Start from where you are

When you go from employee to entrepreneur, it’s really easy to become overwhelmed with all you need to learn and do.

How to organize your office, what marketing tools to use, what to tell people about your services, how to set up your finances…it’s feels endless.

I have to tell you, that in many ways it is endless. As an entrepreneur you have entered into a contract with yourself that requires performance in many areas, beyond your professional expertise.

The good news is, the best place to start is exactly where you are, right now.

Lately I have had the chance to speak with some very high powered and successful entrepreneurs as part of the Entrepreneurs Unplugged telesummit. It has been really interesting to me that many of them have said similar things about feeling overwhelmed, and facing challenges.

The bottom line is that, there really is no single best way to do anything. What many of them have said is that what’s important is to go with your strengths, and to set yourself up for success. This means, if you’re struggling with all the marketing options and you like speaking, speak… use that as a key way to get your message out. If you don’t like talking on the phone, and you want to follow up with someone you met at an event, hook up with them on Facebook and send them a quick email. You get the idea.

The most important thing is to do something, and do it consistently. A mentor of mine told me that in her opinion, one of the main characteristics of a successful entrepreneur is tenacity (my husband laughed when I told him this, because he calls me the Terminator   so I choose to take this as a compliment).

So if you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t be so hard on yourself! Simplify your action plan, don’t think you have to do it all right now, and just get out there and take steps, consistently.