You’d have to be crazy to start a new business right now!

He sat quietly for a moment, perhaps realizing the gravity of our conversation. Unwilling to accept defeat he finally said, “Well, when you get this thing out of your system, give us a call. We’d love to have you back.”

My former boss could be called many things… excited about my new venture as The Mindset Maven was not one of them.

For more than 10 years, I had danced around, or completely hid from, the idea of getting back into business for myself. As I launched into this new plan for freedom, I was also a full-time MBA student, building a new house (actually swinging a hammer), maintaining a successful sales career, and trying to be husband and dad of the year.

Every news story or water cooler discussion centered on the collapse of the economy and how someone would be crazy to jeopardize their job. “Why would anybody take a chance on starting a business right now?”

And I agreed. Why would anyone take a chance? The Internet makes it possible to research countless ways of developing a business. Performing due diligence and picking the system that is right for you is easier than it has ever been. The trouble for most would-be entrepreneurs isn’t finding a business to start… it is doing the actual work needed to make it successful.

Having grown up in self-employed family, and working as and with entrepreneurs my entire adult life, I knew that the tendency for perfectionism could derail everything. To give myself the best chance for success, I made the pact to strive for efficiency, not perfection. That one distinction made all the difference in achieving success. It can do the same for you by sticking to five key concepts.

The keys for efficiency:

Don’t talk your energy away – Every goal-setting guru I’ve ever heard talks about the value of accountability. They continue by saying that we should tell someone what our goal is and how we plan to accomplish it. I’d like to invite you to swim against the current on this one.

When we have an idea that becomes a goal, there is a massive amount of energy behind it. That energy needs to find an outlet. When we begin talking about our goals, the tendency is to communicate with great passion and detail. In doing so, we create the illusion of accomplishment and spend our energy without result.

Instead, keep quiet about your goal until you’re 75-80% done. Let your energy escape in the form of progress and tangible results. Then you can tell people what you’re up to and results will speak for themselves.

Plan your work –Having a plan before beginning is a proverb, yet so many of us jump in without the slightest idea of what we’re doing.

I’m not suggesting that you have every single step mapped out before taking the first one. Every step of a journey reveals new things to consider. However, we need a general purpose in place that guides our decision-making. With the general purpose in place, we can plan our daily activities and distinguish between valuable tasks and busy work.

At the end of every day, evaluate what you accomplished and write out your punch list for the next day. This one practice can change your life instantly.

Work your plan –I took the time to make an action list based on my purpose, so it only makes sense to tackle that list… right? Some of the items will not be exciting (more on that in a minute), but if they are vital to accomplishing our goal, they need to be done.

Ultimately, you have to trust that your plan will yield the results you seek. The author of, As a man thinketh, James Allen wrote,
“Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that the right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about the right results.”

Avoid shiny objects – Maybe the most devastating of all entrepreneurial ailments is distraction. By nature, we are constantly seeking new and inventive ways to do things. And it can strike at any time.

“New ways to drive traffic… an undiscovered method for massive sales conversion… how you can get rich selling llama’s milk from the comfort of your home…” distractions abound. Stay focused and complete your projects.

One finished, mediocre product will make more money than four half-finished, brilliant ideas.

Write down your flashes of brilliance for the next project and finish what you’re in the middle of.

Celebrate frequently – I’m going to assume that you’re taking off on this entrepreneurial journey for a payoff. We’re driven by rewards. Make sure to take advantage of that bit of knowledge by putting frequent rewards in front of you.

A round of golf. A quiet evening with your spouse and a bottle of wine. Dinner with friends. A weekend excursion with no email or cell phone. The reward must suit the task and the time-frame, but have some fun with it.

“But PJ… what about the risk?”

There has never been a time in history where an idea can become a business is such a short period and for so little money. That isn’t an excuse to disregard time-tested business principles and be reckless. It’s an invitation to try your hand at business ownership without turning your life up-side-down and risking it all.

The simple principles I’ve outlined here, using credible resources for my business system, and pouring my energy into my passion gave birth to:

* A deeper understanding of running a business than I got with my MBA
* A successful video platform that attracts 1,000’s to my business
* A product creation strategy that is attracting the A-players in my field
* Invitations to speak at events I used to pay to attend
* The ability to start a business and walk from a 6-figure job in less than a year
* And a lot more.

I’m not even in the same zip code of the level of success I want. However, I’m a lot closer and more on track than I would have been leaning on my old boss for support. You can be too.