Over the last few weeks and months, I’ve started reflecting on my 20 years in business.
From trading cars when I was 16, to coaching entrepreneurs today, I’ve run businesses in seven separate industries.
I’ve also spent a significant amount of time, over recent months, speaking to over 100 easily distracted entrepreneurs who prioritise interest over importance.
Unfortunately though, I’ve lost count of the number of conversations I’ve had, where they’ve said that a new coach or mentor seems to pitch them daily with great ideas for their business, without the real experience to back up their claims.
My commitment as an easily distracted entrepreneur who’s prioritised interest over importance in the past:
That’s why I’ve made a commitment to myself and those in my community, to share the experiences and lessons I’ve learned- whether they’re negative or positive- because the scars I’ve picked up along the way have made me the person I am today.
In this article, I look at how quoting for a project in my construction business cost me more than I thought it would, and highlight my key learnings that you can take away.
Quoting jobs in my construction business left me feeling out of my depth:
After project managing the construction work on my own flat, and building up great relationships with the contractors, I found myself being asked to manage them for future projects.
Before I knew it, I was running a construction company, and was winning new business for the team to then work on.
- One of the superpowers that easily distracted entrepreneurs have:
One of the gifts that I believe I, and all easily distracted entrepreneurs, have, is the superpower of hyperfocus.
It served me so well during the early days of my construction business. I’d learned everything about extension projects by immersing myself in my own project. I worked with every member of the team to understand their roles.
- But without the right focus and accountability, you can end up feeling out of your depth:
While the extension work was my comfort zone, and I had the team to carry out the work to a great standard, the business started growing out of control, and I soon felt out of my depth.
I remember that one day I found myself quoting for a loft conversion job. While I knew the basics of loft conversions, and had a contact who would carry out the work for me, the homeowner started asking me about the details of the project.
Details about where the staircase might have to be moved to, should have been part of the initial quoting process, but I didn’t have the right systems in the business to deal with these questions well enough.
I remember feeling out of my depth and thinking “I haven’t got a fucking clue”. Luckily, I knew to say that my design team would be able to work with them as part of the next phase of the quote, but I still felt so out of my depth.
My key learnings from that experience:
From the conversations I’ve had with prospects, clients and others, I know that I wasn’t alone in having these feelings. As your business grows, it’s natural to be nervous.
But looking back, there are two key pieces of advice I’d have given myself, and I hope they’ll be relevant for you too:
- Learn to walk before you run:
You need to have the foundations in place before you start thinking about world domination.
- Involve others wherever possible:
You can never do it alone. I had a contact who dealt with loft conversations, and I could have involved him and his team a lot more than I did at the time.
In fact, it’s likely that if I’d involved other people like him, I’d probably still be running businesses in the construction sector today.
Being an entrepreneur with the ability to hyperfocus is a real gift, but you need to channel that gift in the best way for you, so that you can avoid that stress, grow your business and realise your dreams.
If you have any questions about how you can channel that gift of hyperfocus and grow your business, please click here to book a free discovery call.
