A whole bunch of common issues arise once you start working on Your Big Idea.
“I’m getting a little freaked out because …”
“I feel like everyone has already beaten me to the finish line …”
“When I look around, I feel behind …”
And they all boil down to this theme:
“I’m scared.”
Well, here’s the good news.
If you aren’t at least a little freaked out about your business (whether it’s a thriving concern or something you’re just getting off the ground), you may not be paying enough attention.
It’s okay to be nervous, worried, anxious, or just … confused.
Guess what? It’s overwhelming
Website design, content marketing, social media networking, product design, audience development, payment gateways, security, sales letters, launch plans, evolving technology …
Overwhelmed yet? Well, of course you are.
Because if you try to tackle all of those things at once, you’ll choke. No human being can process all of that.
Luckily, each of those complex topics can be broken into relatively simple best practices.
Challenges can be overcome. Problems can be solved. Solutions get put into place. One at a time, just in time to tackle the next one.
You know (because you’re smart) that there’s no such thing as an overnight success. All overnight success, at least in business, is built on a not-so-glamorous foundation of learning and work.
Do a little today, do a little more tomorrow
Know what’s important to work on this week to move your business forward. Work on that.
It may not be particularly comfortable or sexy or appealing. That’s okay.
(It could even be really fun. Even better.)
When you get lonely and frustrated, find a community of fellow lunatics business owners who can help you get over the rough spots.
You may find some partners who are good at the stuff you would love to quit doing. A coach is great too, someone who cares about your success and will help keep you focused and accountable.
Work on today’s task today. Work on tomorrow’s task tomorrow. When you get a little bit off the path (you will, everyone does), forgive yourself and get back to doing today’s task today.
Don’t try to figure out how to get 10,000 subscribers. Figure out how to get 10.
That will show you how you get 100, which will give you some important insights to how you get 1,000. From there you’re off to the races.
Still feeling stuck?
If you’re still stuck at “I’m scared,” remember you’re not the only one.
We all need guidance sometimes — to help us feel confident that our hard work won’t be a waste.
Make sure to check out our Creative Content Foundations training next. It’s a focused, four-week course for content creators that helps you build any digital asset on a rock-solid foundation.
You can use these techniques for blog posts, podcast episodes, videos, or any other content marketing projects.
We cover:
- Meeting your deadlines, whether for clients or just for yourself
- Becoming more prolific (while still creating good stuff)
- Polishing your content to a high professional standard
- Working strategically, so that your content serves your goals
- Mastering the foundational SEO that every web creator should know
To learn more and get moving, click the button below.
Reader Comments (37)
Sonia this sound interesting I have signed up at teachingsells.com looking forward to reading the various topics you have mentioned above especially the “How to Solve the Traffic Problem” thanks
Sonia, I’ve listened to the stuff you Chris recorded about getting through overwhelm over, and over. Dozens of times, I’m sure. It’s helped me to make tremendous progress, and get unstuck – thank you!
That’s so awesome to hear, Hashim, thanks. 🙂
I think it may be helpful that Chris and I both went through periods of struggling with it ourselves, so we know how it feels and we’ve developed very concrete techniques for getting out from under it.
I belong to the most recent intake of Teaching Sells students. Chris and Sonia’s coaching sessions have been incredibly valuable to me (they actually make time to answer your questions, never mind how “stupid” they seem). They help you get unstuck and move forward. Think of it as a car in winter. It’s tough to get it started, but once in motion it’s easier to keep the momentum going. That’s definitely been the case for me. At first, I was afraid to join because I thought I wasn’t advanced enough. What I’ve learned is that you must compare your business (and yourself) to yourself. It’s simple, but rarely easy. Since I’ve joined, I’ve started a free 10-part ecourse and improved my blog. I’m moving slowly but surely in the direction I want. How about you?
Regards from Olle in Australia
P.S. Yes, the time difference between the US and Oz is annoying. But I still went up at 5am to listen to the session. Yes, it’s nuts but I guess you’ve gotta be a liitle bit crazy to run your own business online 🙂
We love having you in the sessions, Olle. 🙂
“You must compare your business (and yourself) to yourself.” I wish more people would learn this! It saves a lot of heartache.
Sublime advice.
thank you, kind sir. 🙂
So very true. It’s easy to find yourself trying to do and accomplish everything at once. It’s important to remember that this rarely works! Mountains are climbed a step at a time, not in one giant step to the top!
God bless you for this post :))). Today I found out that I got stuck. I don’t move at all in my business. I thought it’s because of my stupidity and lack of talent. But, yes, you’re right. It’s because of overwhelming. I need to do so many thing, so I prefer to freeze. And now I see way out. I feel relief. I can relax and just do my today’s task.
That is so, so common. You’re not crazy. You’re normal. 🙂
Way to go on getting to today’s task!
Mary, stick this on your wall, courtesy of the Heath brothers’ book “Switch”:
“What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. Change accelerates when people understand — in specific, behavioral terms — how to reach their goals.”
I missed the earlier intake for Teaching Sells. I’ve been waiting for the next launch and it’s almost here!!! Believe it or not, I just finished figuring out the type of online business I’d like to start, checked my inbox and noticed this blog post. Coincidence? I think not!
Thank you for the best news ever, Sonia! Can’t wait for the launch 🙂
Very cool, Shantini! Hope you like the launch content — we try hard to make it super useful even before you start the course.
Oh, man – you nailed exactly how I feel. I feel like I can’t take steps forward unless I have mastered each realm. But I’ve made small progress – due in no small part to the INVALUABLE advice I get from Copyblogger emails – and that gives me steam to carry forward.
Seriously, Copyblogger emails are the only ones I actually look forward to, because I know they’re going to contain USEFUL insights and suggestions. Thank you for existing!
Oh, that’s lovely, thank you Paul!
At this point I’ve talked with many hundreds of folks in exactly the same spot. It’s why I wrote this post, even though it might seem gloomy to someone who’s not trying to build a business. But it’s just part of the process, and the more we realize that, the less we need to panic over it!
Hi Sonia,
Overwhelmed is a mere understatement as I’m finding out as we speak. I’m new to the blogging world and was even gonna write something about how difficult it is to get started which is something most gurus/experts don’t divulge.
Glad you wrote it because you hit the nail on the head ever so well and I will be using your points to keep focused. Great advice!
Thanks for the encouragement. I just signed up for Fizzle with the guys at Think Traffic. I hope that the next course of Teaching Sells will be even more successful than the last.
All The Best
Thanks for the information I look forward to receiving the information!
Nice one Sonia, this is a lot help, especially for newbies…talking about overwhelming .Use to have trouble going against my grain back in the day. For newbies struggling here’s an effervescent quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson ‘what lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us’…if you believe that then you’re ready to face the world! And that’s if only you believe.
Really great post as this is a big big problem when working online: you want to be everywhere doing everything.
You try something it doesn’t work right away and immediatly you switch to something else…
I apply a strict rule to my online business: try one srtategy/tactic/method and stick to it until it works!
For exemple lead generation. I test a tactic that suits me and stick to it till I get some good results.
Then and only then I’ll go on to the next tactic…
Thanks a lot for this valuable informations 😉
After a rough month of not seeing things work out too well, this was just the article I needed to help me rest easier tonight.
Too often, we let our impatience to succeed kill our determination and self-esteem…and also our ability to appreciate and reflect on our experiences.
I’m so glad I often drop by Copyblogger before I go to sleep. You folks always return some of my sanity and faith in myself. 🙂
Thanks, Melissa. 🙂
This is very encouraging. Complexity is overcome step by step and not through taking rush decisions. You cannot go further until you are acquainted with each area and this is accomplished with time. This milestone can easily be overcome step by step.
Thanks for putting up this post. I have to confess that at times I feel like I am lost and there is nothing I can do to help myself out. Normally, I just let it go and I proceed to do something else. This is indeed encouraging. Thanks Sonia!
Awesome writing Sonia! You always sounds a great savior to me! Like the quote; ‘keep calm and carry on!” It seems you got me right on act and helped me. Your coaching sessions have been unbelievable valuable to me and I have to confess that you have really helped me get unstuck and move forward in my business. I look forward for more!
Thanks Rickie! Keep on keeping on. 🙂
Amazing work Sonia! I always like the way you give out your contents, very encouraging! Was more influence by the quote above: “if you aren’t at least a little freaked out about your business, you may not be paying enough attention.” It sounds really true and without at least being made to sweat, that means we aren’t then working on how business that much and heading to our successful target! Very inspiring site, keep up!
It’s really good to read information like this just when you really need it. Business or not, whatever we do we tend to get overwhelmed. So you’re right – “do a little today, do a little more tomorrow” and before you know it you’ve reached your goal.
Don’t forget to write down your to do list and keep track of your progress. This helps me get organized better than I expected.
Me too — and I like to make sure I track my “tasks finished” as well. It helps remind me that I am getting a lot done, even when there’s a lot still to do!
It’s important not to get discouraged by those who ‘brag’ about how they were already profiting on their second day, or they were making a full time income within a year. It’s motivating when you haven’t started yet or you haven’t got to that point yet, but once you’ve passed the 4 month, 1 year, whatever point it can be a bit discouraging to think that others were able to make it work this early and you haven’t. I know of someone whose online business took 6 whole years to work. It took a long time, but she got there, she clearly didn’t give up and now she’s killing it. So start small and don’t worry about making it work on a big scale early on.
Sonia, well put. Yes it is all overwhelming and when something breaks down, it feels as if the whole business has fallen apart. As online marketers, we need to deal with tech, security and “other” tasks that are not really just writing and publishing blog posts. Tackling them in small steps is really a must since overwhelm can only kill our progress!
Man, Sonia … you are the most practical, logical, “regular folk” I know on line! Brian is one lucky blogger to have found you! Okay, maybe he was smart, not lucky. But still!
Anyway, it’s to our benefit. We’ll get through the overwhelm and frustration but it just helps to be told that everyone goes through it. It’s normal. It’s temporary (until the next new thing.) And I’ve noticed each new thing causes less overwhelm than the previous once you get moving and advancing along the path.
Thanks!
Good methodology to go ahead with our business without losing your mind, definitely this will help us a lot, thank you very much for the information
Thanks for your Teaching Sells program Sonia.
You really nailed it on this post. When newbies enter online business, especially that involves Blog/Website, they will automatically face many obstacles, mostly technical stuff, just like you’ve said here, such as: web designing, content marketing, newsletter list, and so on. Those obstacles actually can be solved more quickly by hiring people, but that’s only if you already have bunch of cash to spend.
But i still think that if people want to enter to this internet business, they will need to learn or at least know the technical stuff of this business, even though later on, they can just hire other people to design their blogs, writing the contents, promoting the blogs, and etc.
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