The problem with entrepreneurial problems is that you CAN’T solve them. I have personally sat with thousands of entrepreneurs and they ALL have the same problems – marketing, sales, cash flow, recruitment, technology, systems, standing out, achieving growth, etc.
The only difference is that the scale of the problems changes. A small business might be looking to hire a sales person, a bigger business might need to hire a whole sales team. A small business might need to get £25K overdraft, a bigger business might need £250K but it’s the same problem.
As you solve entrepreneurial problems, they are almost immediately replaced with another problem but at a bigger scale.
The difference between successful entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs is the size of the problems they are facing – NOT the nature of the problems. Conversely, if you scale back you’ll experience the exact same problem at a smaller scale. You won’t solve the problems; you’ll just find yourself solving problems that aren’t very inspiring.
By trying to solve problems, you set yourself up for anxiety, frustration and disappointment because you’re expecting to reach a point where no more problems exist. It would be like a footballer setting a goal to run onto the field and have no opponent; the nature of the game is that as you get better, the opponents get stronger not weaker.
The paradigm shift is to focus on bigger problems. Rather than trying to minimise problems or solve problems, successful entrepreneurs simply choose to solve more meaningful problems at a bigger scale. They go looking for a bigger problem that lots of people face.
They try to solve the problem in a bigger more powerful way. They go out to raise larger sums of money. They develop technology that’s more robust. They hire people who are big thinkers and doers to be on their team.
Consider the entrepreneurs you admire most – My bet is that if you look closely you’d discover they have much bigger problems than you. They focus on solving huge issues in a transformational way with high-end people and technology that aren’t easy to find, develop or work with.
Rather than hoping to solve problems – start focusing on how you can take on bigger problems that will grow and expand as you do. Develop an expectation that for the rest of your life, you’ll be facing bigger and bigger problems.
Also expect that you are up for it – your shoulders are broad, your wits are sharp, surrounded by resources, you are alive at the most amazing time in history – you’ve got this!
Sound interesting? If yes, consider coming along to our Influence and Assets event in March, where we’ll be sharing the methodologies you need to develop and formalise to build an ecosystem of digital assets that will scale, add value and create stability along with how you can develop a personal brand for you and your team to become influencers in your industry.
