Podcast: Play in new window | Download

How Brian uses the Dan Sullivan question to help others envision success for their business.

Transcription

Begin with the end in mind.

So you had to do the beginning and then you got to think of the end before you can do the beginning is. I’m Brian Pombo, welcome back to Brian J. Pombo Live.

I’ll explain, I’ll explain.

So that this comes from two different situations. That just happened.

So yesterday, I sat down with Tom and Carissa, and talked with them about their project that they’re looking at building out. And the same question comes up a lot when I’m working with people. This is a great exercise to do, if you have something that really seems bold, and something big that you’re looking to do, and you can’t really grasp what the next step is.

You may be scared about all the different ins and outs of what’s around the corner with these tough things. Not that Tom and Carissa were, but it’s very common to have a whole bunch of excitement over something new, but at the same time be kind of lost as to what the next step is.

I always take people the same direction with this. And it was something that was drilled into me when I was younger, even though I didn’t appreciate it till many years later, from a lot of the mentors that I’ve had through the years.

The whole idea is you got to forecast yourself, you got to put yourself into the future. And you have to end it at that my favorite way of saying it, it’s a thing called the Dan Sullivan question.

So whatever the situation is, in most cases, you can usually say like a year, Dan Sullivan, I think uses three years because it’s an off the wall number and it really causes a person to think.

But depending on what you’re talking about how big a change you’re looking to do, or how big a project you’re looking to take on, or what have you. The best thing to do is to say, if we were sitting here a year from now, and I do this on all my podcasts, you can hear on all the interviews that I do on my other my two other podcasts offthegridbiz.com and GrantsPassVip.com.

If we were to sit here together to 12 months from now, we’re looking back over the past year, what would have had to have happened for you to feel happy with your progress both personally and professionally.

That’s the simplest way of saying Dan Sullivan has a little bit more ins and outs to it. But that that’s the main concept, future cast, what would have had to have happened. And that is where you need to go.

What constitutes and if you if they already have an idea of a project, they’re working on it even better because then the real question is the same question I had for Tom Carissa.

It’s that what would what would make this a success?

What can we pinpoint what would absolutely make this a success?

It was something they had not thought about. And this is not uncommon. It’s not uncommon to not think about it. Because you get so wrapped up and excited with the idea of doing something new, that it’s real common to set aside the fact that where are we where are we going to be in the future?

And what what why are we doing it?

What what’s the point?

And there’s a point to everything, but sometimes there’s more than one point. Especially if you have two people working on the same project, one person’s point may not be the other person’s point.

If you have multiple people, it’s even more so that case. So you have to very much get in line with each other and decide, okay, what constitutes between all of us involved?

What constitutes success versus failure, not that failure shouldn’t be an option. Failure is quite often the only option, but you need to know where you’re going. So that so that you’ll know what to do when you get there.

The simplest question but it’s one that gets tossed around it get what is tossed aside and not thought about and pull it off on but it’s the most important thing for you to figure out early on.

Because one thing you’ll find if when you realize a common goal, sometimes the delivery device that you may have fallen in love with already isn’t the right delivery device.

So you fall in love with the vehicle but it’s not going to get you to the destination. It’s like man, I can’t drive I can’t wait to drive this new Tesla, I can’t wait to get in, it’s going to be so fun.

Man, when I get to Hawaii driving around that doesn’t well the Tesla’s not going to get you to Hawaii, if you’re on the mainland, you know, unless you got some some way of getting a ferry out there, it’s probably not going to make it.

You got a good vehicle and you like the vehicle but if your main goal is to get to Hawaii, you’re gonna have to take a plane or boat.

It’s kind of tied in there. So simple idea passed up quite often.

Here’s another situation.

This was today, I was sitting talking with my friend, Beverly, and we’re becoming partners on a new project. And we were talking about said, but what constitutes success?

What is what is the best case scenario here with your business?

What are you actually looking at?

Why haven’t thought about it?

Well, it’s time time we started thinking about it. Okay, because there’s no reason to start if we don’t know what the end game and you have to have some idea of what the end game is, you have to what you really have to do is uncover your expectations.

Because you have them whether you know it or not, you have to uncover them. And maybe your expectations are stupid.

But you better uncover that now, otherwise, you’re going to get there. You’re not going to reach your expectations.

You’re going to feel empty on the inside. And you’re not going to know why. And it’s because you did not meet with your expectations. But what you really should do is challenge your expectations right up front.

Find out what those expectations are, figure out whether it’s actually something you want to go through with whether you want to do what it’s going to take to get that thing or whether you don’t and all these things start solving themselves all the problems of what do we do next?

Everything else it all solves itself when you when you picture the end in mind first simple idea and hope I’m hoping this is helpful to you, especially if you’re starting out and want to do a whole lot of this stuff on your own.

Another good thing to take along with the ride if you’re starting this on your own for the first time, go check out my book, 9 Ways to Amazon-Proof Your Business.

You go purchase a hard bound copy over at Amazon.com I don’t know what it’s going for right now. They’re always switching pricing around but you can probably find a pretty good deal on it. Or you can go just download a copy if you don’t mind reading it on your phone or on your tablet or PC.

Download a copy at AmazonProofBook.com.

It’s all I got for today. You have a good one. Get out there and let the magic happen.