The Fear of Going All In

There is no doubt that specialization is the key to being successful, in any profession.  Think about the people you go to every time you have a particular problem.  Are they the ones that are “sort of” good at a lot of things, but you go there because it’s a one stop shop?

Hell no!

When you have a specific problem to solve you go to the absolute expert on that one particular, very specialized topic.  So why are so many of us trying to do an enormous variety of things in business?

It’s because it is absolutely terrifying to specialize to the extent needed as an entrepreneur.

That’s right, I’m scared of what will happen if I push all of my emotional, financial, and time investments into one niche.  If I fail it will be an epic failure, and one that I will be hugely disappointed in.  But while that is so easy to admit, it’s also very easy to admit that in my heart I know that this is the only path that I know will lead to being uber successful in business.

The truth is there are much fewer jack-of-all-trade business owners than there are hyper specialized product and service providers.  They key is to have conviction that the problem you’re solving or the niche you’re entering in to is a good fit for you, your personality, and your skillset.  If all (or even most) of those are true that we should all be excited to jump in with both feet.  True that if you fail it will be an epic fail, but the chances of that are far less if you’re dedicated to solving one very important problem very, very well.

I’m saying this as much as a rallying cry to myself as to pretend to preach about this topic to anyone else.  I look at what I’m building with PodcastMotor and know that it’s a great service and a great underlying business.  But what I don’t know is whether it’s exactly the right thing or not.  Self doubt is not bad, it makes us evaluate the underlying assumptions we’re making about a lot of things.  That makes us keen business owners.  But too much of it just makes us flippant and undedicated to our business.

So I say once you’ve made an educated, well thought out decision on a business, give it time to run.  Use the tool we provide when you sign up to the newsletter to make sure the road you’re going down is a good one.  And then, and only then, go down it with reckless abandon.

Don’t look back, don’t come up for air, and pour your heart and soul into that direction.  Every 6 months or so take a bit of time to reflect on what’s working and where you may need course adjustments, but for now go heads down and go make a difference.

Wrapup

Don’t be afraid of the commitment that specialization requires in business.  Before you get into it entirely it’ll feel like too narrow of a focus, but in the end it will be exactly what you need to succeed.

Go make your future happen.