inc magazine

December 2, 2014 by sereynolds

The 2 Types of Entrepreneurs, Which One Are You?

The following article appeared on Inc.com today as a part of my weekly column, “Behind The Desk.” Look out for new columns every Monday!

The task of the entrepreneur is to envision the future of a business and turn it into reality, in some profitable way, day after day.

The problem is that some people excel at the envisioning part but struggle mightily to turn it into reality, whereas others have no problem running the day to day operations of a business but never seem to roll it up into an inspiring vision and a bigger future.

The difference lies in the way we think. Some of us are “top down” thinkers, and some think “bottom up.” You can learn to balance both ways of thinking for better results in your business.

And you must, because this same dichotomy can be seen throughout a business. It shows up in the contrast between:

Ideas versus details
Trends versus data
Intuition versus analytics.

Of course none of these should be dichotomies at all; the wise entrepreneur learns to bring them together for a more holistic view.

Let’s define these two types of thinking and look at a few examples.

Top Down Entrepreneurs

A top-down entrepreneur starts with the big picture, then eventually turns that picture into a framework and eventually the details to make it a reality.

If an artist was a top-down thinker, she would visualize a sculpture in her mind, then consider several ways to start, and eventually begin the detailed work of sculpting.

If a web-developer was a top-down thinker, he would consider the big idea of the website and its purpose, then chunk it out into sections, and eventually fill those sections in as pages with content.

The challenge for top-down thinkers is that they can get very excited about their big ideas, but the more and more they have to chop their aspirations into practical decisions and day-to-day reality, they find themselves losing steam. In the worst cases, these entrepreneurs can be seen spinning brilliant ideas all day long but never actually getting anything done.

Bottom Up Entrepreneurs

A bottom-up entrepreneur starts with the details, then eventually see the themes in those details emerge into a framework, from which they can then expand into a big picture vision.

If an artist was a bottom-up thinker, she would enjoy the daily creation of new pieces, putting paintbrush to canvas, or creating multiple versions of a sculpture, or tinkering with different kinds of mosaics, all the time focused on the doing of the work. Over time, themes would emerge, and she would develop a framework–perhaps a series of sculptures, and eventually that series would emerge with an inspiring theme and be presented to the world as one masterpiece.

If a web-developer was a bottom-up thinker, he would draft wireframes and site maps, then bring those together into broader pages, and eventually synthesis the pieces into one cohesive whole.

The challenge for bottom-up thinkers is that they can get buried in the details of their work and forget to organize those details into frameworks and connect them to a bigger picture. Without that bigger picture, they can get lost. The danger for these entrepreneurs is that their business can become overwhelming and too much to manage, and may eventually come grinding to a halt.

How does this apply to you? Whether you are a top down or a bottom-up thinker, you need to develop at least three layers of your business:

The vision
The framework or structure
The details.

It doesn’t matter if you start at the top or the bottom; eventually you need to challenge yourself to move out of your comfort zone and make sure the whole business is complete.

Knowing which type of thinker you are can help you decide where your strengths are, what you might be missing, and how to fill in the gaps to move your business forward.

Bottom-down best practice tip: Give yourself time to experiment, but don’t forget to stop and extrapolate. Take a step back and see what you’re creating. Do you see the patterns? Can you see the long term vision that wants to emerge?

Top-down best practice tip: Discipline yourself to take your ideas all the way to completion. Choose one and think it through. Can you see how the idea can be divided into a framework or structure that makes it more concrete? Can you see in detail what it would take to make it happen?.

Remember, you can always supplement your own thinking with other people on your team. Bottom-up thinkers will need to look for a strategist. Top-down thinker will need to engage a detail-oriented team to do the work. Either way, by making sure your thinking is complete, you’re making sure your business is a success.

November 18, 2014 by sereynolds

Latest Inc Column: 3 Powerful Ways to End 2014 on a High Note

The following article appeared on Inc.com yesterday as a part of my weekly column, “Behind The Desk.” Look out for new columns every Monday!

Lately I’ve been noticing the tremendous churn happening within businesses today. New business models, big transformations, high expectations and turnover are all keeping businesspeople hopping. Keeping up with fast-paced change makes it hard to find or make time to reflect, and it’s hard to get anything done. How do you find focus, and, more importantly, be able to maintain it, in an environment of constant change?

Define your goal. It sounds simple enough, but many entrepreneurs skip this step. Decide whether it’s a big goal for the year of 2015, like doubling your revenue, or whether it’s more specific goal, like winning a proposal you’re writing today. It may be a professional goal for a work project, or even a personal goal regarding the upcoming holidays. Defining your goal will help to clear the excess noise and make it go away. Take a brief statement of what your goal or vision is, then choose a set of 3-5 priorities that can get you there. This short list will become your area of focus.

Clear space. People feel scattered and have trouble focusing because there’s a lot going on all at once. On top of ongoing changes that your business is undergoing naturally, those day-to-day interruptions just won’t go away. Your phone and your computer are next to you, biding for your attention, not to mention your clients, customers, coworkers, and family. Take control and make space. How much time do you need to finish a project? When can you make that time? What will that look like? How will you put that in the calendar? Asking yourself these questions allows you to clear out space to tackle your goal, and is crucial to clearing out the noise.

Make your calendar a part of your daily plan. In terms of maintaining your focus, you can gain traction by following those same two steps–defining your goal and clearing space–more consciously and in bigger ways, more and more often.

For example, consider the reality of a busy entrepreneur struggling to make it successfully through the end of the year. One such business owner I recently coached on this topic is a woman we’ll call Kim. Kim’s business has been thriving; she’s listed in the Inc 500 and wants this year to be her best year yet. But Kim is also a woman who travels for work, has two small children and is hosting her family holiday reunion this year. Pile on top of that her commitment to make sure Santa Claus comes for her kids and to book a family getaway for New Years. You may be wondering, is it even possible to get all that done? It is, and if anyone can do it, it’s Kim. But, in order to pull it off (and to also enjoy the ride–it is, after all, the holiday season), she will need to get focused. On a daily basis she will need to get out her calendar and organize tasks, not just at work, but for all the family events and the holiday chaos. She’ll have to ask herself: Where does shopping and Thanksgiving dinner come in? When do I book the vacation? How will I be sure my business gets the big finish I have in mind? She will need to get those tasks out of her mind into her planner. That is, she will have to clearly define her goal and make space to focus on achieving what she wants to achieve, and leading the live she wants to live.

You can do the same. Have no fear: you’ll have a pleasant Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll enjoy the holidays. You’ll make your year-end goal. But you don’t need to think about it all at once.

Take a moment now to define your present goal. What’s the goal you want to focus on right now? How can you clear space to devote your attention to that goal right now? Where else can you clear some space to work toward it and meet your goal? Repeat the questions at different times and for different goals, and you will find that scattered, unfocused feeling goes away. You’ll be left feeling clear and confident about your ability to enjoy–and meet your goals–throughout the end of the year.

November 11, 2014 by sereynolds

The 5 Steps to Strategic Thinking That Really Matter: My Latest INC Column

The following article appeared on Inc.com yesterday as a part of my weekly column, “Behind The Desk.” Look out for new columns every Monday!

I’ve been having an ongoing conversation with two or three executives lately that struck me as somewhat surprising. As an executive coach, I am also tasked with helping executives be more strategic. But finally this week someone asked me straight up: “What is strategic thinking?”

This executive happens to be a C-level leader, so I knew he was strategic in the eyes of the company, but what he didn’t know was how to cultivate a strategic mindset. What does it look like to be more strategic? What does it sound like? What does one do?

Whether you’re a small business owner, an entrepreneur, or a CEO at a Fortune 500 company, strategic thinking is a skill that matters, even though getting into the practice of changing your way of thinking might seem daunting.

Strategic thinking is really about aligning to the ultimate vision of the company’s goal, or of a personal goal. That requires good old fashioned thought. The way you go about connecting vision and goals will vary based on your personal preferences: the way you think, the way you process, the way you learn.

If you’re ready to start thinking more strategically, consider the following five steps for getting in the right frame of mind, where the ideas can flow and your brilliance comes alive.

Align to your vision. When you’re clear about what you want, you’re able to describe it in vivid detail. You know a little something about what it will take to get there and how it will feel to arrive. You connect to an inner source of inspiration that will call you forth and compel you to achieve a powerful new vision. As a leader or entrepreneur, thinking of the “big picture” allows you to pick out meaningful trends from your surroundings and hone in on what your potential is and how that potential aligns with your ultimate vision.

Ask questions. Now that you’ve connected with what your vision or goal is, it’s time to start asking yourself the right questions. “What is my vision or goal? What do I have to do to get there?”

Give it some thought. There are three approaches to this. The first is the analytical approach. Write the answers down to the questions you asked yourself in step two, and be as detailed as possible. This approach serves those who are thinkers and need clarity. The second approach is the collaborative approach. For those who are more socially minded and thrive on brainstorming, set up a meeting and get others involved in discussing matters of strategy. You invite many coworkers with varied areas of expertise and ask whatever your big questions are, like, how to become more visible in the marketplace, or how to transform your business model to be lighter and leaner, and so on. The last approach is a meditative approach. This helps individuals who are not trying to “figure things out,” necessarily, but rather want to clear some space and become quiet enough to hear their intuition. One of the busiest executives I know, who works in the frenetic pace of high-tech Silicon Valley, gets his breakthrough insights sitting quietly on the back deck at sunrise. Any of these approaches can work–the main thing is that you carve out the time to think, however that ends up looking for you.

Plan. Creating your “plan” means identifying your action items, both short-term and long-term, that will help you reach your goal. For you, it might take the form of something as complex and involved as a company-wide strategic plan, something smaller scale like a project plan, or simply just a checklist for you get things done. In planning, you use the clarity and focus you’ve gained in step one and put it into a practical course of action..

Diagram. There’s one more important step you can take when you are engaging in strategic thinking, and that’s to think without words. Diagramming, mindmapping, brainstorming, drawing pictures, mocking up graphs and charts–all of these forms of “thinking” stimulate your creativity and can break you out of the box. For visual thinkers and creative thinkers, this step can make the planning part of the process less painful. For more linear and analytical types, this approach can really shake loose the ideas when you get stuck.

Strategy is a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim. When we’re talking about strategic thinking we’re really talking about what we need to achieve, and how to do it. Instead of barreling through a to-do list, especially when we’re short on time already, try re-framing the way in which you approach the execution of your goal.

Ready to start? Choose a time to devote exclusively to strategic thinking. Make it within a week or two, at a time and place where you won’t be interrupted. Give yourself the chance to daydream about the future you’re trying to create, and then implement one or two of these approaches to strategic thinking. Then watch for the breakthrough. You may be only one or two hours away from the that makes you not just more strategic, but more successful.

November 4, 2014 by sereynolds

Self-promotional Tips Entrepreneurs Should Avoid: My First Inc Column

The following article is appeared on Inc.com yesterday as my first column. Looks out for my columns every Monday!

How many times have you received a newsletter or heard a marketing pitch and recoiled with an uninspired, “Ick?” We can spot an insincere, self-promotional message from a mile away–and yet, as entrepreneurs wanting to communicate our message, we may be sending those same “icky” messages out, sometimes without even realizing the long-term negative affect it can have.

You can promote yourself in a way that engages others and draws them to you. When you do, you will stand out in the crowd, as well as grow your business.

You likely know many of the common tips for how to promote yourself and get noticed, but you also need to know what self-promotional strategies to avoid.

Don’t ask for business when you’re desperate. The time to promote yourself is when your business is doing well, not as a last resort. Every entrepreneur has been there–when times are tough and new business seems hard to come by. The key is to trick yourself into residing in a more confident place by getting into the right mindset. Even if things are going wrong and you’re desperate for business, take the time to ground yourself, meditate on your successes so far and those yet to come, and get clarity on what you’re trying to create in your business. Remember who you are and who your clients are. There will be plenty of business coming your way. There always is.

The key to self-promotion that works is to come from a place of confidence so you’re not asking for business from a place of fear. Moving to a place of trust and confidence will represent you in a better light and is more likely to get you the kind of business you want.

Don’t be a toddler. If you’re a parent you’ve been there–you’re at the store and your child innocently asks for a piece of candy. So you say maybe. Then they ask again. And then again, until finally, unable to withstand the whining, you say no! Entrepreneurs–and all of us, really–turn into toddlers when we don’t’ get what we want. Sometimes we believe that if we ask enough times we’ll get the “yes.” The truth is you may ask your way into a no. The lesson here is that asking again isn’t going to help.

As an entrepreneur you have a vision in mind for yourself. If you’re a business owner, it could be a vision for new partnerships or clients. If you’re part of a bigger firm, it may be asking for promotions, raises, or better opportunities. You can keep your vision in mind and work towards it with intention, but without asking so often that you turn people off.

The trick is to show instead of tell.

If you want a new title, don’t say you deserve it. Instead, actually deserve it. The way to get noticed is to become invaluable so that other people can’t overlook you, showing that you deserve it intrinsically. For example, if you’re a consultant, don’t tell people you’re a fantastic consultant and they should hire you; instead, actually provide valuable advice and guidance to a prospective client so they can see you in action. If you’re a salesperson, don’t tell people how great your product is and implore them to buy it; look for opportunities to show them your product in action in a situation in which they genuinely need your product. If you work for a bigger firm and want new responsibilities you want, don’t tell someone you want that certain responsibility, just take it on. Deliver on a project, and express interest by directly engaging in the effort and asking good questions to move the project forward

Don’t let your self-promotion stand for itself. Don’t let the only thing people remember you for be your self-promotion. Instead, provide value.

I once attended a full-day workshop designed to help entrepreneurs set up a successful business, but it turned out to be 95 percent self-promotional, putting emphasis on what the sponsoring company had to offer rather than what attendees could take away. I thought to myself, “I spent an entire day here, and what have I really gotten?” Entrepreneurs who are too self-promotional either consciously or unconsciously design events, communications, newsletters and client meetings that can be viewed on the receiving end as pure marketing events–and nothing will lose a client faster.

Shift the emphasis off yourself and onto to your clients. What do they need from you? What do they want to hear? What help do they need? By listening to your audience and trusting that your commitment to them will pay off, you will set yourself apart. Your audience will see you as a trusted advisor who can truly help them. You will steer clear of irritating self-promotion and find yourself in a much better place–a healthy, long-standing, profitable relationship with your clients.

As an entrepreneur, you have something valuable to offer. Your talent is enough to impress your customers and draw them in. Trust your results and look for opportunities to help. Today, reflect for a moment on the promotions you have planned. Choose just one of the techniques above and experiment! See how it changes your results.

You can also connect with Joelle on Twitter and Facebook, she’d love to hear from you!