2 Ways To Create An Action First Culture In Startups
Published
My favorite type of entrepreneur is the action man/woman.
Do you remember the action man toy when you were a kid? I loved that toy.
Why?
He just got things done!
I have met many entrepreneurs who are clever, ambitious and are doing it for all the right reasons.
Great start! Then I ask what have you tested? Tried? Where have you failed?
50% of the time I receive the following answers:
- We haven’t failed at anything.
- I am still not 100% sure I want to try that
- We set objectives 12 months ago so we are sticking to it
- I still have lots of ideas, I am not sure which one to pursue
All of these answers lead to one thing – inaction!
Inaction is the worse disease infesting the startup world and entrepreneurs in general. It is usually found in highly ambitious people who like to take every opportunity that comes their way.
This is no good. Eventually, when you do not take action you business will dry up. The state you are in today is a by-product of actions taken in the past.
Therefore, if you want growth tomorrow – what will you do today?
Just to be clear, having meetings and talking to mentor’s is not an action. An action is what you do in response to these things.
Let’s look at 3 ways to create an action first environment in your business.
1. Just Say No!
I was guilty of this one for many years. When you are ambitious, hungry and excited (there is nothing wrong with that), you tend to always look for the next NEW thing.
However, research shows that it takes 7 years to create a successful startup. So if your startup is related to a productivity SAAS, I hope it is something you like doing.
If not, you will always be looking for the next thing.
The thing is, when you are looking eventually you will meet someone who offers you something you like. Now you have 2 businesses – which one gets your focus?
Have you ever heard the saying “if you chase 2 rabbits you will catch none!”?
Well technically, you can catch two rabbits with today’s tech but you cannot RUN two startups.
“But Kevin, Elon Musk runs Tesla and SpaceX doesn’t he? How come he can do it?”
First of all, stop comparing yourself to other people – you are not him.
Secondly, he is LEADING these companies with well-developed management teams and resources that are beyond belief.
Before you get to his stage, you need to put in the work yourself.
You cannot put 100% focus in 2 businesses!
2. Do Not Let Your Emotions Control Your Ability To Take Action
It is easy to tell ourselves that we will do that; we are going to complete that tomorrow. But we end up forgetting.
Or worse, we remember but put it off again anyway.
According to Peter Voogd – Author of 6 months to 6 figures – In that very moment, we are damaging our own confidence because we are not doing what we say we are going to do.
It is important to understand that successful entrepreneurs take action first regardless of their emotional state.
For example, a friend of mine will wake up every morning, workout and write 3000 words.
EVERY MORNING!
Why does he do this? There are a few reasons:
- He said he would, so he does. Confidence increases as a result.
- He owns a blog, 3000 words x 365 days in a year is enough content to last a very long time.
- It is a great start to his day.
Think about that for a second. Some mornings, he will be low on energy, sad or angry. But that does not stop him from doing what needs to be done.
In your business, define your mandatory actions and do them NO MATTER WHAT. You will find that your business has become a productivity powerhouse.
A question I always ask myself is,
am I drunk off inspiration and ideas but starving for action?
Ideas and inspiration is step 1. Step 2 is about learning from the things you implement and repeating this process until you find a winner.
