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No Mission Statement: One Simple Question

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Enough

inside-out thinking

Last week a Dawud Miracle and I discussed the problems faced by businesses. We mentioned entrepreneurs, small businesses, even corporations. So much of what came up was not encouragaing — bad messages; bad service; empty offers; no customers; not unique or remarkable; broken promises; clueless and out of focus. Not much most folks would take a risk on.

It’s as if some folks “get,” and the rest don’t get to know.

People rush after productivity tools and use them to further confuse their issues. People wait for customers, and no one comes. They talk about the chances they never got, but that that doesn’t get them. They’re stuck.

Why should anyone be stuck? . . . overwhelmed and out of focus? Why are there problem solvers without problems to solve?

It’s a disconnect. A swiss cheese hole in the available information.

Voices across the Internet say . . . Find your passion. . . . Choose your target market. . . . BUT, they stop there. No one says HOW to do that.

It’s got to be frustrating.

This connector can’t stand to watch problems going unsolved. I’m for breaking OUT of this paradigm starting now — with tools, models, and some basic Inside-Out Thinking.

Inside-Out Thinking

What is Inside-Out Thinking? Plain and simple, it’s starting from you — head and heart — who you are, as a person or as a company. We’re going to the core to find the values on which to build a concrete foundation.

I’m not talking hours parsing words on mission statements that gather dust. Their pretty, but they don’t pay the bills. I’m talking key, core terms that tell about DOING.

Don’t think heaven or humanitarian honors. Forget making money or impressive words.

Please, answer to one simple question.

As a company, as a person,

What businesslike thing do you LOVE doing?

Here’s how to answer that:
Forget any thought of money. Don’t you dare devalue or discount what you love doing. Not sure? STOP. Quiet yourself. Remember your successes. Here’s where to look for them.

  • Look to the future. Three years from now, if a wealthy patron financed you, what would you be doing?
  • Look in the past.
  • Look at last Saturday or the last time you were with friends. What were you doing that might apply?
  • What about your favorite job? What did you love about that?
  • What were you really good at in school?
  • What are you good at? What would you miss if you couldn’t do it?

You get the idea.

If you don’t know how to complete the picture of you. Ask a friend to tell you what you love doing. Ask quite a few. They know. Truth is, so do you. Once you find out what you love doing, that’s when the thinking starts.

I’m getting jazzed about this.

So, go ahead, give it a shot . . . what do YOU love doing?

It’s not hard. It’s just different — there wasn’t a model before. There will be now.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Is your business stuck? Check out the Start-up Strategy Package. Work with Liz!!

Related
To follow the entire series: Liz Strauss’ Inside-Out Thinking to Building a Solid Business, see the Successful Series Page.

Can’t: Wendy Piersall, Ann Michael, Inside Out

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The Story of a War

Sometimes I think of problem solving as strategizing a war. Maybe it’s because I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Maybe it’s because my big, big brothers could win in any confrontation.

Usually I start out thinking I’ve lost. Then I rally, go on a quest, and conquer the enemy. Hey, it takes some thought to beat opponents who are bigger than you are.

Wendy, I Can’t

Thursday night my friend, Wendy Piersall. and I talked about the future over a glass of wine. I was explaining a place where I was finding myself . . . um, er . . . stuck. She said exactly what I needed to hear.

I artfully dodged her advice using the phrase, “I can’t, because . . . ” Hey, when you’re talented, you’re also talented at things like that.

Wendy: Blog what you do.

ME: It’s right-brain intuitive. I can’t.

Wendy: You? Liz Strauss? You can’t? You can blog anything.

ME: Don’t say that I’m arguing for my limitations.

Wendy: You knew I’d say that. You are doing it, you know.

The conversation stayed with me. It’s Sunday, and here I am telling you.

Ann, Help Me Test

Back to the story . . . She wasn’t buying my argument. Either I had to come up with a better argument or beat down that can’t. My brothers had taught me I never win arguments.

I was in the taxi headed home that night when I started to see the plan. I put the words together in a few hours. This is a quest. I called in Ann Michael last night and today to test my thinking on final tweaks before I went live with this post.

The Announcement

I am pleased to announce a new series. It will show you how to build a solid business strategy based on who you are. The series will offer down-to-earth methods and questions that bring business into focus. It’s time someone showed how to build a market view on concrete not sand. I’ll share models you can use to test decisions.

Tomorrow, the new series begins.

I call it

Inside out logo

because it begins with your strengths, your ideas, your passion and builds on the customers who love what you do.

I’m jazzed. This is what makes my heart sing. This is what I’m good at. This is what the Perfect Virtual Manager does.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Is Your Business Stuck? I’ve Found a Way to Help

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Here’s How We Can Make It Work

In the last few months, many people have come to me because their business is stuck. I try to help when I can, but my time is growing thinner and thinner, and so am I. Still it tears at me to turn away someone who I know I could help get going just sharing what I already know.

I also suspect there are more who would come if they could, but they feel that they can’t afford to ask. In the same way, I can’t afford to help everyone who asks or I would never see my family. Well, maybe I would when they took our home, because I gave too much away.This problem has been on my mind for some time, because strategy and helping are joys and the two things I do best naturally.

You read my blog. You know I think on problems until I solve them. Today, I can say, I think I’ve got an answer to this one.

I’m Pleased to Announce

The Start-up Strategy Package

The Start Strategy Package is a personal consultation in which I get to know you and together we define and focus your business. We look at who you are, who you want to be, and the ways that you can get there. In a focused set of conversations and communications, we’ll get you started with the right direction and the energy to move forward.

You’ll have

  • a definition of your customer
  • a definition of your product or service
  • a name and tagline for your business
  • next steps to move forward

For a limited time, I’ve put together The Start-up Strategy Package that I extend to entrepreneurs who are stuck or just starting out. We’ll work to define your customer, your product or service, and your company name and tagline. The payment plan is an investment of US$250 as a first payment plus a second $150 payment due one month later or the equivalent in services. (for details let’s talk). If you’re interested email me at lizsun2 @ gmail [dot] com with the subject line The Start-up Strategy Package.

Due to the nature of this offer, I’ll only be able to help one client at a time for limited hours, but at least the helping out will be able to keep going.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Behind every successful business there is an outstanding manager. — The Perfect Virtual Manager.

PS. I have to go to the DMV now to renew my driver’s license. So don’t think I’m ignoring you.

Fair and Just — Do They Mean the Same Thing?

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We Didn’t Do that for Her Brother

My father retold this story shortly after my college graduation party. . . .

When I graduated from college, my dad suggested that my parents have a party. He wanted to take his best friends from the saloon out to dinner to celebrate with us. My mom pointed out that they didn’t do that when my oldest brother graduated from college 9 years before. My dad said his reply was, “When we first got married, we could only afford hamburger. Does that mean we shouldn’t eat steak now?”

Throughout my life, this was a recurring theme. My mother believed in giving the same. My father believed in adjusting for changing circumstances.

I grew to think of one as fair and one as just — both as noble and loving.

What do you think? Are fair and just the same thing?

My husband says this story is about something else entirely. See my comment.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Behind every successful business is an outstanding manager –The Perfect Virtual Manager.

Related
Change the World: Truth and Humility
Personal Identity: What Is Humility?

Stop Writer’s Block: 10 Minutes to Ideas to Write About

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Plenty of Ideas — Make Things Up!

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

A young man wrote this week,asking how he might open his mind to be more creative. We passed emails back and forth. He said he knows that he stops his ideas. He asked if I might point him to how he might open his mind to let the ideas flow.

Do you have that problem too? Let’s check.

Stop right now and make something up. I’m sure you know how. Make me taller or shorter or older or younger, or any some such. Invent a new character in your life who is all evil or who is all good. That wasn’t so hard, was it? Okay we’ve got the making things up part covered. Most of us learned that in childhood.

Making things up is the stuff that ideas are make of. The exercise training for getting better at doing that involves time spent test driving your subconscious and unconscious a bit.

I’m going to show you one way to do that using a photo, your brain, and about 10 minutes.

Old Moon in New Moon

C’mon turn the page.

[Read more…]

How to Age Ideas Like a Fine Cognac OR Making Compelling Writing the Center of Your Brand

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I Love My Pocket Journal

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Yesterday in the comments to Inside Out Thinking: Catching Ideas Coming In and Going Out, Hans at Blogosquare asked a question that was one I had when I first started writing. That made me think that others might have it as well. You see, Han’s problem is that he has too many ideas and his exuberance makes him anxious to use them all as soon as he gets them.

. . . I just don’t have to sit back and wait for thoughts, actually they are filling me. When I get a thought, . . . I just can’t wait for that thought to leave me. So I write it down quickly, quickly and post it and there when I see it I feel much relieved.
How in fact to you deal with thoughts when they come in? Should I set myself to some relaxation or things like this? All day long everything I see, read, and hear just give me thoughts and ideas. . . . Right now after reading the post above, I just got that thought and couldn’t wait to put it down, to get it off my mind. Am I not normal? [edited with Hans permission]

Hans, my friend, I value you and your passion for writing. Turn the page and I’ll answer your question with the seriousness it deserves.

[Read more…]