The 24 Hour Cycle: "Doom and Gloom" to "Hip Hip Hooray"

Ahhh...the thrill of entrepreneurism. It's just like a roller coaster ride. It can be so fun, so scary and sometimes it just makes you sick to your stomach.

I have to keep reminding myself that these extreme emotional cycles are all part of the game. A game I chose to play.

This past Saturday morning, I awoke with cold sweats. Partly because I have been working 'round the clock and felt a flu coming on that could have easily been averted with a day watching old movies in bed.

Honestly, though, this episode of cold sweats was due mostly in part to that old dreaded word: FEAR.

I've learned a few things this past year, especially regarding money. I've learned that you can easily (and I do mean easily) go through a nest egg in the blink of an eye. I'm not talking about $5000 or even $25,000. I'm talking a great deal more...that nest egg you've been saving diligently for the past 15 years, grinding away in corporate America. You know, that nest egg that was meant to fund your mid-life crisis dream.

Needless to say, I ate the egg. It was a quick and tasty meal.

But I have to admit, after woofing it down, I have indigestion. Yep, this indigestion is reminding me that no matter how much you think you need, it's never enough. And my food hangover is leading me to have the dreaded "what ifs."

What if I'm just a fool? What if I had been more diligent with that business plan to start, saving me from walking down a few of those dead-end paths? What if I had not rented that incredibly expensive, "SOHO meets the mountains" loft in Basalt for two years, when a room without a view would have sufficed? What if I had kept working a bit longer in corporate America? What if I married a sugar daddy?

But then, I prayed. And although the what-ifs didn't disappear, they did miraculously change.

What if all the incredibly synchronistic, glorious things that happen daily (and I mean daily) are little sparkling gems lighting my way? What if I needed to walk down a dead end path or two to gain the experience about what doesn't work so that I can recognize what does? What if my nest egg provided just enough nourishment to help me get creative, yet kept me hungry enough so I don't get lazy and rest on my laurels? What if I trust and surrender and know that I am OK today as I will be tomorrow. I will be just fine.

What if I focus on all the good instead?

• I had my first "hirer" testimonial come through this week.
• I have been told repeatedly by locals that my ads are working, my marketing is working and they see HireMeAspen whever they go.
• I have started receiving referrals.
• I have started partnering with some incredible people and organizations.
• I am happy.

It's all starting to come together. Last night while attending a BBQ at this most incredible estate, a friend pulled me aside. This, by the way, is the same wonderful friend who I shunned six weeks ago when she tried to offer friendly advice. (I wrote about that less-than-my-best encounter here.)

Last night, I am proud to report, I was in a better place. I listened and learned. I told her about my "cold sweats" and she patiently and kindly reminded me of all the progress I've been making (and it's only been 6 weeks).

It's hard to see the big picture when you're in the thick of things. But, she's right. So far, I have made a great deal of progress. I am actually kind of proud of it.

Hip Hip Hooray!

RERO or REDRUM?

Now that I'm familiar with the lingo, I'm all for RERO.
RERO stands for "Release Early; Release Often." But this whole RERO idea is starting to make me crazy with anticipation. Mad with anxiety. Wild with desire...for perfection. RERO is starting to remind me of REDRUM because it's beginning to feel a bit like MURDER.

When playing this internet game, you can't afford to wait for perfection to occur. Instead, you crank out lots of ideas, implement a few, hope for the best, then start all over again.

It's exhilerating. It's exhausting.

It's amazing how fast this game is. I can't catch my breath for even a second before POOF...it's time to change direction again. You know the things you need to stay on top of, but there's never enough hours in the day. For example, you know you need to monitor the competition, but who has time? You're tired, so you settle for just trying to stay in the game. Forget about getting ahead of the pack!

At some level, you sense the competition is just as exhausted, overwhelmed and blurry-eyed as you. You sense that those "Jacks-of-all-trades" are saying REDRUM too.

This panic-driven, always looking over your shoulder, lifestyle is unsustainable.

I feel comforted when reminded of the story of the tortoise and the hare. Can the tortoise win at this game....really? I don't think so. But I do think there's a happy medium, a mixed breed of sorts.

A "Hare-y Turtle," if you will.

I'm envisioning a rabbit with a tortoise shell on it's back, hopping awkwardly along, side-stepping dangerous land mines to avoid blow ups, and periodically leaping towards the elusive finish line. You not only need speed in this internet competition. You need protection from all those dangerous, flying ideas that take you off track and jeopardize the race.

Actually, can it really be a race if the finish line doesn't exist? I'm not sure. But I do know that whether I win or lose, I tried.

I entered the race. So in all reality, I win.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

THE GOOD: Making Decisions.

As a small business owner, you have to make decisions every step of the way. There's no time for being wishy-washy. I have to admit, I'm pretty good at making a final decision swiftly and moving forward with confidence. I believe that any decision, good or bad, is better than no decision, at least most of the time.

Since my HireMeAspen website launched a little over a month ago, I am amazed at all the questions that needed answers. I'm amazed at all the decisions I've made.

What color should the logo be? Where should the first website be launched? What image do I want to portray? What partners should I have? How should I market the site? Where should I do my banking? When should I launch? Where should I advertise? Who should be on my team? How do I get friends involved? When should I try a new approach? What is my growth strategy? Where should I place the photo credit? How do I cross-promote? How long should I focus on the first launch before moving on to the next? Which credit card merchant should I use? What is my pricing model? Should I buy giveaways? Which email marketing program should I use? How will this widget function? What do I wear to my TV interview? What are the use cases? How transparent should I be to the media?

It's nice to be the boss and not having to answer to anyone (except your customers). But, with that luxury comes jeopardy.

THE BAD: Google Analytics

My first (admitted and blogged about) mistake has to do with priorities. For one, we should have started using Basecamp Project Management Software earlier, but better late than never, I suppose. This software is great for managing a website development project. You enter tasks, you assign them, you check them off. It's really fantastic.

The problem has to do with not only prioritizing all those items, but me being the designated prioritizer.

In the beginning, I felt so bad about adding items because it seems like for every one item we checked off, 4-5 more tasks were added. This is certainly not the way to build rapport with your already hard-working, over-extended developer. So, I'd send an email instead. Or call. Or subtly plant the idea to incite excitement where he'd want to add it himself and jump right on it.

I'd do anything but enter a task. Because that means it's another "to do" that needs prioritizing by me. How do you choose the top priority when everything has a critical consequence?

And that's where my bad decision making skills reared its ugly head.

All along, I knew how important Google Analytics was. But it consistently stayed around task #14 even as items were removed and added.

My entire business is made up of websites, and websites need user stats. But I didn't realize how critical those stats were until today. Heed my warning: don't make this same mistake. Move analytics to the top of the list (like I just did today)...above all those other critical items.

A month into my site launch, I need those stats. Should I print more flyers? Should I renew my ad spend? What traffic numbers can I pitch to potential business partners. How many users are local? How many come from Facebook? Do they depart during registration? I have no clue, because I have no stats.

THE UGLY: Lesson Learned The Hard Way.

So, I must start building those stats now. It's not a pretty picture, but it is what it is. Google Analytics will be installed this weekend. And my stats will start rolling in.

The ugly truth is that I still look at the task list, and it still overwhelms me. I'm afraid there are many more mistakes on the way caused by poor prioritization.

Regardless, it's all still worth it. I love the luxury of calling the shots, even when those calls are wrong.

I love it all: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!