So many times I hear of people who wish to make a few extra bucks to help out but are totally stumped as to what to do.

Talking to some of these intelligent people raises more questions for them than answers but in inquiring further, I always find that they have some fantastic ideas and yet fail to grasp the business nous to take their idea into the real world and make their dream a reality.

So why is it that you have the idea, have a bit of time to devote to the project, most of us even have a little bit of pocket money to spend on it (even if it is just a few dollars) and all have the intellect to carry it through but so many fail to start? Thinking and procrastination usually account for most ideas sitting on the shelf. The rest fall by the wayside due to a basic lack of understanding that there are two parts (thinking and doing) to taking the idea through to a done… well three actually! There are three personalities you will have to stroke to get this idea up and rolling

The personalities are

Entrepreneurial

Technical

Management

To get your idea off the ground and into the real world you have to become each one of these parts. They are separate identities, hats if you like, that you will have to learn and live to make your idea a success.

In the book “The E Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber, he defines these parts in each of us as;

The Entrepreneurial personality turns the most trivial condition into an exceptional opportunity. The Entrepreneur is the visionary in us. The dreamer. The energy behind every human activity. The imagination that sparks the fire of the future. The catalyst for change.

The Manager personality is pragmatic. Without the Manager there would be no planning, no order, no predictability. The Manager is that part of us that goes to Sears and buys stacking plastic boxes, takes them back to the garage, and systematically stores all the various sized nuts, bolts and screws in their own carefully identified drawer.

The Technician is the doer.

“If you want a job done right, do it yourself” is the Technicians credo.

The Technician loves to tinker. Things are to be taken apart and put back to together again. Things aren’t supposed to be dreamed about, they are supposed to be done.

The Entrepreneur lives in the future

The Manager lives in the past

The Technician lives in the present.

I thoroughly recommend grabbing that book and having a good read. If you followed the information in that book, you would be well on your way to being a complete success.

So back to us

We are these three personalities to a greater or lesser degree. It’s when we mold these personalities into a package, that we start down the track of being successful. We need each of them to do their job and we, as each of these personalities, needs to recognize when and where each personality is needed and wanted.

With that sorted, we can be the Entrepreneur and push the boundaries of our dreams and follow them through to the concept that is going to make you those few extra dollars.

You can then become the Technician and take the nuts and bolts of the idea and create that dream in the real world. Make it a reality.

You can become that Manager and organize the project. Do the business.

Now let’s take a look at the idea. Do you have no idea what your idea is? All you know is that you wish to earn these few extra bucks which will make the difference between Struggle Street and comfort, the difference between pain and ease.

I would suggest a brainstorming session with you, the Entrepreneur and a big sheet of paper. Write down your hobbies, ideas, things you like to do, dreams, thoughts, items you have seen, items you wish you had seen, anything and everything. Just really go to town in the ideas department. (Make sure the Manager and the Technician are on the other side of a locked door) Create a picture of life in the 23rd Century with everyone using your ideas. Anything to stir up the pot of dreams, visions and masterpieces.

Now, maybe let the Technician in for a few minutes. Let The Technician peruse the big piece of paper with all the ideas. After all, it’s going to be the Technician that is going to do the work. The Entrepreneur just makes up the ideas; it’s the Technician that will put this into the real world.

Once you two have come to some sort of agreement, let the Manager in. The Manager is going to organize the deal. He is going to put a structure around this project.

Now if you are cringing at any point that a personality is let into the room, maybe it just means you need to get hatted up on what to do as one of these great guys! You see, they are apart of us to a greater or lesser degree, but they are there. You just have to find them and usually looking behind a few closed doors will bring them out in the open and you can concentrate on the transition from pain to pleasure, from struggle to easy

In today’s world there is enough information out there to fill an internet of encyclopedias about any given subject, so finding out what you don’t know is very easy. It’s the application that you have to get into some sort of focus. That’s where you need the Manager in you, to kick the Technician along.

Can I just please ask you to get over yourself and forget about saying, “oh I could never do that” or “I want to but I don’t have the skills”

That is pure baloney. It’s a step by step process not a leap into the unknown as such. Take the first step and then take the next one. Sure each step might be into the dark, but as you open a door from a lighted room into a darkened room, some of the light follows you in, and the shadows become clearer. That’s what each step is. It’s a step from the light into a shadow and as our eyes adjust, so our knowledge increases and our confidence grows.

Oprah Winfrey is quoted as saying “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” I can’t stress this enough. You will make any luck you want by preparation and observing your opportunities. Let the Entrepreneur, Manager and Technician in you, get prepared and take steps forward.

There is another personality that may be raising its head, The Procrastinator. Along with his mate, the Fear Factor, these two can reap havoc on good solid ideas. This is another reason why preparation is important. Taking steps forward entails learning as you go though. Becoming successful requires doing as well as finding the big ideas.

Another important fact in this is you don’t need it to be perfect before you start. No business ever is. Just get on with it. Perfection can be something to aim for, sure, but to get there you have to take the steps, do the yards. Don’t sit around waiting for perfection to be there before you start. Someone will pick up on your idea and by the time you think you have it perfect, they will be out there doing it and another opportunity of yours has gone by the by, or worse, gone to someone else who is doing something about it!!!!

Until Next Week

Cheers… Bill

Bill Gray

Bill is a Business Coach. Working with Individuals, Businesses and Organisations to create better environments and to develop and enhance business ”potential”, into successful business practices.

Sydney, Australia

Ph +61 413 949 521

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