"Real Problems Will Find You, You Don't Need to Invite Fake Ones to Dinner"

The title above is a quote from Jason Fried, a co-founder of a very successful company called 37signals. The post he wrote for Inc. Magazine contained this quote. It also contained some great advice for entrepreneurs. Jason describes himself as "wildly ambitious and unapologetically lazy."

He writes about how early in business he spent untold amounts of time working super hard on things that just did not matter. Once he focused in on the key problems, his business improved. His key point is that you have to make sure that what you spend time on really matters. 

Focusing Your Time

In coaching entrepreneurs here at the BIZ, I give similar guidance. You get only so many hours in a day. Are you going to spend them on things you can change or influence, or are you spinning your wheels trying to move what can't be moved? Here are a couple of excerpts from Jason's post that drive the point home.

• Are your customers thrilled with your service today?

• Is your inbox flooded with word-of-mouth referrals today?

• Do your employees love their jobs today?

• Can people find what they're looking for on your website today?

Those are great things to focus on. 

Square One DSM, an initiative of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, is formerly known as Business Innovation Zone (BIZ).