you forward. Our Big 3 are (1) Who are you dedicated to supporting with your product or service, (2) Why do you want to help them, and (3) Why are you uniquely situated or qualified to help the people you feel called to? Make sure these answers are written down and printed in a place that you can easily revisit. There are so many more disruptive questions that we go through with our clients (schedule your initial discovery call here), but those three are the first that must be answered. If they cannot be answered with specificity, then you need to keep digging or pivot. If you can answer them or need help, then the next step is….
I know you’re like did sis just tee us up to come to her org’s event…yes, yes I did. But stay with me for bit. If you are reading this far, and you asked yourself the Big 3 and either wondered “How do I get more specific,” “How do I know if I’m specific enough,” or “I was specific enough and I don’t know where to go from here,” then making sure that you get those questions answered in a way that is specific to your situation…I kind of have to point you to the class. I mean we believe in quality over here. With so many internet coach scams, I trust an Ewulomi Works’s class any day.
We not only go over the Big 3, we walk through the 1-Page Business Plan, which is really a 1-page business strategy. You not only learn about it, but you get to apply your knowledge and complete it for your business or organization idea. On top of that, you get expert feedback from myself and your peers. It’s a safe place to put your idea out there and get guidance on the next steps. Hopefully, you will leave more confident and be prepared to act. It also gives you the opportunity to see if business coaching is right for you and if our methods gel with your learning and business style.
Seems like a win-win to me. You walk away with a tangible deliverable (your business strategy in one page) and you get to learn about how to make your vision a reality.
So….See you Today, May 31st at 6pm ET/5pm CT/ 3pm PT&MT!!!???!!!
Can’t make it to the 31st? Join our System-breaking, Disruptive Eworks fam by subscribing If not, get it together and subscribe below. It's not too late.
Until next time, (2 weeks from now), we will continue to disrupt norms that marginalize our people and create new policies and practices that increase the quality of life for the human village.