Sometimes, we can’t help but feel like a minuscule part of the business world when the most prominent companies like Microsoft set out to purchase Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion and crypto-based digital assets consistently trade for thousands of dollars every single day. In fact, it’s no surprise why newbies and aspiring entrepreneurs tend to view themselves a lot smaller, in an entirely different playing field, and feel the absolute need to create something on par with what drives the most attention and traffic.
However, contrary to popular belief and what everyone seems to notice online, always investing and building up large-scale projects for an insane profit margin is far from sustainable and might lead to more problems than the benefits it can provide. Instead, it’s high time we start focusing on the advantages of incremental opportunities and how the smallest of steps you make in the name of progress and learning experience can bring about the biggest payoffs.
Everybody Starts Somewhere
We can’t deny that aggressive marketing campaigns that massively increase brand recognition and innovative features introduced to a product that exceeds your expected results are outstanding by themselves. However, putting that much pressure on yourself from the start isn’t much of a good idea because falling short of your goals can be highly demotivating for the inexperienced.
As such, it’s important to remember that everyone starts somewhere, and we don’t jump the gun on riskier plans because (1) it may well be too much from the get-go and (2) messes up your time management and balance.
- Too Much from the Get-go Is Unsustainable: While success stories about startups going from $0 in revenue to making millions in their first year exist, successful entrepreneurship is about gradual improvement and sustainable progress. When you try and accomplish as much as possible, irrespective of the constraints in your position, your risk tolerance goes through the roof, and you’ll find yourself without the necessary resources to respond appropriately. Therefore, you must balance all the moving parts and dynamics available to you at any point in time, working with what’s possible but not overextending beyond reason.
- Messes Up Your Current Time Balance: The most successful entrepreneurs leverage their time and find the most efficient ways of getting the most value out of every minute they spend doing something important. As a result, when you make the irrational decision to suddenly take on a large project that’s too much you can handle by yourself, you’re biting off more than you can chew and disrupting your balance. Time management is essential to climbing up the ranks in the business world, and you won’t get anywhere if you hedge all your bets on one idea all the time.
Taking Small but Calculated Steps to Success
Given some of the disadvantages of a “go big or go home” mindset, it’s clear that newbie entrepreneurs must focus on taking small but calculated steps to success because it’s far more realistic and an approach rooted in being consistent. So, for those in search of incremental opportunities to learn from, we recommend (1) embracing cross-functional teamwork, (2) seeking mentorship and guidance from a professional, and (3) working on personal development first.
- Embrace Cross-functional Teamwork: Different careers offer varying first-hand experience in a wide range of technical skills, competencies, and management work that are perfect for anyone trying to get into an industry. As a result, it is in your best interest to embrace cross-functional teamwork whenever you can because understanding the specific and overlapping responsibilities of different departments is perfect for gaining new insight. Plus, it helps reinforce a positive work environment at your current job and gives you a baseline to replicate when starting your business.
- Seek Mentorship and Guidance: Although learning things through your own devices like research and fieldwork are excellent opportunities to grow, seeking direct mentorship and guidance from someone more experienced than you is equally beneficial. Some might even argue that these short sitdowns and one-on-one talks lead to the most profound business ideas and insider knowledge you only get by trying things yourself. So, don’t shy away from asking advice from reputable people with a track record for success.
- Work on Personal Development: Last but not least, a lot of what you can achieve ties into your personal character and aptitudes, and unless you’re constantly working on yourself as well, this can be a limiting factor in your journey as an entrepreneur. For example, you might be dealing with some deep-seated issues right now that could be clouding your judgment. Therefore, it’s important to take some time for reflection, build support systems, and seek therapy for distractions in life, like how to get rid of pornography addiction and move past bad habits.
Successful Entrepreneurs Are Well-rounded Individuals
Big projects are great to look at, but entrepreneurs are more than just a collection of their biggest breaks, and that’s because they’re well-rounded individuals who strive for success in all their actions. So, don’t worry if you’re making a bit of progress every day; soon enough, all those incremental opportunities will add up into something better in the future.
