You became a business leader because you’re a problem solver and you have a big idea. Big ideas are transformative. You are here to transform the world with your business! But why is it so hard to make progress? Why does it seem so easy for other people to get results?
Each time, you take the first step but have a hard time finding the next steps. So what is missing? The solution shouldn’t be smaller goals or solving smaller problems.
Stepwise Improvements
In 2001, a group of software developers faced the problem of how to “do it all.” This group worked on huge software projects that were exciting and promised to solve complex problems. But they were frustrated by unrealistic expectations from management and clients. “Feature updates” often upended projects and forced them to start over.
The developers’ frustration moved them to come together after-hours to find a way to work better. At these sessions, they developed what is now known as the Agile Manifesto. The Agile Manifesto “uncover[ed] better ways” of working where completing small tasks repeatedly produced projects that were more frequently done on time, in budget and made their clients happier.
How does this apply to my online presence?
Remember your offline business 5-7 years ago? Look at how much has changed! Most likely, the biggest differences between then and now didn’t happen in one day or week or even one month.
When it comes to maintaining your online presence, we encourage you to view it as a long-term process composed of many small stepwise improvements.
Most business owners don’t think this way. What usually happens is the business’ online presence is either neglected or isn’t set up as a robust system that can accommodate ongoing change.
Eventually, a business owner may realize their online presence has become a liability for their brand. Maybe they want to promote a new product but are afraid to send people to their website. Maybe a competitor has a 3-year head start with marketing and they can’t imagine how to catch up.
At JM Online, we often discuss with our clients how to make progress on seemingly insurmountable projects. There is no silver bullet approach for every problem, but it usually comes down to breaking the work into small, doable tasks and then taking the first step.
Don’t solve smaller problems. Break down big problems into achievable tasks.
In our next post, we’ll discuss the approach we take with our clients who have big projects ahead of them. We’ll talk about the power of relationships to help you in times of need.
We believe this should be fun and you don’t have to do it all or even know it all.
