You have a brilliant business idea that once you make it work will get you out of your 9-5, up your household income and change your family’s life for the better.
The problem is, you’re stuck procrastinating about what you should or shouldn’t be doing next with your idea, in what order and how you actually ‘become a business owner‘, you never seem to get a move on. Combine this confusion with juggling a job, kids and balancing all the other life commitments that are right in front of you there’s never seems to be time to sit down and focus on building your business.
What if I could show you there was a way to pursue your dreams of launching your own business, even with all the busyness of life? And prove to you that the reason you’re stuck in idea paralysis is actually down to procrastination, not your life stuff?
Hear me out.
You’ll find out how to get past the thinking stage and learn some simple actions you can follow to finally get the ball rolling on your brilliant business idea.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of putting something off for no good reason. I can hear you saying your children and a paid job are very good reasons to put something off and of course, I completely agree. But let me explain.
If your bringing your brilliant business idea to life ultimately improves your life, then the work you need to put in to launch it deserves to be a priority alongside side all your life stuff.
So if you are failing to make it a priority you might be procrastinating about getting started and using everything else as an excuse.
Why You’re Procrastinating About Starting Your Business
Here are some reasons you might be unknowingly sabotaging your abilities to start your business:
Time
‘Rome wasn’t built in a day‘ and neither is launching and growing a business (despite what the Instagrammers tell us). Getting to the launch stage involves following a series of steps that take time to achieve. And if you have family, a full-time job and other commitments you’re going to need even more time.
That’s OK. Accept that it is going to take time and that the process you need to go through is the one every other successful business owner has gone through.
Fear
Starting a business is scary: What if it fails? What if I can’t make sales? How does all the tech work? What does all the jargon mean?
Fear of failure can stop us from moving forward to achieve our goals and sabotage our ongoing efforts leading to us making excuses.
Boredom
Not everything we do excites us – some people love to iron but I don’t, others love to read books but some prefer a podcast. It’s the same in business.
As you work your way through the series of steps you need to take to get to the launch phase, you will come across actions you need to take that don’t excite, like business tax or mailing lists and funnels meaning you find excuses that prevent you from getting on with them.
Confusion
There are a lot of steps to take when you start a business and it’s confusing to know which ones to take first. The result is procrastination – spending hours wondering what to do first, worrying that you have started in the wrong place and jumping around starting tasks that you never finish.
How to Stop Procrastinating & Launch Your Online Business
The reality is that every business owner procrastinates but the successful ones recognise when they are doing it and does something about it:
Acceptance
Accept that everyone procrastinates at some point and that’s ok. You can be the most organised person in the world but you can still be hit with procrastination. But the first step is accepting that you’re doing it and there’s nothing wrong with it either, that way you can work out what you need to do to get over it otherwise it will delay launching your business.
Take a Break
If you’re tired after a busy day at work or running around after the kids then you won’t be working effectively and you ability to make decisions will inevitably be impaired.
Stop, take a break and come back to business building when you feel fresh so you can think clearly about the task in hand instead of staring at your screen. After all, it’s your own business and you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck keeping you chained to the desk.
Make a Plan
Launching a business involves working through a series of steps that take you from idea to reality. To avoid procrastinating, getting stuck or jumping from one thing to another, you’ll need a plan which lists out all the things you need to do to get you to the launch stage.
Invest time in making a plan as early as you can that way you’ll know exactly what you need to do and you won’t get distracted.
Create a Task List
Use your launch plan to create a list of tasks that you need to complete. Treat your biggest tasks as projects and break them down into small actionable steps:
- Open Business Bank Accounts
- Set up a mailing list
- Create lead magnet
- Branding (logo, colour palette, font etc)
This way you’ll have specific actionable tasks that you can tick off one by one, avoiding any confusion about what you need to be doing. You’ll also be able to estimate the time each one takes helping you to manage your time better and plan when you can do things according to the free time you have.
Mix Things Up
Flip-flop between things you enjoy and things you don’t: hard/easy, boring/exciting, time-consuming/quick. Or work in different places, like a coffee shop or in a shared workspace. Change is as good as a rest and it will help to keep you motivated to finish your launch tasks.
Remember to always complete the task you start wherever possible so you don’t end up spinning too many plates and back procrastinating.
Set Time Limits and Deadlines
Give yourself set (and realistic) chunks of time aside to complete particular tasks and give yourself a virtual pat on the back for meeting your deadline or a reward. Job satisfaction matters even when we work for ourselves and it makes things a bit more fun.
Be Consistent
Consistency is one of the least talked about parts of being a business owner but it’s the secret sauce to success. Showing up consistently to build your business, even if you have limited time, is what will keep your business momentum going and avoid the procrastination that arises when you’ve been away for a long time and need to get organised again.
Hire Help
Businesses employ people to undertake tasks. There isn’t a CEO at the top of a large business sitting there doing the marketing, bookkeeping and web design. And it’s no different in a micro business.
There’s always going to be something you aren’t good at.
If you are sure what business structure to use, use an accountant. If you’re struggling to design your logo, hire a graphic designer. If you are confused about the steps your need to follow to launch your business, then take my Business Launch Course which is inside my membership.
By hiring help you’ll beat the procrastination caused by doing something you dislike, aren’t good at or need more guidance on. It’ll also save you hours of messing around and get you to launch even quicker.
Enjoy the Journey
Bringing your business idea to life should be fun and, although there will be ups and downs, overall you should enjoy the journey you’re on.
Don’t forget that everyone procrastinates at some point, it doesn’t make you any less capable than any other successful business owner. The key is to recognise that you are doing it and use the actions here to stop so you can launch your business.