The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur authors are their very own.
As entrepreneurs, we are expected to concurrently be dreamers, but never succumb to the slumber of inaction. We should give you the option to snap our fingers, fall into a trance, dream of some wonderful future, and then get up to throw the vision in a convincingly contagious way to our teams, followed by pragmatic, organized marching orders. But shifting gears like this could be difficult, especially at the breakneck pace of an age of distraction.
Today I used to be inspired to explore these three separate stages, each of which may lull us to sleep with its siren song and hold us for too long. Let’s look at these three responsibilities of an entrepreneur and the inflection points between them.
“The Dreaming”
Some of us are born dreamers. We collect concepts like souvenirs, and with our heads in the clouds, we are always flipping through puzzles and looking for previously undiscovered connections. This is how real innovations come into the world. We have to spend uninterrupted time putting things together.
It jogs my memory of Bill Gates at the height of his profession, who would spend “think weeks” where he would disappear for two weeks to put together a dozen random books and the latest learnings to get a fresh perspective on Microsoft’s future. This could appear very natural to you, and if so, make sure you do not get stuck here. Dreams in business are only helpful if you do something with them when you get up.
“Dramatization”
And then it is time to share. When you get up, how do you express your dream? And besides, how will you involve others in your idea? How do you compellingly tell a story that folks understand and may even begin to understand? Some people have a talent for communication and storytelling is second nature to them. But for those that need some guidance, here’s what I discovered helpful – a distillation of the hero’s journey.
Your dream probably solves some tangible problem that plagues people. Introduce this person as the principal character of the story, with hopes and dreams of their very own, only to be burdened by some impenetrable obstacle. They have a problem that they can’t solve on their very own and which prevents them from realizing their dreams. They need assistance, and you are perfectly equipped to help them. Your personality is exactly what they connect with (even perhaps the opposite of their very own, balancing out their negative personality traits), and your guidance speaks to each their head and heart, encouraging and inspiring them to take motion. Finally, you share a clear statement of the stakes (“What’s the worst that could happen?” by taking no motion, and then “What’s the best that could happen?” with your help).
This story formula will at all times resonate, no matter audience or industry. By telling a story, it is much more likely to be remembered and shared contagiously across your network. People remember and love telling stories, especially when they are easy to remember and evoke emotions.
“I am doing”
But now it is time to move. How does this clever giraffe take its first steps? Slowly – that is how – with great intention. In my fifteen years of entrepreneurship, I have found that milestones are great, but milestones are even higher.
In your imagination, put yourself aside in a 12 months. At this point you have reached a recent breakdown that may require one other cycle of dreaming. Now set yourself 3-4 milestones that you just need to achieve from time to time. Don’t worry about flowery language and don’t focus on feelings.
Be as pragmatic as possible when describing these milestones. Use phrases like: “We raised enough to last 24 months” and “We have our first paying customer.” And once you identify these milestones, break them down into 3-4 inch stones. Baby steps if you wish.
This could appear uninspiring or groundbreaking, and that is the point. When we force our feeble, aspirational brain to work, we feel like we’re robbing our work of all its romance – and we are – but our future selves will thank us.
When that final milestone occurs, it is time to dream again. Gather all the pieces you have gathered since your last dream, absorb it, break away from your typical routine and allow yourself to fall back into the dream state.
There you have it – the three principal hats that almost all entrepreneurs are expected to vacillate happily between on a regular basis, deconstructed in plain language. It takes incredible discipline to stay on track and not fall back on your dreams once you’ve got shared an idea. As a confession, my biggest flaw is dreaming too much and not doing enough, so this process becomes my protective barrier. And imagine me, my team is grateful for it. There are only so many times you’ll be able to jerk the wheel before the people on board get seasick and want to run away.
Thank goodness founders don’t have to wear all three hats as their company grows. Once we have a little success and hire someone to replace us, we are able to slowly delve into what we love most (Dreaming, Dramatizing, or Doing). However, in the early stages of entrepreneurship, we are going to likely need to wear all three hats.
And that is the dream.