The Big Uneasy: Clearing the Clouds of Guess

People often come to me to assist them with developing their brand because they are unable to accomplish the business success they desire. They're experiencing what we call the Big Uneasy--the state of being when things are hard. They are stuck in an idea, unable to make it happen, and dreams are unfulfilled. Life is heavy, there's a lack of flow... the Big Uneasy has taken over.

Knowledge is needed to alleviate the discomfort-- to grow your business, to make the right decisions. In our information-rich world of today there is a multitude of help available.

Multi-day, multi-speaker and multi-vendor events have become the norm. More help is coming to the rescue everyday. These essential events open people up to a greater world of possibility-- as well as something else that can be debilitating-- the clouds of guess.

Yes, you heard me right, the clouds of guess.

The breeding ground for the clouds of guess is amongst the amazing speakers sharing valuable experience and powerful tools at many multi-day events and the wonderful people seeking to grow and fully participate in success. I recently discovered this excruciating phenomenon on the speaking trail with my own company.

Like experiencing the marine layer as it gradually rolls in at dusk from the ocean, during the first day of the event the clouds were nearly undetectable--masked by the crowd's excitement and enthusiasm. But as day two and three day rolled out, the clouds of guess were swirling overhead. Hundreds of people became engulfed in these clouds. At first I thought it was simply information overload, however looking closer I found the "clouds" were really DECISION overload. "How do I decide which expert to go with?", "What tool is right for me for the money?", "What approach is best for my business right now?". These business owners were trying to decide without having a solid method to make a decision so...they were reduced to guessing.

By the end of the multi-day event they were unable to make any powerful decisions for their business. Only a skillful few were able to circumvent the clouds. What did they know, that most others didn't?

We often trip ourselves up by asking the wrong questions. The question isn't, what expert, tool or approach that can assist you best. If you are listening to someone on the stage they are most likely successful infopreneurs; and certainly has something of value to share with you. The real question is "where am I in my business, service or product at this specific point and what comes first."

We all take something for granted in our lives, myself included. A member of the Producers Guild of America with a background producing theatre, television, interactive games and the Internet, and an education in architecture, I often forget the value of the "process" perspective that I have honed.

Please know that there is an indisputable process necessary to produce anything-- especially something of value. And the process clears away the clouds of guess and prevents them from ever returning.

However, if the order of the process is altered, or if a step is skipped, something WILL go wrong. Not only will those clouds return, the new question will be... how much and how bad will it hurt?

The major milestones of a typical production process (bringing a idea into manifestation) in the language of entertainment is: