Becks Neale, Designer & Brand Consultant asks if you think of your business as a garden? – a space bespoke to you, that you can create exactly how you want it.
Plan & prepare the ground
First off you need to put pen to paper and draw out your ideal space – in words and in sketch form, so you have something tangible to refer to, authentic to you.
- What are your key values?
- Who is it for?
- How should it feel?
Then prepare the ground ready to sow your main idea.
This will likely include cutting back some ‘wild thorns’ and removing the ‘rocks and stones’ in the soil (caused by imposter syndrome).
You have the tools you need. You are enough. Your talents, skills and values are what make you and your purpose unique and attractive. Test your limits. Work to your strengths. Remember you also have specialists around you to help you when you need them, to support and guide you with what they do best, freeing up your time to do what you do best.
Sow one seed
There is always that temptation to plant all of your ideas – for maximum instant impact – but believe me, hold back! Pop the other ideas in seed packets to revisit later.
I had so many ideas and things I wanted to do when I first started out. Each idea felt really connected with each other so they initially made sense working on at the same time, but in reality each idea had completely different needs:
- audience
- ‘growing conditions’
- amounts of exposure ‘to sunlight’ (in the spotlight)
To successfully grow, each individual idea needs a lot of consistent attention and nurturing.
If you are growing lots of ideas all at once, your time and energy available for each one is diluted. The duplication of types of tasks is multiplied many times over as they each need something slightly different. For example identifying and learning the best platforms for reach and discovery. If you have very different audiences, what do they each need to know and hear? Think about your brand tone of voice, your ideal client’s interests, the types of information and follow up they need etc. Without ‘cloning’ yourself or developing a dedicated team to focus on each idea, you will likely end up completely overwhelmed and exhausted.
Remember, your other ideas are never lost or forgotten – you have a system in place to safely keep your new ideas as and when they appear, ready to inspire you. You can revisit your seed packets of ideas in the future once your main idea is tested, adapted, working, established and flourishing.
Focusing on one idea allows you to evolve and establish your brand over time. Keep working the ground. Don’t wait for ‘perfection’ to launch. Start sharing with others what you are creating early on; your vision of what you are working towards and why. Provide unique insights behind the scenes. It may inspire others to take action or even be the spark of something new.
For more information see www.becksneale.co.uk