I am in a reflective mood today.

I didn’t really intend for this to be a personal blog, so I will try and stay on the “business” topics as much as I can. Having said that, I want to say that after breaking my foot (through forgetting how to run properly) and breaking up with my girl friend in the last week. I have found myself getting very reflective and approaching my life, plans and business in a new light. Bare with me here, because I truly believe that there is a relevant and worth while point worth taking from this spiel I am about to create:

I broke my foot, I broke up with the girl I loved, and I find myself spending some time back with my family during a very lonley part of my life. The injury affects my ability to socialize and keep busy, and the break up with my girl friend has left me feeling pretty sad. It has been an emotionally and physically demanding week but it has also been bitter-sweet. My brother, who has been subjected to a number of life threatening operations in his time, turned 18 on Friday. I went back home to celebrate with him and it was an emotional time for me, my Dad and Mum. It was a great weekend for my two younger brothers who perhaps did not appreciate what a miracle it is for him to be with us today.

Having been on a roller-coaster ride this weekend, I find myself very disconnected and thoughtful. I have been able to look at a number of things in a very objective manner. I like to think that after all the mental clutter of the last week, I have finally cleared my mind and I am able to think clearly. I accept that the unusual events of the last week may still be causing my thinking to be a little hazey but bare with me as I share with you a quick story and insight that I think might help you.

Get Good at One Thing!

Last week the office was a buzz about a competitor in our digital marketing industry. Our financial guys thought this might be a cool business to add to the company portfolio. They signed the NDA’s and checked out the business model. I am not party to all the information, but what I do know is, the business model of this particular company was VERY simple but was generating turnovers in the millions after a couple of years of running. They got good, famous, competent and known for doing ONE very simple thing, that they replicated over and over, and over again. They found a formula that worked, scaled it up and profited BIG TIME from it. Smart cookies.

The thing is, it is the same for everyone else. Don’t over-complicate things. Just keep them simple, focus on one thing, get good at it, get known for doing it and make money from it. Once you have got that formula down, move into other things, but only once you got the bread and butter down and sorted! Do that one thing first that makes you money, expand and exploit it and move on.

Why Are They Better Than Me?

Let me take an egotistical moment here. I believe myself to be some one of average to just above average intelligence. I have a degree in law from a very good University in England and I consider myself thoughtful and analytical. I keep up-to-date on current affairs and do my best to research things I involve myself in as thoroughly as I can. I am a creative person and a morally-balanced person (I like to think). I am not any different to a lot of other people I know, and if you are reading this, you might be able to relate to this in some way.

Let me speak candidly, despite all the above, I have not been able to turn into a business project into a solo raging success yet. There are school drop outs, and dare I say it, IDIOTS (I have met them) out there who are doing a lot better than me, who are seeing a huge more amount of success than me. People who have taken more risks and opportunities than me are winning and making a killing. Have you ever observed similar patterns?

There are two reasons for this:

1. My morals prevent me from selling some of the crap to people that others are pedaling. I could not sleep at night doing what some of these “millionaires” and “internet gurus” are doing. I really couldn’t. And this moral code and my ethics prevent me from making A LOT of empty meaningless dollars.

2. Thinking people find it very tough to make a success of schemes, plans and business ideas. A thinking/educated person often weighs up risks and constraints, and often decides the risk is too great and the returns not high enough to embark on some ventures. They weigh up the pro’s and cons, they recognize they have a lot to lose and often decide it is not worth it. Some one whose back to the wall, or has little to lose does not waste time pondering and thinking conceptually about the idea, they just do it. This is not always a good thing, but it works and there is a lot to be said for that.

I often think too much, over-complicate things and think too long about them. Others are keeping it simple, basic, perfecting it and just doing it. That is the power of getting good at just one thing.

Don’t over-think it.

Identify your dreams and chase them.

Keep it simple, get good at it, replicate and dominate!

That is the business lesson I am taking away from this week, this month and this year. What do you think? Do you agree? Feel free to leave some comments below.

I am off to go get good.