Start Messy. Start Scared. Just Start.

Start Messy. Start Scared. Just Start.

Kelly Kennedy: Welcome to episode 241 of the Business Development Podcast, and today we're diving deep into the real reason most people never turn their ideas into reality. And what you can do to break through the fear and the doubt, and finally, take action. Stick with us. You don't want to miss this episode.

Intro: The Great Mark Cuban once said, business happens over years and years.

Value is measured in the total. Upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal, and we couldn't agree more. This is the Business development podcast based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In broadcasting to the world, you'll get. Expert business development advice, tips, and experiences, and you'll hear interviews with business owners, CEOs, and business development reps.

You'll get actionable advice on how to grow business, brought to you by Capital Business Development Capital bd.ca. Let's do it. Welcome. To the Business Development Podcast and now your expert host, Kelly Kennedy.

Kelly Kennedy: Hello. Welcome to episode 241 of the Business Development Podcast. My gosh, guys, I don't know about you, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks here at Capital Business Development.

So much going on, it just feels like a little bit of a whirlwind of crazy. I definitely have been riding. The entrepreneurial rollercoaster over the past couple of weeks here, just high, and like followed by some weird low lows. I was actually talking with Shelby the other day and I was like, you know what's super weird?

We just had one of the craziest, most exciting weeks, and it seems like they're always followed, at least for me. They always feel followed by this low the next week, even though it's like everything's still good, it's just your dopamine levels are all screwed up or something. But it's been a crazy couple of weeks here.

Super exciting. Obviously, if you follow us on LinkedIn, you already know that the Catalyst Club has launched, and that is our new community Rock stars. We have built you an absolutely incredible supportive community. We're gonna talk about it later. It's been a, an amazing couple of weeks and, blessed to be able to do this, to be able to show up with you guys week over week, month over month and year over year.

It's an honor and a privilege and I thank you very much for letting me do it. Today's episode is really powerful people. This episode, if you take action on these steps, it is going to propel you forward. In ways that you could have never ever imagined. I look back at my journey of the business development podcast of Capital Business Development, and now you know the community we're building the coaching, all of it has happened from the power of action.

Okay. Action moves mountains. And so today we're talking all about the power of taking action for yourselves personally, for your businesses, and if you work for somebody, for the companies you work for. I truly believe that the biggest challenge most people face is not a lack of incredible ideas. It's the failure to take action on them.

Execution is the bridge between dreaming and achieving. Execution is the bridge between dreaming and achieving. I do not believe that I am inherently a better entrepreneur than anyone else. I think much of the reason that I have found success is because I am willing to take action on an idea and see where it leads.

Most ideas aren't just possible. They're often easier to execute than you imagined. Once we stop making excuses and start taking small, consistent steps like a snowball rolling downhill, once you get an idea moving. It can grow bigger and faster than you ever imagined Today. I wanna discuss some of the challenges you may be facing and provide you some advice and encouragement on how you can move from a great idea.

1. To action faster than ever before. But first, let's talk about some of the things that might be holding you back. Number one, the fear of failure. Maybe you worry that it won't work out. Fear can paralyze momentum before it even starts. We get so afraid of failing that we don't even give ourselves a chance to succeed.

My gosh, I can. I can speak to this one. There were a lot of things in my life when I look back on it that I was so afraid of failing. I never even started in the first place, and I know I'm not alone in this. I know there's some of you listening right now who are like, me too. Me too. This one affects so many of us.

Failure feels final in our heads, but in reality, it's just feedback. Most wins are built on a stack of losses. If you've been listening to the more current episodes, I recently did an episode on the Power of Iteration. Okay? Iteration is a pile of small failures, we might say, right? Every single time we figure out what doesn't work.

We're one step closer to figuring out what will work. Failure is just iteration, iterate iterate, iterate until you figure out what works. That's the thing. Success is built on stacks of failures, and I've learned this in over my 160 interviews with experts of various fields. You have to figure out what doesn't work before you ever figure out what will work.

Number two, perfectionism. They feel like they need the perfect plan, perfect timing, or perfect conditions, so they never, ever begin. Remember, perfection is just procrastination in disguise. You don't need perfect, you need momentum. Let me start out by saying nothing I have ever done has started out perfect.

Nothing I have ever done has been really fully formed from point go. But what I recognized was I would never figure out what I need to do unless I just get started. There's this funny thing about starting, about taking that first step. Think about it. Every journey that's ever happened anywhere started with somebody making a decision and taking one step in the right direction.

Whether they circumnavigated the globe, launched the biggest company planet Earth has ever seen, you name it. It all started from an idea and then an action, a small action taken on that idea. And then another one, and then another one. We don't have all the answers in the beginning. How could you, no matter how smart you are, how could you know exactly what is going to happen?

But what I can say is once you take a step, the next step becomes easier and easier. Momentum is absolutely everything. Some people polish the plan so long. They forget to launch it. Clarity comes from doing not overthinking, thinking will never move your company. Forward thinking and action will move mountains.

Number three, overwhelm. The idea feels too big and without a clear starting point, they freeze. The mountain looks massive. Until you realize that all you really need to do today is take one step, one little step every day, moves mountains over the course of a year. It's consistency over time that creates success.

I talk about it on the show all the time. Consistency over time. No matter how small that consistency is, that is what leads to success. It's not the massive one thing you do. It's the million little tiny things you do every day that make the biggest differences. We confuse the big picture with the first move, break it down, and suddenly it becomes doable.

Pull it back and look at the little thing, the little step, the little action you can take today. If you take a little tiny action today and a little tiny action tomorrow, the next action reveals itself, and now you're well on the way to accomplishing a bigger picture. Number four. Lack of clarity. They don't know what the next step is, so they stay stuck in the planning phase.

A lot of people aren't lazy. They are just unclear without a next step. Even the best ideas stall. That's right guys. You know it. Everything that you wanna do that makes an impact in this world takes action and it doesn't matter how great the plan is, how amazing the idea is, or how easy it should or could be.

None of it is going to matter if you do not take action. Action is the critical piece of anything, any plan, any idea, any company. It's all built on action. I. You have to do something to get something. If you wanna move, you have to take action. Clarity isn't something you wait for, it's something you earn by taking that first imperfect step.

Number five, fear of judgment. Worrying about what others might think, keeps them from putting themselves out there. Most people are too busy thinking about themselves to even notice or care what you're doing. Don't let other people's judgment stop you from taking action on the things that matter to you.

Listen, most people don't care and the people who do care, they're gonna be in your corner and the people naysaying from the sidelines, they're not in it with you anyway. They don't know what it takes. Don't worry about 'em. Number six, low self-belief. Deep down, they don't believe they are capable or deserving of success.

You can't out execute your own self-doubt. At some point you have to believe you are the person for the job. See, this is the thing. This is the thing about imposter syndrome. Look, I've faced imposter syndrome. You've probably faced imposter syndrome plenty of times. Listen. Imposter syndrome only works until you prove to yourself you're not an imposter.

How do we do that? You have to do the thing. Do the thing that you feel like you're an imposter in, and you do it one day. You might feel like an imposter. The next day still an imposter. The next day, maybe you're still feeling like an imposter, but day 10, day 15, day 30, and now you're killing it. Not only are you not an imposter, you're actually doing great at the job.

Look, your body at this point, your brain at this point can no longer tell you're an imposter because you're killing it at the thing that you thought you were an imposter at. The secret to get out of imposter syndrome is to put yourself in that situation over and over again. Find success in it, and next thing you know, you can't possibly feel that imposter syndrome.

Now it's the new normal. Confidence doesn't come first, not for anyone. Courage does. Confidence is built through repeated action, repetition over time. Builds confidence. Courage is what it takes to get there. Number seven, comfort zone addiction. Taking action means change, and even a mediocre comfort zone can still feel safer than the unknown.

Remember, your comfort zone will sell you safety, but it'll cost you growth. If you want to feel ready, you'll be waiting forever. Growth happens outside of the easy stuff. I have never, ever grown in comfort or ease. I have grown through discomfort and challenge and facing my fears repeatedly. Actually. One of the things I've learned during my entrepreneurship journey, this podcasting journey, my coaching journey, and now this community building, I.

Is that I have to push boundaries. I have to push my comfort zone if I want to grow. If I want to continue to strive to be a better Kelly, I have to put myself in as many uncomfortable positions as possible, because every time I learn, every time I grow, and every time I can become a better version of myself, stop avoiding the hard.

The hard is the best growth lever you can activate for yourself. Let's flip the script. Because the truth is, success isn't reserved for the fearless or the perfect. It's built by people who take action anyway, so let's talk about how you can start doing exactly that. Number one, take messy action. Start before you're ready.

Done is better than perfect every single time. Remember guys, I've said it before in the show, and I'm gonna say it again. Start messy. Start scared. Just start the secret to doing anything you want to do in your life, whether it's launch a podcast, launch a YouTube channel, become a business owner, become a super successful entrepreneur.

Whatever you wanna do, you have to start by taking action. There will never be a perfect time. You will always be able to come up with a thousand reasons why not. Instead, come up with the one reason why and take that first step. Number two. Set short deadlines. Give yourself less time than you think you need.

Urgency drives momentum. The funny thing about taking action is it reveals the path. Once you take an action, the next action is revealed. Then the next action, then the next action. And when you add all of these actions together. You get an incredible outcome. Number three, focus on one thing at a time.

Multitasking kills results. We suck as humans at multitasking. We've proved it over and over again. Lock in on one priority and push it forward daily. Ask yourself, guys, I talk about this all the time. Move the needle, right? Make your move the needle list every single week. What are the top five to 10 things that'll move the needle for you, your business, your organization this week?

Put those down and start to make daily task lists. It'll move mountains for you. Number four, create before you consume. Start your day, producing something before scrolling or reacting to others. Typically by about 7:00 AM 8:00 AM you guys are gonna see a post from either me, Kelly Kennedy, the Business Development podcast.

The Catalyst Club or something along those lines, there's always something happening. Why? Because we have to create to move things forward in this new world. Consuming is fine, participating is fine, but put yourself first. Number five, build a habit, not just a goal. Goals fade without systems. Make your process automatic.

Put in your calendars, guys, every single day. What are the tasks that you are going to do that move the needle today? Then do it weekly, then do it monthly, over and over again. Repetition and consistency over time in your tasks are the drivers of success. They really are. Figure out your processes.

Follow them consistently. Make changes where needed, but if you do this repeatedly, it is going to lead to success. Number six, schedule everything. If it's not on your calendar, it does not exist. Success loves structure. You absolutely need to be scheduling everything. I absolutely live by a calendar. I like to say if it's not in my calendar, it does not exist.

Put everything in your calendar, no matter how mediocre, no matter whether it's lunch, your calls, your digital introductions for the day, your LinkedIn stuff, whatever you need to do, get it into that calendar and follow that time schedule. Remember, focused work is powerful and if you follow that calendar and you do what it says and you make sure you get everything in there, you are going to become a productivity machine.

Number seven, surround yourself with momentum. Join communities or groups where people are taking action because energy is contagious. I can't tell you how critical my community has been. The community that I built from the show, from Capital Business Development. Just an incredible entrepreneurial support community that is around us, and now we're building that with the Catalyst Club for you guys and my coaching students and anyone else who wants to grow professionally and personally.

Community is more powerful than I think we ever could have imagined. Number eight, ask for help sooner. Stop waiting to be an expert. Fast track your growth by borrowing someone else's wisdom. Ask for help. There's a thousand entrepreneurs who came before you. There's a million business developers who came before you.

Just ask people for that support if you need it. You would be surprised how incredibly kind the entrepreneurial community is. How incredibly kind and amazing the business development community is. People will help you. People will go outta their way to make sure you get looked after, but you have to take that first step and you gotta have the courage to ask for help.

Number nine, track your wins. Success stacks up when you acknowledge. The progress you've already made. Celebrate everything. And I'm sucky for this. I'll admit that I've struggled to celebrate my wins, but I'm getting better at it. Celebrate the wins, the small wins, the big wins, everything. Sometimes the small win is the big win.

If you're weak, has been shit like but you've, you never celebrate them. It's really hard to pull yourself back up again. Celebrate everything, no matter how small. It makes a big difference in how you feel and how you feel. Impacts your next steps. Number 10, say no to things that don't move you forward.

Time is your currency. Spend it on things that compound. This became incredibly relevant to me when I became an entrepreneur, a podcaster, and a coach. Okay, this time is of the essence. Why? Because I'm also a parent, because I'm also a partner, because I also have a life outside of work and. Just like the rest of you, I probably have eight to 10 hours a day every single day that I can focus on work, and I need to make sure that it is driving growth, that it is driving growth for the podcast, that it's driving growth for my students, that it's driving growth for my clients, and most of all, that it's driving growth for me so that I'm constantly growing and learning as well, because if I don't keep doing that, I'm dead in the water.

So it's absolutely critical that we are saying no to the tasks that hold us back, and we're constantly evaluating what moves the needle. Number 11, talk about your goals publicly. Accountability creates pressure, and pressure creates progress. Tell people what you are doing. Okay? If you have a big, hairy, audacious goal, A, BHAG, tell someone.

Tell someone what it is. Get feedback on it. Tell them when you're gonna get started on it. Tell them what you wanna do first, or hack if you have something you want to accomplish. If you have anything you'd love to do in your life, start talking about it. There's something absolutely incredible when you start talking about something out loud publicly to other people.

It has this like magic way of pulling the right people into your path to make it happen. Start talking about those goals, start talking about what you wanna do, and most of all, take action. Take action. The universe will put the right people in your path to make it a reality. Number 12, audit your circle.

Your environment either fuels your growth or feeds your doubt. Choose wisely. Choose wisely people. What are you consuming on a daily basis? What is in your social media feeds? Are you listening to negative news every day? Figure out what you are consuming on a daily basis and start to ask yourself, how is this affecting my mood?

We are all susceptible to negativity and we are all also all susceptible to positivity. What are you filling your cup with? Positivity will move mountains. Negativity will drag you down. Pick your poison. Number 13, visualize the end game. See the results so clearly that quitting feels like you're abandoning something real.

I've interviewed Ben Spangl a couple of times and he's a mindset and visualization coach. Super incredible dude. He's really heavy on this visualization technique and he did an exercise with me once. It's super, super powerful. Take the time. Take the time and just picture in your mind's eye what you want.

What does that look like? What does that feel like? That's what he really ties in on. Narrow in on the feeling. The feeling is what shapes the reality. Number 14, take breaks without guilt. Recovery is part of peak performance. Don't confuse burnout with productivity. Listen, burnout hits it hits hard and it hits unexpectedly, and it can have extremely negative results.

Take the little bit of time for yourself, even if it's just a weekend. Take that weekend. Get outta your head. Go do something you enjoy. Spend time with your family. Spend time at a lake. Smile, laugh. Take a little bit of a break look, business will always be here when you get back. Number 15, show up every day, even when it sucks, especially when it sucks.

Discipline beats motivation. Success is built in the repetitions that nobody sees. Success never shows the hard work behind it that led you there. It's the consistency you hold yourself to every day that makes that success possible. Remember whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.

The difference is taking that belief and turning it into action one small step at a time. That's how momentum is built. That's how success becomes your new baseline. If today's episode has resonated with you, I wanna take a minute to introduce you to something brand new, something I've built specifically for this community.

It's called the Catalyst Club, and if you're a listener of this show, you already belong here. This isn't just another business group. It's a movement, a private community built for action takers, the idea people, the entrepreneurs, the business developers who are tired of doing it alone. It's a space where we show up for each other.

Grow together and stay in momentum every single week. Inside you'll find coffee with rock stars, casual, realtime conversations where we slow down, connect and share what's really going on behind the scenes of business and growth. We host Unplugged Q and A Sessions, your chance to ask me anything, get live coaching, solve problems in real time, and get the support you need to keep moving forward.

And then there's Catalyst Sessions where we bring in world-class experts to share wisdom, challenge your thinking and reignite your fire to lead, build, and grow. The Catalyst Club was built for this audience, for the incredible people who've been listening to the Business Development Podcast, applying what they learn and want something more.

If you've ever wished there was a place where this community could come together, this is it, and we're just getting started. You can join us now at www.kellykennedyofficial.com and be part of building something powerful. I look forward to seeing you there. Alright, let's get into some shout outs. This week's shout outs.

I wanna name some of the founding members of the Catalyst Club, Abe Dueck, Adam Kimmel, Alyssa McMasters, Carmen Leibel, Chris Yeung, Chris McArady, Colin Harms, Cyndi Crane, Daveed Henriquez, David Fair, Eric Portillo, Jamie Stephens, Jan Hnat, Jemia Zagiel, Jesse Schewchuk, Kelly Reading. Micah Dixon, Nate Simpson.

Patrick Kainz, Randy Lennon, Selva Nadar,Shelby Hobbs, Sherri Allen, Tara Behrens, Thoran Malitowski and Vijayan Swaminathan. Thank you so much for believing in this mission and for making the business community a better place. Until next time, you've been listening to the Business Development Podcast and we will catch you on the flip side.

Outro: This has been the Business Development Podcast with Kelly Kennedy. Kelly has 15 years in sales and business development experience within the Alberta oil and gas industry, and founded his own business development firm in 2020. His passion and his specialization. Is in customer relationship generation and business development.

The show is brought to you by Capital Business Development, your Business Development Specialists. For more, we invite you to the website @ www.capitalbd.ca. See you next time on the Business Development Podcast.