Over the course of January, we’ve taken a look at the core values of The Simplifiers one by one, breaking them down for you in our Friday bonus episodes, so you can understand what we believe in and why… and how you can incorporate the practice of core values in to your small business this year.
The final core value I want to shine a spotlight on is…
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Fail fast…
Learn faster. And that simple principle means this. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s a natural part of the process and fear of mucking it all up shouldn’t cloud your judgment.
As a business owner or freelancer, I can almost guarantee you’ll make quite a few mistakes along the way. Sometimes it’s because you don’t know what you don’t know. And that means you’ve got to have the courage and tenacity to boldly take a step forward, try something new, make mistakes and learn from them always, in order to become the best.
Let’s face it… not everyone is built to be an entrepreneur. To strike out on their own, build a business, be their own boss, make something out of nothing.
It requires a skill-set of persistence, spark and grit to keep going. It also requires a bit of playfulness; like a kid with a chemistry set, mixing new concoctions, trying different experiments, analyzing the results and ultimately, learning from your blunders.
So when I say “fail fast, learn faster” it’s all about having the right mindset as a leader.
Here are the 4 simple steps:
- Make an educated hypothesis (say, with a sales campaign, or making a market prediction on future trends in your industry)
- Take calculated risks
- Measure results
- Pivot, refine and try, try, try again!
Whatever you do, don’t be afraid to fail.
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
To go after the big, big jobs.
To raise your prices alongside raising your game.
Don’t worry about being perfect or holding back on releasing your new products or services out into the world until you’ve got all the pieces in place.
Just #Dothething and learn from your mistakes fast.
And then, pick yourself up off the floor and do it again. But this time – better.
And just one final whisper, just from me to you, dear friend… come in closer.
A long time ago, I spotted a little church that had this sign on their billboard out front and it stuck with me. It said…
‘Failure is not defeat until you stop trying.’
What simple, yet profound wisdom.
As a freelancer or business owner, the going will (most certainly) get tough at some point. You can count on it. Sales are going to dry up. Big clients will disappear and money will get tight. Or a key staff member will leave and what you’ve built will start to look like it’s about to crumble.
Maybe you’ve felt some of this already.
Remember, if you adopt a ‘fail fast, learn faster’ mentality, you’re not afraid of what happens to you. The ups and downs… that’s a given in this entrepreneurial journey.
The key is rather, “What did I learn from this experience that I didn’t know before?” And “What am I going to do next?”
Treat this like a game and diffuse the power of fear, anxiety and worry that wants to creep in. You’ve got no time for that. Let it go and keep going.
So, what bold step forward are you going to take today?
Remember, I’m cheering you on.
You can do this, I believe in you.
It’s time to SIMPLIFY.
The Simplifiers’ Core Values, simplified:
B043: How to embrace simplicity
B044: How to create collaborations
B045: How to appreciate thoughtful details
B046: How to fail fast & learn faster
If this thought of the day inspired you…
Snap a photo of you doing the thing and send it to me via Instagram, privately or publicly… just tag @thesimplifiers – I’ll be your virtual accountability buddy in your quest to simplify your life.
Tell a friend
We love reading your reviews on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to The Simplifiers. So, keep them coming!
And would you do me a favor today? Vow to tell ONE person today about The Simplifiers Podcast. If each listener did that, we’d double our listenership, attract bigger special guests and take the world by storm… through the art of simplifying!
Just one person. Send them an encouraging text or handwritten letter and link it back to here.
Thank you!
Big thanks to our undercover superheroes at The Simplifiers Podcast that help us create these episodes for you – Suzen Marie, our Podcast Editor. Jeffrey Lynn, our Video Editor. Janine Yardley, our Show Notes Editor. Lyden Yardley, our Director of Brilliance. Manminder Athwal, our Blogger. Our advisory board includes: Aubri Nowowiejski, Chris Justice and George Mills. And I’m your host, Mary Baird-Wilcock. Thank you so much for listening and telling your peeps about us.
As always friends, keep things simple.
Join us and become a Simplifier!
Well hello there, thanks for stopping by and having a listen to The Simplifiers Podcast! Our mission is to take topics in business and in life… and SIMPLIFY them!
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