The Ambitious Entrepreneur’s Cure to Shiny Object Syndrome

Do you have entrepreneurial "shiny object syndrome"? Do you chase ideas, pivot your business, and fall down rabbit holes whenever you come across a new intriguing business concept? Have you seen this slow your business growth? Today, I want to give you a thought framework for filtering out the noise and focusing on what's best for YOUR business (no one else's).

The Problem That Visionary CEOs Face

The very thing that sets you up to be a successful entrepreneur is the same thing that can cause you to sabotage your own journey. It's that beautiful, creative, ambitious mind of yours.

You have dreams and ideas. You want to solve problems and create change. You love to learn and find inspiration everywhere you turn. You follow people you admire and who challenge your mind.

But sometimes, that means you can get really, REALLY side-tracked. We call this: shiny object syndrome.

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Early in my business, I wore my self-proclaimed title of "Pivot Queen" as a badge of honor. After more than three years of doing fun things, BUT making shockingly little progress toward my long-term goals, I realized how much my affinity for chasing the next big idea was destroying my dream.

The reality is that it's difficult to stay focused as an entrepreneur. You're paving a new way, whether it's just for yourself or for your whole industry - that's why you're here! This means that, to some extent, you'll always be piecing together a hodgepodge collection of tactics to shape your business.

But it's CRITICAL that you learn how to do this in a way that is intentional and aligned with YOUR vision. When you adopt other people's ideologies without a proper filter in place, you start shaping THEIR dream, not yours.

The secret to making sure you're aligned with your own vision is to always ask WHY.

How to filter business advice from others

Whenever you come across a new idea or strategy that someone's presenting to you, dig into why they might be talking about this.

Is it because it happened to work for them in their own circumstances?
Is it because they've seen it work for their clients across several industries?
Is it because it sounds good and will sell well?

Take it even further. If they're telling you something and it's because it worked for them in their own business, why did it work for them?

Was it because of the type of product that they sell?
Was it because of the resources they had at their disposal to make it work?
Was it because something was trending at the time?

The reasons and qualifications behind someone else's advice are extremely important! And the beauty of this line of questioning is that you may find that something is helpful for you even if it doesn't meet the "traditional" criteria of good advice. Your awareness of the truth will help you adapt as needed.

How to filter which ideas to take action on

If you're thinking about doing something in your own business, why? What compels you to give this a try? How is it a step in the right direction toward your long-term goals?

Is it because it's better aligned with your vision for a future business model?
Is it because this product idea would meet a unique need in your market?
Or is it because you're hoping it'll be your big break because a big name said it's a huge money-making strategy?

You need to be able, to be honest with yourself about your motivations and reasons behind your business decisions. By the same token, you need to be knowledgeable enough about your business to weigh potential outcomes.

If you're feeling like you're making arbitrary decisions and just crossing your fingers that it'll work out, you're probably chasing a little more of what you think you "should" do versus what's actually best for your business based on data and reality.

How to identify why you aren’t taking action

We've discussed a lot about chasing certain ideas and strategies for your business, but what about the things that you're avoiding?

Perhaps you've decided that Instagram Stories aren't for you. Or that you're happy as a solopreneur and you have no desire to hire a team. Or maybe you're thinking that you'll never do 1:1 coaching calls, you only plan to sell digital products.

You get the drill by now: Why?

Is it because you know that this strategy wouldn't communicate and connect with your ideal audience?
Is it because when you think about what your life as an entrepreneur looks like in 10 years, it doesn't include that business model?
Or is it because you have fears, anxieties, and disbelief holding you back?

Choosing NOT to do something is still a CEO-level business decision, and I want you to be extremely honest with yourself about what's keeping you from pursuing certain paths.

It could be 100% valid that a certain strategy, platform, type of offer, business model, etc aren't aligned with your vision. I'm not trying to erase that by asking you if it's fear instead. I do, however, want you to be sure that you don't regret not taking action because you "reasoned" yourself out of something that actually could have changed your life.

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Next Steps: Cure Your Shiny Object Syndrome

I wrote all of this on shiny object syndrome with the goal of challenging your thinking. I want you to click away from this article with a new perspective on outside content, ideas, and strategies. I don't want you to adopt a new system just because so-and-so with the cool branding told you to. Remember, this is YOUR business. YOU know what it's supposed to be, and only YOU can know what's right for it.

There may be great leaders and wise experts who can guide and mentor you along the way. They may share suggestions, advice, or even teach you specific strategies to help you succeed. But at the end of the day, HOW you receive these influences is on you. What you do with that information is what makes you the CEO of your business.

Start by looking at one aspect of your business today. What is one thing that you are doing or trying or are considering right now? Start drilling into the WHY behind it, and let me know in the comments below what you uncovered in the process.

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