Entrepreneur Avatars

[AndrewNC]

I created about 10 of these Avatars for a mindset course that I'm selling....Decided to turn them into entrepreneur themed ones to share with you to help you overcome most of the common problems we face when we get started.


The Architect



The Architect is the type of person who plans out every single detail of their business before they take any action. While it is good to have a general idea of where you are going, and a higher goal to achieve for, the architect wastes all their time planning, and it prevents them from taking action.

Jeremy is an architect
Jeremey was looking to build a software program that could help automate his online advertisements. It would use dynamic images for the banner ads that places headlines and text from excel over the image, uploads it to the advertising platform, and targets keywords based on that text. It would also come equipped with an API that allows the user to control this from Facebook, Gmail, and via encrypted text messages on his mobile device.

…he has 0 customers.

He spent months planning out how this process would flow on a mind mapping program, and after three months, he finally started to work. From the very beginning, his plan was not going to work. There was no way what he was trying to do could physically happen.

…back to the drawing board.

For the next three weeks, he mapped out a similar tool for text ads this time. It included every single detail from start to finish. He then spent two weeks planning out his marketing strategy to get clients to use this tool. He actually had a white board in his room with graphs and ideas planned out.

He built the tool, and it works. But nobody wanted it. He found one prospective customer who said that it was something they could do with Microsoft Excel for free.

…back to the drawing board.

…the pattern continues.


The Problem

Jeremey took some type of action towards his dreams, but it was the wrong type of action. In business, from the moment you take action – your entire plan will go out the window.

Jeremy never learned this lesson and continues to plan out new and bigger projects, because he thinks the idea is the make or break factor for his success…and does not move with the flow of the market.

Common characteristics of The Architect:
1. Big picture thinkers
2. Plans everything from start to finish without taking action
3. Gets lost in their own ideas and pushes away outside feedback
4. Thinks the idea is more important than execution
5. Runs in place for months before taking any meaningful action.

Things to work on as The Architect
1. While it is good to be big picture, and forward thinking, Architects need to have a constant reminder to “chunk down” to the task at hand. When you realize that step 2 does not come until after step one is completed, and that there are 100 possible “step 2’s” that are dependent on the feedback from step 1, you will begin to take action on what needs to be done in the present moment.

2. Realize that planning is another form of procrastination. As Steve Jobs once said “The dots WILL connect in the future”. You are forward thinking- that is one of the best traits for the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Know where you are running, and you will get there by completing 100 of the smaller steps.

3. The market will tell you if your idea is good with their feedback and dollars. Look outside of the drawing board and see what people want. It’s not the idea that sells, it’s the execution.


Assignment:
1- What traits of The Architect have you shown in the past?
2- Going forward, what can you do in the future that will allow you to have better results?

 

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[Ninjakid]

This is definitely me sometimes. I'm a perfectionist, so I agonize over every detail. Some people think this is always. Positive trait, but inner harmony and perfectionism contradict each other.

 

[Andy Black]

Love this post Andrew.

You really feel for Joseph in those stories. All that wasted efforts and potential.

It's obvious to all that procrastination is a problem, yet many think perfectionism is a positive trait.

Procrastination and perfectionism are close cousins.

One puts off starting, the other puts off finishing.

Both put off shipping.

I never understood why everyone put so much emphasis on action, since the market doesn't pay for activity, but for results, and since we can all be busy fools.

Now I realise that taking action means getting out of our own "echo chamber" and getting market feedback.

Even taking a step in the wrong direction is better than taking no step at all.

We can always adjust when we realise we're going the wrong way.


EDIT: I posted something a while back to help the architect in us: Launch and Learn

 

[Digamma]

Definitely me. To counter that tendency, I'm currently adopting a "wing it" approach. Almost no planning, all action, one step at the time.
The idea is to balance it out and learn to switch in action mode at the right time.

There is no comparison, however. Action trumps planning, because it's the only thing that gives results.

 

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[Rahim]

Good post Andrew!

I am also like Jeremy!

The mistakes that I was doing were
- Thinking too much on a "cool" idea without finding out whether it is something that people need.
- And because I was thinking too much, I was also procrastinating and didn't really know where to start.

But after reading the posts here and talking to people, I have realized that the key is to focus more on what the people need. This can be done by talking more to people and getting feedback from market. Also one should avoid too much planning... Try to take actions in small steps.

 

[iam]

Thanks Andrew for sharing this great insight!

It got me thinking and answering your questions gave me an opportunity to do some instrospection and self-analysis.

I came here because I didn't manage to upload my avatar and searched the forum for 'avatar'...

1- What traits of The Architect have you shown in the past?

I'm planning, maybe not all the way like an architect, but way too much.
I'm loosing myself in details, especially minor ones (like with names to use, which domain names to buy, which usernames on platforms), too early in the process, that is to say, before taking any action...
I'm getting anxious and "in my head" about how to scale, before it becomes a problem, that is, before there starts to be a lot of clients...

2- Going forward, what can you do in the future that will allow you to have better results?

Prepare a minimalistic version of my product ready and get it out there, get as much as customers and feedback as possible.
And only then, by having pitched it, sold it, made notes on how to improve it, took notes from customers, only then, improve it and continue the same process, with an improved version of the product (getting it out there, getting clients, feedback, taking notes).