The start is the stop for most. That’s why I always recommend coaching, mentorship, and other products like this that will help entrepreneurs dive into action.
But why do we get stuck? How can we have so many great side hustle ideas and so little action behind it.
Enter Analysis Paralysis
Anyone who has started a business or side hustle has faced hundreds of questions of seemingly great magnitude. This is no different from teaching, where students pose a variety of questions every day that the teacher must respond to and hope for the best result.
Why do teachers struggle with analysis paralysis?
Because in a business, the only urgency is the urgency you create. There are not students sitting in front of you all day, every day, demanding your attention and forcing you to have solutions at hand. You have time.
Is more time bad?
Consider the following scenario: You need to make a logo. You have a limited budget and decide that you can spend 3 months on creating the perfect logo.
The first 2 months may be spent on just finding the cheapest logo-making options and picking the resource you’ll use. Then, you may find the one you pick has a steeper learning curve, so you need to dedicate another 2 months on learning how to use it. Following that, another month is spent on “testing” logos with your friends and family to see which one resonates more. Finally, 6 months in, you unveil the perfect logo.
Only to find out that nobody cared what your logo looked like.
The 3 months you allocated can easily change and go up because there is no urgency. This allows people (especially perfectionists) to get so lost in the process that the action never occurs or is severely delayed. Analysis Paralysis.
Consider this changed scenario: You need to make a logo. You have 3 potential customers sitting in your office who say they are ready to buy your product but only if your business has a logo.
In that scenario, could you go on paint, or word, or google docs, or some other resource and produce a quick logo sketch in an hour? Could that logo get you started?
If you want the sale, I bet you could get it done.
Curing the Paralysis
When starting a business or side hustle, everything feels important. It’s like you are entering a sacred position of ownership where all decisions go back to your name, your character, your legacy… It feels bigger!
That is the breeding ground for perfectionism and over-analysis.
There is also the fear that you will become too reckless. You don’t want to make too many quick, thoughtless decisions that run your side hustle in a circle and ultimately, to the ground.
How do you get over the analysis paralysis without becoming sloppy in business?
By understanding that you are on an upward trend on a timeline.
If you have ever looked at a successful stock on a chart, you will never see a straight line going up. You’ll see dips and ups and downs everywhere, that eventually lead to their current position.
Your business or side hustle should look like that as well. You didn’t make the perfect logo? Maybe it turned some people off, but it also got you started. You can enhance it as you move forward but at least you are moving forward.
The only decision that can ruin your business is the decision to not start because of fear of failure.
Any decision that leads to action will bring you success, or a lesson that brings you closer to it. By understanding that you are on a timeline and that there are no perfect straight line businesses, you can forgive your mistakes and leap into action, knowing that the important step is the start.
So what decision is puzzling you right now? What would happen if you picked your best choice and just BEGUN? Chances are, you will either be right, or you will find the right path more quickly. Let’s get started!
If you want an accelerated path to beating analysis paralysis, the EduCashIn course is just for you! Sign up today!