Shut Up! and do something

Ideas are a dime a dozen. We have all sat down at a coffee shop or a pub and gabbed with our buddies about how we could change this or invent that. We have told our friends and coworkers about how our new business ideas could make millions. Well, we all need this advice: SHUP UP! and do something.

An entrepreneur is within everyone. The only thing that separates us is the actions we have taken and the ones we will take.  I have coached many people who decided to take action and put their ideas to the next level. They decided it was time to shut up and do something.

One of the first questions that come up is, “Where do I start?” It is very simple, actually. You start with a pen and a piece of paper. Whether I am working with someone starting up their new business or changing their current one, it starts here. Eventually this piece of paper will be completely renovated and converted into a solid business plan with executables and goals.

It doesn’t matter what format your paper turns out be. You can write out bullet points, a detailed outline or a ten page exposition. All that matters is that you put your idea(s) on paper. This act will clarify your thoughts, present areas that require more thought, and solidifies the concepts you have created. It will also prove to be a motivational experience that will spring board you forward to making something happen. So now the advice is: Sit Down and Write Something.

Many people often stop here. It is sad how many million dollar napkins have been thrown away, or e-mails to a business partner that have been trashed because of self-doubt. The next “something” that you need to do is get your ideas in front of successful people - especially successful entrepreneurs. There are plenty of people in this world that are willing to give you business advice but the issue is most of them are ‘chicken littles’.

AVOID CHICKEN LITTLES. Who are they?  Your friends in cubicles who whine and complain, always blaming others for their lack of success. These associates will do you no good. Find positive, successful people who will think critically and work with your ideas to create something that is valuable. The chicken littles will always try to pull you into the pity party that holds them where they are. Again, AVOID CHICKEN LITTLES and find the positive forces in your life.

There is a tendency to be wary of sharing ideas because someone might steal them. This has happened in the past and will happen in the future. The real truth is that very few businesses have been successful without the mentorship of other business oriented people. The great thing about business is the value created in collaboration. So Get Up and Get Advice.

Eventually you will come to a point of critical mass. The make or break point where you realize there isn’t any more planning to be done but only a trigger to be pulled. This is the time when the choice is made to make the idea that turned into a plan actually turn into something that creates value: a business. The clichés are endless; Hope for the best, plan for the worst; Plan for your actions so you can avoid reactions, and on and on. These may be helpful to some but to me there is one piece of advice that gets me where I need to be; Just Shut Up and Do Something!

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