Are You Trapped in the Trap of Complexity? Here Is How to Find Clarity
I have spent quite a valuable amount of time going back and forth trying to figure out why my business felt like a heavy task that I no longer wanted to do.
I can confidently say that I spent more time analyzing what went wrong than thinking about how to grow the business. In my previous business, I made many mistakes I would never make again, and overcomplicating is defiantly among the biggest.
So, I came up with 6 things that made me feel my business was getting complicated day by day. While reading these, remember that a business does not become better just because you add more elements to it. On the contrary, sometimes growth starts by removing many things:
1. You Keep Adding New Ideas Instead of Finishing Existing Ones
Trust me, it is tempting to always come up with new ideas. This has a magical effect on our brains because we feel more productive and excited. But the truth is that constantly switching direction leaves you with five half-built things instead of one working business.
2. You Have Too Many Offers
This one can be very tricky in the sense that you might not realize that you have many offers inside one offer. But a very effective way to find out is this: if you need a long explanation to tell people what you sell or offer, your business may be doing too much at one time.
I prefer one powerful product or service to many weak ones. In the first case, you show your customers that you have something worth their money. In the second case, it feels like you are just like many other companies if you are not doing something particularly different.
3. You’re Using Tools to Solve Problems You Don’t Actually Have
Although some tools are very useful for businesses, introducing them too early or excessively might have a negative effect on your business. For example, having more software, automation tools, plugins (for websites), different dashboards, and all kinds of systems can create the illusion of sophistication while making your daily work even harder.
The rule is simple: if you don’t need the tool to make your work faster and more efficient, you are probably making things complicated. That applies to “nice-to-have” tools such as fancy invoicing/accounting platforms, as well as advanced CRM systems (unless you have a huge business).
4. Simple Tasks Take Way Too Many Steps
A perfect example is publishing. If your business depends heavily on publishing written content, you might fall victim to over-complicating the process. The most effective way is a three-step process: write, edit, publish.
However, some might have many other requirements, such as deciding what format or tool to use (Google Docs, etc.), what checklist to tick, and how many people will be involved before publishing. Simplicity is always the best policy, and it doesn’t mean a lack of quality. It simply means efficiency.
5. You Spend More Time Planning Than Doing
This one is similar to number 4. It usually occurs at the beginning of setting up your business. If you understand that “over-planning” is a mind trick, you will save a huge amount of time and mental effort.
It simply feels safe to plan everything, and in most cases, it is. However, if it hinders you from starting or takes way too much time, this is a problem.
You should keep in mind that the only way to know whether an idea actually works is through execution. If you’re constantly researching, tweaking, organizing, and preparing, you may be avoiding the uncomfortable part of the process.
6. You Can’t Explain What Your Business Is Trying to Achieve Right Now
Most of us are able to say what our goal is. You probably identified your vision and stated it clearly in every document. However, if you can’t clearly define what you want your business to achieve right now, not eventually, not in five years, you probably don’t have priorities.
Sorry to say that you only have a pile.
To sum up, you don’t always need another tool, another product, another platform, another idea, or another plan.
Sometimes the smartest business decision you can make is to remove some or all of the following:
- The offer nobody buys.
- The platform you never use.
- The project you’ve been dragging around for months.
- The unnecessary steps.
So your business may not need another strategy. It may need fewer strategies.
