It has been exactly one year to the day I founded Mobiusly and became an entrepreneur. The year has gone by quickly, but I couldn’t have hoped for a better first year for Mobiusly. I’ve earned more money this year than I’ve ever earned in any other single year as a working professional and employee. In addition to the financial rewards, I’ve also grown more as an individual and learned more about myself than I could’ve ever hoped for.

It’s been hard work

Upon reflection, I see I’ve had to work harder this year than I’ve had to before. Throughout most of the year, I’ve held 3 “jobs” simultaneously – one full-time contract at the Ministry of Transport, one part-time contract at the St Vincent’s Hospital and finally the tech founder of an online startup. It’s been hectic for sure so it’s a good thing I know how to wake up early consistently.

At the Ministry of Transport, Mobiusly has helped build an online Payments Processing System which handles over $1B annually for all Bus Operator contracts in NSW (Australia’s biggest state). I go to sleep every night knowing I make it possible for school kids to get to school on time.

At the St Vincent’s Hospital, Mobiusly has helped build an online Pathology Results system to provide timely information to doctors about their patients. I go to sleep every night knowing I help doctors help people get better when they are sick.

As the tech founder of an online startup, I’ve helped architect, develop and shape a great product that I’m really proud of. Also, we’ve just launched! It has been an awesome learning experience. The startup also happens to be congruent to Mobiusly’s credo and mission to help people do what they do better with great yet simple software. I’m pretty excited about it, and hope it’ll really take off.

I’ve had to make sacrifices

I’ll be honest and tell you now that it has certainly been tough going and I’ve had to make sacrifices along the way. Most weeks I work about 80+ hours. I’ve had to use every trick in my personal development arsenal in order to stay focused – including minimising distractions, fighting off procrastination, working in time boxes and keeping motivated with well defined goals.

Of those 80+ hours I work, I get to do 40+ from home. Thankfully, throughout all this, I’ve somehow still managed to make time for my wife and 2 kids. Needless to say though, I wouldn’t have been able to make this year such a success for Mobiusly without the support of my wife – who understands my passion and believes in what I do enough to put up with me.

My friends however have been neglected – for that I am really sorry! I seldom found the time to “hang out” or have drinks at the local pub. Whilst my friends went to socialise or have dinners together, I’ve had to go home early to take care of the kids and work on my second and third “jobs”. It is definitely with grim determination that I soldier on.

It is totally worth it

At this point, you’re probably thinking … You’re crazy! Maybe you’re right. But I made a conscious decision at the beginning of this journey that my dreams and goals are worth attaining and that in order to do so, I (may) have to work as smart and as hard as I could. I also realised I may not be the smartest, fastest, most good looking or most articulate person out there, but these shouldn’t ever stop me from trying. I refuse to acknowledge that my limitations are anything but self imposed.

So was it really worth it? For me, the answer is a resounding Yes! And not just from a financial sense. As I’ve followed my dreams, I’ve become a more competent person. I’m also happier. I’ve learned that I am prepared to work hard, have the ability to stay true to my tasks and can keep going when faced with tough choices. I’ve also realised if I work at it, results and success do eventually come.

Theodore Roosevelt from a 1910 speech puts it better than I ever can

If you value your dreams in any way, you have to give them a fair chance of success. What’s a little hard work in the pursuit of dreams? For me, I didn’t want to be that guy on his death bed 50 years from now looking back at his life and wondering what might have been if only he tried.

I’m reminded of a speech I came across recently by Theodore Roosevelt. I quote:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Dare to dream. Work hard for it.

In the end, remember that dreams give us reasons to be better than who we are. Without them, we are but walking empty shells. Don’t listen to that part of your brain that fears failure. Don’t listen to that part of your brain that tells you that you don’t have time. Because if you want it bad enough, you’ll do it anyway and you’ll find the time to do it. No matter how busy you are.

It doesn’t matter whether you have more or less skills, charisma, contacts or time than the guy in the next cubicle. It doesn’t matter at all whether you come from a poor or rich background. It certainly doesn’t matter whether you were a B/C or A student in school. What matters is daring to have dreams and working hard to achieve them. Yes, you might fail the first few times. But you’ll learn and you’ll get better.

Eventually, you’ll succeed.

Create Self-Imposed Deadlines. With Punishment for Failure.

The longer version:

Many of you have commented about the lack of frequency in my recent postings. This is something I acknowledge to struggling with a bit! Trust me, it isn’t because of a lack of motivation or anything like that, because writing on this blog is something I would really like to keep going.

What’s wrong with Time Boxing?

I know I’ve been writing about Time Boxing, but it seems the strategies there alone aren’t sufficient to help me Get Things Done.

I don’t think there is any inherent flaw with the Time Boxing strategy. After all, if you want to finish something, you first need to allocate time to it, then work on it for a fixed period and finally judge if it is finished or not. The boxing aspect allows us to focus on the “time” or “duration” component of the task, without which we may aimlessly prod along without being conscious of how long something is taking.

The problem with Time Boxing however, especially for personal tasks, is there is no tangible effect from a delay. There is no accountability and no punishment for going over-time. Writing on this blog is a hobby, so if I don’t publish an article for another week or month, what’s the penalty?

Nothing. Nada. Zip.

In contrast, this is totally opposite when dealing with work related matters. We do it all the time. Homework is due next Monday, so let’s get to it now. The client demands a modification to a site or we don’t get paid, so let’s get cracking. Our boss is waiting for the status report, so we’d better launch the word processor and start typing.

The two biggest problems with doing personal tasks

I realised the other day, I don’t have well defined goals for blogging. This stems from the realisation that the two biggest problems with finishing personal tasks (like writing on a blog) are:

• The absence of a hard deadline
• The absence of punishment when failing to deliver

Seems obvious! Why hadn’t I thought of it before? Without a concrete deadline, how can I judge if I’m behind or not? Also, how can I plan my time to ensure I meet it? Also, if there are no real consequences for not making a deadline, what’s going to stop me from playing on my Xbox? And, what’s to prevent me from procrastinating time and time again?

Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Treating work and non-work tasks the same way

The lesson here is that we need to treat our hobbies and personal projects exactly the same way we deal with work and other important things in our life. If we don’t, then it’ll always play second fiddle and we won’t get the great results we hope or expect.

This means we have to elevate personal hobbies, tasks and projects to the same level as our work. Yes, they may not be life-sustaining activities (ie doesn’t pay the bills), but if we want the same kind of results we get from our work, then we have to treat them the same.

Make yourself accountable in your startup

This applies to all you aspiring Entrepreneurs out there.

Are you having trouble launching your latest startup? Is it taking longer than you thought? Are you spending enough time on it? Is time being spent on a piece of code which won’t matter for another year? Are you working on the right things?

If any of this sounds familiar, then you’d do well to head my words.

Make yourself accountable for everything in your business. Every action and delay must be defined and quatified. How long will it take? What’s the benefit? What’s the cost? Who will be affected?

If you don’t have anyone you are accountable to (eg no investors and customers), then you have to make something up. For example, perhaps donate $100 to a worthwhile charity for every week you are late. Now, that’s going to hurt. Are you feeling more motivated now?

With great pleasure, I can now say Mobiusly is back on track. I deviated a little over the last couple of months, but it’s all good now especially since I committed to a deadline and understood the consequences of being late. I’m hoping to launch the first product in 1-2 weeks time, depending on how well beta testing goes. I’ll post more details here or via Mobiusly’s official blog, so make sure you subscribe to it too if you’re interested in seeing what’s being cooked up.

In the meantime, examine your own lives. Are you getting things done?

UPDATE: A healthy discussion is emerging at Hacker News about the disadvantages of focusing on the negative as motivators. More about it here.

A bootstrapper is someone who uses his own time, money and resources to get a business launched and be successful – whether it is a small one-man shop or a big multi-million dollar company. Bootstrappers believe totally in the viability of their businesses and their ability to execute – otherwise they wouldn’t be doing what they do. After all, they’re risking their own money!

Some folks have emailed me asking how I’m funding Mobiusly and the products we are planning to launch in 2009. The answer is by bootstrapping. Here at Mobiusly, I’m funding the entire operation with no outsiders. Instead of raising finance from angels, venture capitalists, friends or family, I’ve decided to put my (and my wife’s) savings into it. It’s not because I couldn’t raise the money, it’s because I don’t want to raise the money.

That’s crazy you say!

Maybe, but there is a method to my madness. Raising money with outside funds may be appropriate for some businesses, but I don’t think it is right for Mobiusly. If I was starting a company which required lots of initial funds (eg massive infrastructure, marketing, people, tools etc), then I wouldn’t be able to bootstrap.

The good news is I’m not building that type of company

Mobiusly is a micro-ISV. We’re small and lean but super agile. We’re completely virtual and operational costs are low. We don’t need common office space, so we don’t have to worry about rent. We don’t need a shop front as our services are all Internet based. We don’t need to run massive advertising campaigns – we’re hoping clever use of blogging, Twitter and other social media outlets can get the word out as effectively as a 20 second slot during prime time tv. We don’t need to hire developers to get things done. We write our own code.

So why bootstrap?

The obvious answer is because we don’t need the money. We’re doing fine on our own, despite the current lows in the global economy. The less obvious answer is because we like to embrace constraints.

When you have less money, you have less bull-crap. We don’t have 10 people in meetings that last for 3 hours. We don’t spend 2 months writing design documents before we start coding. We don’t go on expensive trips to meet clients or chase a sale. We don’t need to appease investors.

Instead, we meet for 5 minute sessions when needed. We think about a problem, quickly discuss options and then implement solutions. If they are not right, we see that early so we can explore alternatives. We don’t try to chase after the expensive corporate enterprise clients who are hard and expensive to win over. Our products focus on small to medium sized companies and consumers.

We could have that 3 hour meeting, take our time with documentation or go on expensive trips. But we don’t, because we don’t have the size or money to do so. Instead we embrace our constraints and organise our teams and processes in ways that make us effective, responsive and agile. We cut through the red tape and bureaucracy – something our bigger competitors cannot do. We’re quicker to innovate and we do so more often.

Because we don’t have investors, we don’t need to answer to them. We don’t have to write a business case or go through an approval process in order to get funds released from the finance department. Instead, if we see a product or feature worth implementing that obeys our credo and genuinely helps our customers, we go ahead and just do it.

We’ve got what our bigger competitors don’t

Our competitors boasts expensive offices and their sales people wear expensive suits. They have teams of hundreds of developers, designers and business analysts – all cranking away at their keyboards. Tap. Tap. Tap.

By constrast, I do product design, write code, create graphics and work on the marketing myself (at the moment). We will also answer all support questions and emails ourselves. We like to think we’re more personable and pleasant to deal with. Also, because this is our business and our money, you can count on us doing our very best to make sure you are happy and you get what you need.

If you have to boil things down to a few words, we have a small and agile team, who can innovate quickly and often. We don’t have red-tape to slow us down and we cut through the bureaucracy to get to the underlying problem. We don’t have investors, so we can make decisions quickly. We have low overheads, so we can take risks our competitors dare not.

Ok, so we are the underdog. But don’t we all love rooting for the underdog? Check back soon for our first product announcement!

Whilst I haven’t been able to write much, I have been extremely busy and productive! This blog has always been an outlet to describe my journey from being an Engineer to an Entrepreneur. Just because I haven’t been writing, doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy working towards my goal.

If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. So after years of procrastination and self doubt, I have decided to finally start living my dream and be an Entrepreneur.

Introducing Mobiusly

Mobiusly was registered on 3rd December 2008 with the Australian Securities and Investment Association as a fully fledged limited liability company. It represents my passion for creating great software to improve life and to help people do what they do better. Everything I do and every software I write will be governed by the company credo. Mobiusly will create things that:

• Get the job done: Always fulfill their intended purpose without exception or compromise.
• Make you look good: By allowing you to do amazing things with lasting effect.
• Are easy to learn and master: Thus allowing you to do things you couldn’t do before.
• Create quick and beautiful results: So that you get what you need when you need it.
• Work with you: By anticipating your needs and knowing your intent maybe before you do.
• You can really depend on: Because your life is precious and work is important.

Starting a new company these days mean you need to have an online presence. I’ve setup a website at www.mobiusly.com and have started another blog. If you’re interested in how I get on with Mobiusly, head over there to read about my journey, lessons learnt and product updates. You may of course get regular updates with your favourite feed reader.

Taking Action

I’ve talked about being an Entrepreneur for years with tips to accomplishing goals, staying focused and time management. Yet after 2 years, I still wasn’t any closer to being an Entrepreneur.

I don’t know if there is a single thing that finally triggered me into action. I do know that over this past year I realised (for various reasons) that life is precious and it is short so we shouldn’t waste it. If you’re unhappy and ever had dreams of doing something different, then you should act now! Don’t wait for the perfect moment. It will never come. If you’re unhappy in a relationship, try to figure it out or end it. If you’re unhappy at work (see Are you Happy Employee?), then change your job.

I can finally say I’m eating my own dog food. Here I am at last taking action and living my dream. What are you waiting for?

Renewing my commitment to this site

I look at my last post with mixed feelings. Whilst I’m really happy to accomplish a 6 year dream, I’m saddened by the fact that the post was dated 26th January 2008. I haven’t given this site the attention it deserves. I haven’t given you my readers the attention you deserve.

For that I apologise deeply.

Let me also announce then that I’ll also be rebooting this site, giving it new coat of paint and producing more awesome articles you have come to love and expect. It’ll be a challenge managing two blogs for sure (I have enough trouble with one already). But it feels good to be back writing. Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for your comments, emails, kind words and loyalty over this past year. Your words of encouragement truly make it all worthwhile. I hope you continue to stick around and I can earn your respect and readership again.

Stay tuned for more exciting things here and at Mobiusly.

Including this blog, but most notably fun and leisure!

A couple of months ago, I started at a new client side. Because the client is new, environment is different, technology and type of work unfamiliar, I’ve had to work extra hard to get things done with my usual tenacity and productivity. Although the road has been bumpy and steep, I’ve kept my head up and have persevered through the tough times.

That’s all good, but I miss the fun times!

So how do we make work fun? Well, you can do it like my friend, who at this very moment is running rampant about Sydney doing a massive treasure hunt! From what I read on this blog, the folks at Atlassian are having a great time on their ‘Cutlassian Pirate’ day – having dressed up as pirates, kicked out of the Google offices and generally causing mayham! All I have to say to him is go Team Yarrr!

Those guys at Atlassian sure know how to have fun.

Why aren’t other companies like this? In all seriousness, most of us spend at least 40 hours at the “office”. Given that this is a significant portion of our week, why can’t it be more fun? There shouldn’t be any reason whatsoever.

So, what can we do to make work a place in which we look forward to going? For the budding entrepreneurs out there, here are some initial thoughts.

• Employees need to know they are working on worthwhile things
• Employees need to know they are appreciated
• Employees need to receive compliments on their work
• Employees need to know their input and opinion is valued
• Employees need to know their work makes a difference
• Employees need to have work which is interesting and challenging
• Employees need to feel they are learning and growing
• Employees need to feel they are making progress in their career
• Employees need to be fairly remunerated for their work
• Employees need timeout – treasure hunt anyone?

In many ways, our employers dictate how happy we are at work. A fun workplace could instigate treasure hunts, morning teas, dinners to celebrate project milestones etc. While this may be true in some instances, it’s not a very nice way of living and thinking.

I subscribe to the belief that we make our own fun and happiness. Two people working at the same place, doing the same thing could have totally different viewpoints on how much they enjoy their work. In the end, we have the freedom to choose how we perceive things. Instead of looking at the negatives, try to look for the positives. Instead of looking for problems, try to look for opportunities. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, try to look for constructive solutions.

Ask yourself, Are you a happy employee? If not, what can you do about it?

I’m interested to hear about what your workplaces are like, especially if you have had problems and have found ways to overcome them. Leave a comment.

Oh, and good luck Team Yarrr.

It will change your life. I promise.

I have been an independent software contractor for several years, performing all sorts of IT development services for clients about town. The agency whom I have been representing at client sites is currently undergoing a major change – they have just been sold to a big consultancy.

Boom! Scary!

As a result of the merger, lots of change is happening. Some folks are questioning where things are headed, what management have planned, how their lives will change etc. Most certainly, there will be job losses as the two companies consolidate things, in particular administrative positions.

With the chaos that’s been unfolding, I’ve thought a bit about “change” in general. What is it? Why do people resist it? Is it always a good thing? What should I do?

With some reflection, I realised that with all inspiration, creation, thought and progress, some form of change must be a precursor. Things just don’t happen on their own. You know the old scientific principle of “energy cannot be created, only transformed”? Well, I think it applies here with change too. These things need to come from somewhere – they’re not born out of the ether. Synapses fired, decisions made and actions taken before change occurs.

In my case, someone must have decided that selling the company is something worth pursuing and that things shouldn’t keep ticking along they way they have been.

So from this respect, change is a good thing, without which there is no action or result.

In my readings, I came across the Satir Change Process model, named after Virginia Satir, an American author and psychotherapist. Her model is best represented in the diagram below which describe Performance fluctuations as a result of change.

The diagram depicts several stages of accepting change. The first stage is known as Status Quo (Gray Zone), a state where everyone is generally comfortable with the way things are. The second stage is a point in time a Foreign Element, trigger or change agent is introduced. What follows is a period of Resistance and Chaos (Red Zone), personified as a result of people being scared of the uncertainties the change has brought about and how their lives will be impacted.

The level of performance generally drops off and fluctuates more greatly between the Gray and Red Zones. There are various reasons for this – people may reject the change to protect the status quo; are confused with the change and are unsure of what to do; or simply become less competent with the new tools and processes introduced.

This describes why people by nature resist change. They don’t want to become less useful than they already are.

I see this every day. In my line of work as a software engineer, I work with tools and technology which change often. You may start on a project using a best-of-breed library, but by the time the project ends, chances are there’s a new version out or even a completely alternate way of doing things. Unless you keep abreast with changes, your skills can lose their edge, even become obsolete.

As a would-be entrepreneur, I too see this everywhere. Many new startups are created each day, but few survive. In order to survive, the entrepreneurs have to develop a business model that meets the market demands and deliver an economic return. To do so, they have to change and adapt as they learn and as opportunities arise.

Most people know this, yet change is often resisted. Why? The reason is simple really. Once someone has become comfortable with the way things work (Status Quo), they naturally find it hard to embrace something different (Foreign Element). Doing so, would mean they instantly become less competent, effective and efficient.

In today’s world and globalised marketplace, being less is scary. It’s drilled into us as children. We must be better than our peers. Faster. Higher. Stronger. Only by being more than the guy in the next cubicle can we get ahead in life.

This is why change is always scary. Yet, it is the Secret to Success.

Embrace change. Override your first instinctive reaction to run the other way. Adopt an open mind. Look at the change not as a threat to your current situation, but as an opportunity to learn and grow.

If the change is justified, well thought out and has the best of intentions, eventually your performance will improve. In the Satir Change Process model, this is classfied in two subsequent stages. The first being Integration and Practice (Yellow Zone), which occur once the chaos subsides. The second being the New Status Quo (Green Zone) in which the change is fully embraced, new processes become second nature and the benefits realised.

Writing a personal development blog has put me in touch with a lot of folks who ask for help in the form of emails and comments. I also strike up more interesting conversations with people I meet, either raised as a result of someone reading my articles or simply because I have this frame of mind.

Regardless, whenever someone asks me for advice on how to improve their present situation, invariably I always say to them the following:

If you want to be happy or your life to improve in one way or another, don’t expect things to radically change, unless you do something about it. If you keep doing things in the same way you have been doing, expect the same result. If you continue to cruise along the same highway, expect it to lead you exactly where it has always done.

To change your life for the better, you have to introduce a Foreign Element, trigger or change agent. Shake things up. Do things differently. Adopt an improved mindset. Be a different person.

Your life depends on it.

I have been a software engineer for about 10 years now. Even after all these years, I still feel somewhat apprehensive whenever I start on a new project. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, and it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve done it before, there’s always some unknown element associated with every project.

Whenever I’m in a situation that seem daunting like starting a new project, I always apply a set of problem solving techniques. Some of you may think these are obvious, but personally, I’ve found them immensely useful especially when faced with complex problems and I’m stressed out.

I hope you can benefit from my listing them here. If nothing else, bookmark this article for future reference. Here are 13 problem solving nuggets I apply constantly:

1. Start with a positive outlook. The first thing you should do when faced with a difficult problem is to start with a positive outlook. Sometimes our first reaction is to fear the unknown. That’s pretty natural. However, I’ve realised over the years that it is the unknown that has given us, as individuals and as the human race, the curiosity to try new things and aim for the stars. Don’t fear the problem itself. Look at it as an opportunity.

2. Understand the problem well by asking questions. I distinctly remember my days in University where an entire classroom of would-be engineers have sat there having not understood an important point the lecturer had made two months ago. Yet nobody had asked a single question. Why is that? A lot of it has to do with the fear of looking stupid. Most of the time, I find people do have the same questions as I do, but for some reason are too afraid to ask them. Regardless, before you can solve a problem, you must first understand it. If there’s something you don’t understand, ask as many questions as you need to. There are no stupid questions, only those you do not yet have an answer for.

3. Approach the problem with an open mind. An old saying goes, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything becomes a nail”. What this means: The way you have done things in the past may not always work for all situations. In life, I find there are often many solutions to a given problem. Some are more effective than others. Some are more appropriate than others. When faced with a difficult problem, do not assume you know the answer at the start. Stop for a second and take the time to understand what the problem is truly about before applying a solution. Be open to all possibilities. Do not presume everything is a nail.

4. Look at the problem from the helicopter view. Sometimes the problem we are trying to solve isn’t the real problem at all. In order to solve a problem, we may need to take a helicopter view of the situation. From a different vantage point, we may discover that the problem we have focused on is in fact part of a bigger problem – one which would require a completely different solution. So, before attempting to put a solution in place, first seek out the “real” problem. Once you have understood the problem in its entirety and context, only then can you determine the best course of action.

5. Define the problem thoroughly. Take a minute or two to actually define the problem. In doing so, identify what the problem is about and what it isn’t about. When you understand the problem thoroughly, you may already know what tools you need to apply or what solutions to avoid because they are not appropriate. Sometimes, when given a problem, we can naturally assume it is something it is not and so can implement the wrong solution. It is often more effective to ensure you understand the problem, its symptoms and causes before proceeding. Ask what, where, why, how and whom. Write the problem down, draw diagrams, create plans etc.

6. Dissect the problem into bite sized chunks. Would you eat a whole apple in one mouthful? Probably not. In a similar fashion, some problems are simply too big to chew all at once. A useful technique for solving complex problems is drilling-down into the detail and continuing until each puzzle piece becomes manageable. Once you have a set of manageable pieces, solve each individually. When a given problem is broken into bite sized chunks, sometimes it is easier to see the patterns, tools to apply and the actions that need to take place.

7. Think through the issues logically. Simple problems don’t often require a plan of attack. However, given a complex problem or one which involves an extended time frame, having an actionable plan identifying what needs to be done is crucial. The plan is a good reminder for yourself of what and when things need happen as well as a communication tool for all the people involved. Creating a plan requires that you think through all the issues logically and identify all the relevant issues and constrains.

8. Look for similarities with other problems. Whenever you are faced with a problem, ask yourself whether this problem shares the same characteristics as something else you may have solved. Often, problems mask themselves within their context but the root issue is the same. If you find you have a problem which shares the same characteristics as something else, you may be able to leverage the solution you have applied to that other problem. I find this is most useful in conjunction with the previous tip. When a problem is broken down into its constituent parts, you’ll find some of these parts occur frequently in other places.

9. Don’t be discouraged by mistakes. Problem solving and making mistakes often go hand-in-hand. Sometimes in order to find the best solution to a given problem, we have to go through a hundred bad solutions first. The most important thing here is to remember that mistakes are ok. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t get frustrated. Use the mistakes as stepping stones to get to the desired solution. If you have gone through a hundred options to no avail, you have found a hundred ways not to do something rather than one hundred failures.

10. Don’t let your emotions get in the way. Emotions or stress can sometimes affect our thinking and judgement. Do not let these cloud your mind. In most cases, problems are best dealt with logically. Try adopting a rational mindset and let your mind govern your actions. Go through in your mind what the problem is, then identify the steps which are required to resolve the situation before taking action. If you find you are too emotionally charged, pause for a moment and let yourself calm down first.

11. Focus on the end state. Problem solving is about getting from one state to another state. This is known as traversing the solution path. Sometimes getting from the start state to the end state is not as immediately obvious as seeing how the end state can come from the start state. In many ways, this is like navigating using a map – we can either trace a path from where we are to where we want to go or we can start from the destination and work backwards. In many cases, I find it is useful to focus on the end state and then plan backwards until I get to familiar territory.

12. Take notes and record your progress. When a problem is open ended and you’re working in uncharted space, be vigilant with your note taking and record your progress. You may find months later an off handed note you made can be the breakthrough you are looking for. It may not be immediately obvious at the time, so record your progress and ensure you can trace back to the things you have tried and what the results were.

13. Check your answers and challenge your assumptions. As you progress, be mindful of the answers you have obtained and assumptions you have made. Ensure they are logically consistent and “makes sense”. Mistakes do happen, so check, recheck and then check again. You do not want to build your solution upon incorrect answers and assumptions. When you are satisfied with your solution, don’t forget to test it under various conditions, not just the most likely scenario, but also the edge cases. Only with rigorous testing can you be sure your solution meets the initial requirements.

Good luck! Remember these nuggets and apply any and all to the problems you are struggling with.

Why is that? McDonald’s probably could make the curry. They have all the cooking implements to do so. Let’s say you brought the ingredients yourself, is there a reason why they couldn’t make the curry? Maybe, maybe not. However, I believe there are several reasons why they won’t do it. This article discusses a few of them, in particular the importance for a business to stay focused on their objectives and send a consistent message to consumers about who they are and what they do.

Being focused

Recently, I wrote about the Top 14 stumbling blocks for new businesses. In that list, one of the things small businesses have to be mindful of is not chasing any and every sale. Why not? When you’re starting out or simply operating in the small business space, in the most likely scenario your resources are already stretched. If you diversify your energies and focus on too many initiatives, projects and clients at the same time, chances are you won’t be able to give any the attention it rightfully deserves.

Instead of doing a single job well, what you end up with is a number of mildly satisfied clients and a mediocre track record. For small businesses, especially those that operate on word of mouth advertising and testimonials, doing things in a mediocre fashion can be poisonous to their ongoing survival. Maybe this is a little extreme, but in many cases, the reality is one might as well not bother being in business at all.

Sending out a consistent message

One of the things that make McDonald’s successful is their branding. I’m not sure about you, but of all the burger joints out there, I would hardly classify McDonald’s as the best in terms of taste and overall quality. However, that doesn’t stop me from dropping in every now and then when I’m famished or after a boozy night out with some friends.

Now ask yourself, why is that? Given that McDonald’s isn’t the best tasting burger joint and certainly not the best thing for you healthwise, why do so many people all over the world flock to the Golden arches? I believe it has a lot to do with their branding, messaging and customer expectations. People go to McDonald’s because when they think of having satisfying fast food, they think of McDonald’s. They go there expecting a certain thing and they always get it.

How would all that change if McDonald’s started serving you, alongside their traditional Big Macs and Coke, a gourmet inspired Indian curry? The message just doesn’t gel, does it? It doesn’t matter how cheaply they can do it or how nice the curry would taste. The bottom line is, companies need to spread a consistent message about who they are, what they do and what customers can expect to get when they hand over their money.

Concentrate on the core business

So far I’ve used McDonald’s and curry in a useful metaphorical sense. From a literal sense, what if you did go up to the counter and offer $500 for a curry. Should McDonald’s take you up on that offer and make the curry for you just this once?

For McDonald’s, I think the answer is no. For small businesses, I think the answer is it depends. McDonald’s shouldn’t do it even though it’s tempting because they need to stick to their strategy. Making curry just once, earns them some money and kudos now but does nothing for the company in the long run. That move is not consistent with their overall strategy. It sends mix signals to the market place and within their own team. Doing adhoc requests just once, sets a precedence for more. What happens when someone else comes along and ask for curry? Or Mexican food? At what point do you say no, and how would you select who you say yes and no to?

I think many small businesses often face a similar problem. It’s often tempting to accept a piece of work even though it is not that company’s core business. If a piece of work gives your company another 6 months of income, then it’s worth considering. After all, that could mean you stay operating for another half year vs closing down for good. For smaller jobs, I think it is a definite no. The strain on the resources for the company would mean less time, money and brain cycles on the things that matter. In a competitive environment, taking your eye off the ball just for a split second could spell death for your fledgling business.

From a branding perspective, I think doing things that are not core to your business can take away the thing that make you special in the market place. In order to be special, small businesses have to focus on doing one or two things really well, instead of bits of lots of things. What you want to be known for is being special at one or two of those things.

Specialisation and streamlined processes

Being focused isn’t just important for small businesses. For big businesses, like McDonald’s, being focused allow them to specialise, refine what they do and how they do it. Instead of hiring 10 people and training half of them to be good at flipping burgers and the other half to be good at making curries, McDonald’s consolidate all its resources and create a single unified workforce, aligned to a common goal.

It’s been widely written that specialisation leads to a more effective workforce – employees only need to concentrate on doing one thing and do it well. In McDonald’s case, anyone can come off the streets and become an employee. If one person leaves, another can easily replace them. The point here is the effectiveness of a McDonald’s store isn’t tied to any single person. In every aspect, McDonald’s operations are turn key – that means what they do is repeatable and consistent, irrespective of the people involved in doing the actual work. As a result, you can be fairly certain a McDonald’s store in one neighbourhood produces burgers that taste the same and the overall quality is consistent with another store.

In that sense, if you walked up to the counter and asked for curry, chances are they won’t be able to do it. Their equipment and staff are trained to be efficient burger producers and only that.

Spreading overheads and economies of scale

Overheads are things that exist in a business which must be present in order for the business to operate. Different businesses have different overheads. For McDonald’s their overheads are things like electricity, real estate, fixtures and fittings, cash registers, cooking equipment and burger grills. Without any of these, a McDonald’s store cannot possibly continue producing.

However, McDonald’s also utilise specialised equipment to ensure overall quality and consistency. These equipment are essential ingredients in the burger production process. It allows McDonald’s to do what they do cheaply and efficiently.

Let’s imagine, McDonald’s started making curries for the curry lovers out there. What’s going to happen? In order for them to be able to make curries as cheaply and efficiently as they can make burgers, McDonald’s is going to have to invest in and then utilise specialised curry making equipment. In order to be commercially successful on a global scale at both, they’re going to need two sets of specialised equipments at every store. It doesn’t take much to see that this is going to cause all sorts of logistical problems including shop layout, equipment maintenance, staff training etc.

What does this mean to small business owners?

Why would you not be able to get curry at McDonald’s? You won’t because even though you pay them, it is not in their best interest to make and sell you curry. As metaphor, it is useful for remembering the importance of being focused on doing a few things right, sending consistent messages to the market place and employees as well as the efficiencies that you can get by concentrating on doing a few things effectively.

To be fair, I didn’t have to. No one was forcing me to do crazy hours. After all, my employment contract says I only needed to work 40 hours each week. However, as I learnt the hard way, these things often reared their ugly heads during annual performance reviews. If you were an employer, who would you reward? The guy who stayed till 10pm or the guy who left at 5:30pm sharp?

As it was my first job out of university, I wanted to impress and went along like everyone else. For three years I worked for this company content with the fact that every annual review I had was exemplary. I was performing well compared to my peers. I had this career thing worked out. I was on top of the world.

Wrong.

I’ve long since left that job, having burnt myself out completely. The thing that stuck with me most from my experience there was the fact that about three months after I left, people didn’t even remember my name or care about what I did or how I’d spent every weekend consistently at work for six months. I can’t blame management – after all the project has to survive the people involved in it.

Since then, I knew I would never be truly happy being an employee for another faceless company. I gave 150% for three years of my life. What did I get out of it? Recognition from my superiors? Respect from my peers? A mediocre bonus during Christmas for a job well done?

Perhaps that’s enough.

For some people, yeah, this is enough. For me, I’m just wired differently. I feel that God has given us the ultimate gift called Life. However, we only have this gift for a limited time. How long remains to be seen. He has left us with a choice to choose how we spend our time. This precious gift should not be squandered on doing things that don’t matter to us. Life is a collection of our experiences, thoughts and feelings. If our actions do not positively contribute to these things, are we not wasting our gift?

Why are we even bothering?

Do you want to spend 60+ hours a week working for someone who doesn’t know your name? Is it wise to sacrifice the best years of your young adult life enslaved to an organisation motivated solely by the bottom line and the share price?

No.

Every moment you spend at an unhappy workplace is another moment you don’t have to spend pursuing your dreams. Most people think pursuing dreams is a thing you do next year. The thing is, there is no next year. There is only now. You exist here and now. If you are unhappy with your current work situation, you owe it to yourself to do something about it.

Not next year. Not tomorrow. Right now.

There is never a better time to make a change. Ok, sure you might be better prepared next year or more financially secured. However, most of the time, the only thing holding us back, is our own fears. Nobody wants to fail. That’s true, but I’d rather not live my life knowing I didn’t try because I feared to fail. After all, our limitations are self imposed.

Ask yourself – Are you a happy employee? For some people the answer is yes. In which case, I’m truly happy for you. You are one of the relatively few people who are lucky enough to have found a vocation that is fulfilling. For the rest, if you are unhappy about your current work situation, you need to find out the reasons why and do something about it.

I’m not asking you to quit your job. I’m not asking you to throw away the four years you spent studying for it. What I’m asking is for you to look at yourself and your surroundings. Are you happy doing what you’re doing? Do you wake up each morning and look forward to doing your life’s work? Is it something you love and admire?

For me, what I want to do is transform “working for” to “working with”. As an independent software contractor, I think I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m responsible for my own career. I pick the projects to work on and the clients to work with. If I feel like it, I can take three months off between contracts.

However the reality is, I’m still committed to a 9 – 5:30pm work day, five days a week. My income is proportionately tied to how many billable hours I do. Ultimately, I’m building someone else’s dream.

What I aim to attain is to be a fully fledged Entrepreneur – building businesses that contribute real value to my customers in the industries I’m interested in and deeply passionate about. I’d like to wake up each morning, eager to check how things have gone on while I had been asleep. I’d like to spend the day, thinking about ways I can improve what I offer.

Being an Entrepreneur is not for everyone. I believe each of us has a calling, something we’re naturally pre-disposed towards. Steve Pavlina even goes so far as listing 10 reasons why you should never get a job. Life is a journey. It is about seeking this calling and fulfilling your life’s purpose. It won’t be easy. You will need to approach it one step at a time.

In conclusion, ask yourself – Are you a happy employee? If you’re not, why and what would you rather be doing? Seek your life’s purpose. Do what you have been put on the Earth to do. In the end, you will live a happier and more fulfilling life.

This is a list of what I consider are the top 14 stumbling blocks for new businesses. Most of these stumbling blocks seem obvious on the surface. However, from what I have read, many businesses fail to avoid them nonetheless. This may serve as a timely reminder to the budding Entrepreneurs out there.

1. Bad initial concept.

At the core, I believe all businesses need to create value. Although the implementation is key, it wouldn’t hurt to start with a good idea. A good idea is one which fulfills a genuine need and has a unique selling proposition.

2. Inadequate planning.

I believe having a business plan really helps, even if it is sketchy. Firstly, the act of writing the plan forces the founding team to think through the steps and map out the landscape they will be operating in. Secondly, the plan can be a good communication tool between the parties involved.

3. Failure to do proper research.

Starting a new business takes time, money and commitment. I believe it really pays in the long run to research the opportunity, industry, domain specifics and competition before jumping in. A bit of work in the beginning can save you a lot of grief later.

In addition, some find professional help and mentors useful. I think it depends a lot on who is providing the help and in what form the help comes. However, anything you can do to avoid the same mistakes others have made has got to be a good thing.

4. Insufficient capital.

Many businesses fail because they under capitalise. The level of funding required depends largely on the type of business, barriers to entry and the skills composition of the founding team. Some industries just takes more starting money to create a viable business than others. Whatever your industry, I think it is important to understand what the cost requirements are before you start.

A key question to ask yourself is how long the business can survive before making that first sale. As a general rule, err on the conservative side – it tends to take longer and cost more than what you think.

5. Poor cash management.

Having sufficient funds is essential for any business to stay alive and grow. There’s no doubt about that. It doesn’t really matter how brilliant an idea is or how clever the founders are. If there isn’t sufficient cash in the bank to pay the suppliers, employees or monthly bills, a business cannot remain operating for long.

Apart from ensuring the ongoing survival of a business, I think cashflow management can enable a business to capitalise on opportunities as they arise. Why else do you think Microsoft has $50 billion in the bank for?

6. Lack of business domain specific knowledge.

Every industry operates in different ways. I believe having a good understanding of the market dynamics is important. It isn’t enough to just be an expert in your particular product or service. The deciding factor between success and failure could be a business’ ability to recognise and respond to changes in the market place. Having domain specific knowledge and a solid understanding of what customers need are essential ingredients.

7. Chasing any potential sale.

Some projects and customers have less strategic value than others yet may require the same if not more effort to work with. I’ve found this to be the case in my professional work as a Software Engineer for hire. There are clients who just don’t understand technology and it can be an uphill battle working with them.

In a small (but busy) business, the resources tend to already be stretched, so chasing all sales opportunities can be time consuming and wasteful. I believe it is more important to focus on the quality and not the quantity of a sale. As the saying goes, if you try to catch all the rabbits, you’ll catch none of them.

8. Late billing and collections.

I think this goes hand in hand with cash management. Concentrating on the product or service a business produces is important but being able to recover the costs and make a profit is essential. After all, cashflow is the life blood of a business. For new businesses especially, I think they have to be extra careful and ensure they are charged correctly, billing cycles aren’t too long and customers pay on time.

9. Lack of focus.

A new business can go through several iterations before its form and shape is finalised. In some instances, the part of a business that finally takes off may not even be something the founders had originally envisioned. I read this all the time. To me this is fine, as businesses must adapt as they learn more about the customers’ needs and usage patterns. However, I believe a business must focus at some point to turn a plan into action and actions into results.

10. Lack of internal control systems.

Running a business well is about having the right operational procedures. Internal control systems play a key role in ensuring that the right procedures are followed. To me, this is pretty important – without the right systems, how can you possibly manage the cost, ensure financial compliancy, timely invoicing, accurate product dispatches etc?

One thing I didn’t find much information about though is the fact that the type of systems put in place should probably match the size and complexity of the business. A simple business is unlikely to need a powerful reporting solution for example.

11. Hiring the wrong people.

Although I believe in being a generalist, I also believe when the time requires, hiring the right people can be beneficial for a growing company. A common mistake Entrepreneurs tend to make is not hiring the right skills when needed especially when they have solely been responsible for getting the business to its current successful state.

In addition, I think it depends a lot also on hiring the right people – not just people with the right skills but people who are best for the company. Ill fitted people on a team can adversely affect the productivity of the entire team as a whole. Choosing the wrong people can change a company’s dynamics and destroy whatever it is that made it unique and successful.

12. Reliance on few suppliers or customers.

Running a business is about managing risks. To me, businesses that rely on a few suppliers or customers are operating under risky conditions. Any change in the relationship or circumstances can significantly affect such a business. For example, how would a business cope if their primary supplier decides to increase the cost of all products by 5%? Or what impact does it have on a business when its only major customer decides to move their business elsewhere?

13. Not having enough perseverance and resilience.

It’s hard for me to say for sure, but it seems to me some businesses fail because they do not persevere long enough. There could be several reasons for this. Perhaps the founding team underestimated the timelines. Or the enthusiasm and passion have dried up. Whatever the reason, sometimes building in the redundancy and resilience is enough for a business to weather the storm and emerge victorious at the other end.

14. Insufficient performance metrics.

It’s pretty important to have metrics you can use to measure how you are progressing. It doesn’t matter in what area the business operates in, metrics that identify cost to produce goods, sales, productivity etc is essential. Sometimes what you think is happening can be completely out of synch with reality. Without timely metrics, management cannot make informed decisions.

Running a new business on your own can be trying and stressful. However, the rewards can be fantastic too. How successful you are is only limited by your own creativity and hard work. If you run a relatively new business, ask yourself how many of these common stumbling blocks have you encountered? Perhaps more importantly, think about the mitigating actions you can put in place before they occur. Avoiding some or all of these common stumbling blocks could be the difference between your business surviving or otherwise.

In my research, I found the following resources useful and inspirational:

• 10 stupid mistakes made by the newly self-employed
• Ready to start your own business?
• 7 biggest mistakes of business startups
• 12 most common mistakes new entrepreneurs make
• 10 mistakes new design businesses make
• Top 10 mistakes that entrepreneurs make