Bye, bye boring government. Hello too many ideas!

Dear Aunty B,

I ran my own business, saw the GFC swooping down like the Grim Reaper and fled to a nice safe cushy job in the government. Now things are looking up, I have left that job to start my own business again. I feel like my brain has been switched to overdrive.

For instance, I was so bored stiff at the government that I couldn’t even think of a business name. But the minute I left I could think of heaps. And that’s the problem, Aunty B. I now have so many ideas they are almost paralysing me!

Too excited,
PX

Dear PX,

Look, you just have to let this run its course. We all have suffered from this infliction when we start a business or do it all again. It is so bloody exciting! In fact, you have got me so excited just reading your problem I want to run out and start a new business again too!

I am sure you will remember what was so thrilling from first time around. Every idea you had was brilliant. There was nothing you couldn’t do and somehow you would find the resources to do it.

But also remember the lessons from the first time around. You never focussed enough on your customers, never understood the way they bought and always assumed enough of them would buy your product at the price you wanted them to pay. You never focussed enough on invoicing and cashflow and whenever you got a big client you lost the plot because you couldn’t service them properly.

So this time around you are going to start up smart. You are going to do a value proposition and a plan and the plan will be focussed on how you will make money. Every idea that doesn’t fit into that plan, you scrap.

And that is your idea filter.

It also will bring you quickly down to earth. Which is good. You have more fun when the business is working properly!

Good luck!
Your Aunty B

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