Listen to the Bite-Sized Version Here on the BizBites Podcast:
As entrepreneurs, we are constantly looking for new and different ways to collaborate and promote ourselves. For the most part, this is a good thing. A lot of the times, it’s about trial and error –throwing that pasta to the wall and seeing what sticks. However sometimes we tend to spread ourselves too thin by saying yes to almost anything and everything. Myself included.
I’m so guilty of this, I should be convicted of a FOMO (fear of missing out) crime.
Quick self-analysis of myself on why I have FOMO ( By the way, I also have YOLO too). I would say the majority of this stems from being pretty lax and inconsistent with my blog several years ago when I started. I felt I was constantly trying to catch up with other people who started around the same time and got very frustrated that I was nowhere near them. Even though I’m now more focused on my own progress, I can’t help but feel that way now and again. The other part of it has to do with that I LOVE BEING BUSY and PRODUCTIVE, which I know aren’t the same thing, but can be related to each other. I’m in that group where we love to pack our calendars with things, get sh*t done and have several things on the go.
I feel everywhere I look, it’s an opportunity buffet and I am piling my plate right to the sky before I’ve even had the first bite.
Opportunities come and go and when you’ve come across a potential one, it’s important to go through these points before coming to a final decision:
- What are the nitty gritty details of this opportunity? What is the scope and size of this opportunity? Is it something that you can create in a few hours or will it take longer than that?
- Once you have a better idea of the details, check your schedule. And with your schedule in mind, ask yourself the questions from point number 1. Do you have enough time to give yourself a buffer in case you hit a snag during the process? Also, would it be overlapping with projects that are scheduled in the near future? Being an entrepreneur does call for late nights and early mornings (which is all relative), but remember to take care of yourself and get some rest. Same thing I tell myself the once in a blue time I go to the casino: know your limit and stay within it.
- Check that never ending, constantly growing to-do list. Are there things that have been on that list forever and you’re dying to cross off? Adding in another opportunity will just delay crossing it off and if you’re like me, you LOVE crossing off things. It’s just so darn satisfying. What currently exists on your list that’s important? That’s urgent? Or important, but not urgent.
- Does it relate to your brand or business at all? If you’re only doing it for the money, then you’re not being true to your brand or your followers. I’ve made the mistake of doing this in the past and saying yes to sponsored posts that had nothing to do with my blog. I only said yes because I wanted the money. At the end of the day, when you’re running a business, it’s not about you, it’s about your audience and catering to them. If you’re not doing so and totally going off the wall, then you can be seen as someone without credibility. You may end up losing and/or confusing your audience/target client.
- Will this help your business and if so, how? Ask yourself if it is really worth it? Will this help promote your business? Your time and effort are extremely valuable, so it’s important to be selective about what you work on and who you work with.
These are the key questions that I wished I had asked myself before I said yes to an opportunity. I wanted to do all the things and was afraid that nobody else would approach me after that. More often than not, I ended up biting a lot more than I could chew and feeling completely overwhelmed by everything . I felt as if I couldn’t focus on anything properly. It was until recently I came to the realization that I really needed to stop and think about what I should say yes to.
[Tweet “Saying yes to the wrong opportunities makes you unavailable for the right ones. Choose wisely.”]
What steps do you take when presented with a potential opportunity?
Really practical post, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Emily! I am so glad you found this post useful. 🙂
Some important things to keep in mind, thank you for the great post!
Yes, for sure. It’s tempting to want to say yes right away, but it’s important to take a step back and think how will it affect your business and brand. Thanks for stopping by!
This is really interesting! I’m not an entrepreneur but I’m a teacher and I feel like I go through but wry similar feelings when I step back and see how many different ways there are to do things and how many resources are available to us.
If I tried them all, my students would become my Guinea pigs and nobody would be learning a whole lot. So I just have to sit down and be reflective of MY kids and see what would be the best support for them. (Similarly, you probably have to look at your audience and see how to market to them so it’s most effective!)