You've got a great idea, you've done the research, the time is right, but... you just can't seem to get started.
Sound familiar?
Don't worry, you're not alone.
Nearly every entrepreneur or small business owner I've worked with has had to overcome mental obstacles in order to enact change.
So, what can you do when you hit a road block? Here are some suggestions:
Hire a coach - ok, that one's a little self-serving (this is my blog, so I can!), but, honestly it's probably the simplest and quickest way to get around mental hurdles. Talk them through, have someone really, truly listen. Have that person ask you perceptive questions that help you dig deep into what's really holding you back. Work with them to create a plan to help you overcome the issue and move forward.
Read up - inform yourself on the issue. Sometimes the difficulty with going forward can simply be a fear of the unknown. Educating yourself about your options can help unstick you from paralysis.
Face the fear - the monster under the bed is a lot more frightening before you've had a good look at it. Once you've checked it out, it nearly always has fewer teeth and less scary claws than you imaged. The same goes for any thorny issue in business - quantify exactly what you're looking at and it will seem more manageable.
Assess risk - although some fear might be imaginary, most of it can be very real. Taking a big step to open your own business, or scale up comes with big risk too - financial, reputation, and even your sense of self can all be exposed. Investigate and quantify exactly what you're risking, then weigh it against the potential benefits. It should then be easier to decide which path to take, and which actions you can plan to mitigate for problems down the line.
Break it down - once you know what you're tackling, show it who's boss by getting organized and breaking it into bite-sized chunks (I'm still going with the monster theme here, monster-burger anyone?). One of the biggest stumbling blocks of all time is trying to do everything all at once.
Make a SMART plan - it's an oldy but goody: Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely goals will help you see a clear route from where you are now to where you want to be. Once the path is clear, it's much easier to start walking it.
I hope this gives you some insights and helps you get started! Reply in the comments if you have further ideas, I'd love to hear them.
