People often ask me “What is the first thing I should do?”
That depends on an awful lot of things, of course. Is this a business idea or is it an existing business you want to boost forward?
The real answer is that there IS no one thing to do next. Whatever your situation there are probably ten things that need to be done. What I do in any given case though is fairly simple.
I get alone and in an environment where I can think without distraction.
Create your Mission Plan
My goal is to create a one page document that has two parts.
The first is your “Mission Plan.”
Write out a short (keep it on one page if you can) description of the business I want to start or supercharge. This is an internal document for your use only so cut out all of the bull and speak from the heart. Put sown what you really hope to have at the end of a year, maybe more.
Once you have finished it is time to figure out what skills you need to perfect to attain your goal. I’m not talking about the minutiae. I’m talking more big picture. The basic building block skills you need to to get where you want to go. Try to keep it down to five. I call it “The Top Five Skill Set” list.
In later posts I will help you brainstorm what those might be and what you can do ab out. Sometimes they are things you can and should learn, sometimes they are things you should probably farm out to others. Assuming you are a solopreneur like me, it will likely be more of the former than the later.
If you want a “to do” from this post go and schedule some time by yourself and start creating your one page “Mission Plan.” Remember, this is as relevant to the goals of an existing business as it is to a new enterprise.
TIP: I use a tool called Evernote. It has a very easy learning curve and is perfect for this sort of exercise. There is a free version available at that link and there are versions for your phone and iPad too.
