On Being a Warrior-Preneur: Focus

Focus everyday is one thing but I am thinking about a bigger, much more important type of focus. Do you know these people? Could you be one? I have a friend or two that I adore, but they are just like the Jamaicans in “In Living Color”. Remember in the 1990′s a TV show called In Living Color and they did these skits called “Hey Mon” (The Jamaicans, do you remember? The video of one is linked). That is the kind of focus I am talking about!

This is a great book about focus, can’t go wrong with Mark Victor Hansen right? I have decided to add it to my list again for getting my dang book done!

What are you going to do to re-focus effort into working yourself out of the job?

 

Ann Evanston, MA, has been named by About.com as one of the Top Six Marketing Consultants, Feb 2011, and recognized in the Huffington Post for her unique approach in using Facebook to increase profits though giving. In October 2008 Ann created the Social Networking Coaching Club, a forum where you get personalized support to learn how to “discover your REAL edge” and make more online in less time with integrity.
  • Anonymous

    Timely and excellent topic. I love the idea, “build yourself out of a job”. I think it’s important to think strategically when adding multiple streams of income or skills to your repertoire. Add skills or products in an order that builds on each other after you’ve mastered them. It’s like putting the pieces together of your business plan. It’s nice to have some things running on auto-pilot while you’re building a new venture. Because boy, these new ventures take up a lot of time and energy. ;-)  

  • http://tambraharck.com/ Tambra Harck

    Getting yer dang book done… right on!

  • http://www.warrior-preneur.com Ann Evanston

    Peggy I agree on so many points, expect for the non-sexy part. I actually think focus is VERY sexy. It demonstrates confidence in yourself and the product or service.

  • http://www.TargetTransformation.com Tisa

    Wow Ann, how funny that I stumbled upon this blog post tonight:) It’s New Years!!! Hahahaha! I was just working on a blog post and couldn’t shrink it below 500 words and wanted to find what you had said about that, so I googled it. This is perfect; you know us entrepreneurs well don’t you;)!!! I’m really thinking about all this right now as I plan out my new year and I am so glad to hear you bring more to my focus about this. Thank you Girlfriend-Preneur!!! Gimesumore:)

  • Usama

    “Focus on your path and your path shall be clearer.” Agree with you on every point.
    Thanks.

  • http://awakenyoursoul.wordpress.com/ Peggie

    I love this – because being a “renaissance woman” can be a bit of a dilemma – Focus – as you speak of it – is the “non-sexy” part of running a successful business. Fiery people (many – most – Warriors are pretty darn fiery) are compelled to ignite — the stick-to-itness can be VERY tough. So they beat themselves up about incompletion, lack and more – just feeding the fire of their negative self-tapes.

    It comes down to this – get over being a beginner and keep moving through the process…so you can be a beginner (ignite something new) again!

    P

  • http://twitter.com/AtticusUncensor Atticus Uncensored

    Another thought-provoking gem, Ann.
    Focus can be tough, regardless of where we are in our business, or life, development. As far as career focus, I've not been one of those people who goes from industry to industry, or after the latest “opportunity”. I was in the same line of business for 20+ years (executive recruitment), running my own small firm for 12 years. For the reasons of divorce, death & a major move (strangely, not economic reasons), I've decided to pursue my passion, writing.
    This is where the focus issue is for me now… do I concentrate on my blog? ghostwriting? editing? plodding along with the, seemingly, never-to-be-finished novel?
    I'm still not sure where most of my energy should be focused… Thank you for making me think even more about this.
    Heidi & Atticus
    http://www.atticusuncensored.com

  • Jean Bentley

    This sure has got me thinking! Its so easy to get distracted, even sticking with one business, if we try to market it one way than another before we master the first. Great reminder!

  • http://home-decorating-makeovers.com/ Jennifer Duchene

    Thought provoking as always Ann. I think it comes back to the goals one sets, and keeping the end result in mind. Great reminder that we need to master the present activity, before becoming a student again. Building blocks to structuring a business, that can support us.

    Jen Duchene
    The Home Makeover Mixtress blending cool & cozy style

  • Donna McCord

    This is so true! and exactly what our (my husband and I) goal is; to be able to know that our business is making us money without us having to be there; and then to be able to move on to other things we would like to do. We are gradually getting there! It was very encouraging to see you validate what we are doing in this blog!

  • http://www.ourlittlebooks.com Candace Davenport

    Great post Ann. I wonder how much of this is now related to the technology age. Years ago, people had 1 job, they got their watch and retired. They didn't jump on every bandwagon. Now adays, people rarely stay at a job (whether employed or self-employed) very long (relatively) before they move on. Everything is in short bursts- rather than longer, getting to know better, length of time. I've read studies that connect that to how we are now communicating in the digital age. Your post is great to have people recognize this, and make a conscious choice to be good at one thing before they move on.

    I also run into this working with authors working on their little books. They want to do everything rather than just focus on one theme. This leads to disorganization and an unreadable book. By focusing on just one theme that they want their readers to hear, they can really get across what they are trying to communicate.

    Thanks for a great post.

    Candace Davenport
    Our Little Books- Little Books with a Big Message

  • http://www.warrior-preneur.com Ann Evanston

    thanks Brandy and I want to be sure that you know I am NOT saying don't have multiple streams. I'm saying perfect one first, then add the second. I have 3 sources of income and adding a forth this fall!

  • http://www.brandymychals.com Brandy Mychals

    Hi Ann,
    Great post, your comments about doing more than one thing interested me. I focused on one thing for many years assuming that if I just did that one thing really well it would work out and if I added another thing it would be “chasing two rabbits” and I wouldn't catch one. Well…I don't know if it a sign of the times, but I have found that having multiple sources of income is the way to go right now, at least for me. I did master the “one” thing before moving on to others and I have tied the other things all in. We'll see how it works out :-) Thank you for the post.
    Brandy Mychals

  • Jeanbe

    I like your point…focus. It is so easy to read about a new resource, another website to visit, another e book to download…when you aren't finished processing the last 50! It takes disciplined focus to finish what you have started to the point where you can turn your attention and focus to the next thing. It's something I work at when that shiny new thing appears…some days more successful than others! :)

  • http://www.mywealthspa.com Darcie Newton

    I couldn't agree more. I've suffered from this in the past…being an opportunity junkie. It is so liberating to finally focus on one thing and let all the opportunities that come across my desk, pass right off my desk because I am focused on just one thing. That's not to say that I don't help those people who put the opportunities there…I do, I just do jump on their band wagon anymore. Thanks for the reminder.

  • ireneturner

    This is a really good point Ann. I personally have gone through this in our new economy. I've been a bit all over the board. Partly because of the focus thing, but also as part of my incubation process as new ideas develop, sort out, and move forward. I feel like I'm just getting out of that period and finally finding my focus for this next step. Time to put up the focus sign on my vision board again. Thanks for the reminder

  • http://www.smartbusinessowners.com/blog Merlyn Sanchez

    Focus is very important and I know that mine needs honing because I'm prone to follow “bright shiny objects”. My interests are so diverse and there is so many information available that I'm often sidetracked.

    And yes, I remember “In Living Color” and the Jamaicans! I loved that show!

  • http://www.thereflectivewriter.com/blog/ Judy Stone-Goldman

    Yes, yes – that scattershot approach is so unproductive and yet hard to get away from once initiated. Great reminders. (And I echo the comment about the nice lighting on your video!) It's one thing to have a lot of good ideas; it's another to lose them all by trying to do too much in too many directions.

  • http://www.billbrowning.com Bill Browning

    Powerful message Ann. We hear so much about multiple streams of income and the quickest way to failure is to try and do it all at once. You're so right to advise to focus on one and get it upo and running automatically before you move to another.

    I challenge my coaching clients to decide whether they want to be opportunists or entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs follow their passions and it takes faith and courage. Opportunists chase hope. It boils down to do you want a relationship or a fling?

  • http://www.entrepreneursoulcoach.com Sasha Sabbeth

    Ann, I particularly appreciated your message “…working out of the job.” That statement alone speaks volumes both from the perspective of actions that could be changed and mindsets that would need to change to successfully accomplish “getting out of the job.”

    The skit was right on to demonstrate your point.

    And from a completely different topic, I appreciate that you successfully discovered how to get the best lighting for your video viewing quality. It is frustrating when I see other videos, (including my own!), where the lighting compromises the quality of the video itself.

  • Chris Wagner

    Great words of wisdom and I can definitely relate. I know I bit off more than I could chew when I started my webstore and pet food. I know they are related to my pet sitting, but I should have mastered that business first, i.e., expanding and getting the proper systems in place. I realized what I did and am now focusing on my pet sitting. Thanks for validating what I already knew. Chris

  • http://www.eventsbysako.com Jen

    I need to write stuff down. If I can focus on getting my marketing plan updated, then I can focus on getting the job done! Thank you for the reminder.

  • http://louiseedington.wordpress.com Louise Edington

    Nice post! I've always had a habit of flitting from one thing to another but I am becoming waaaay more focused since doing your bootcamp. Even during that I got a little sidelined now and then and almost took on another project or two. Luckily I reigned myself in and have put them aside until my my business of finding families for whom hosting an AuPair is a great option has grown and until I have become such a 'trust agent' that they are coming to me through my social media efforts. After that I may start one other project that I have in mind as it will still be there when I'm ready. Thanks for the reminder though Ann as I need it at times!