The Problem with "Build it and they will come" as a strategy

I am a massive believer in taking inspired action.

In not having to have complete evidence that things will be a success before investing my time and money in them.

Why?

Because I know myself.

I can create magic, I can create traction, I can make shit happen…I’ve been doing this my whole life.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t have my wobbles, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have to put in a bit of graft, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have to put enormous trust in the fact that I am also supported by forces outside of myself, and that ultimately everything will work out as it was supposed to.

But the build it and they will come approach to business is still a little flawed in my view.

I think it sets some people up to fail…and can leave some folks with feelings of being cheated, and not feeling good enough.

The phrase also feels like it should have come from one of the great philosophers, but instead, the quote is actually “If you build it, he will come.” and comes from a baseball movie with Kevin Costner from 1989 called “Field of dreams”.

As entreprenurs our businesses are our field of dreams, they allow us to create what we couldn’t find from a more traditional line of work, they allow us freedom, choice, expansion and maybe even the control that we desire.

But that comes at a price too.

We often work longer hours than our employed friends, we have less paid holiday, less benefits, and can even appear flaky or work shy to others, my Mum has only just stopped asking me,

“Julie, when are you going to get a proper job”

But here’s the problem I see with build it and they will come.

I see so many people throw a heap of time and money, and sometimes both into building businesses that nobody wants or maybe understands.

OR

People want them, but just not in their current format.

OR

The person behind the business doesn’t believe in it fully themselves and lose their nerve half way through the process.

Or runs out of steam because it takes too long, and not the 6 weeks the internet marketing person told them it would.

I am a believer in thinking BIG.

7 years ago I walked into a business advice service here in East London and I declaired,

“I want to turn my running blog into a coaching business, and help 1 million women feel better about themselves”

The business advisor, didn’t quite know what to do with me.

My goal was huge, and I didn’t know how I was going to get there. He was very dismissive, told me nobody pays for blogs, and sent me off with a very flaky business plan for selling funny slogan tshirts.

But with my business plan in hand I approached the jobcentre for a loan and my business Too Fat to Run was born….AND yes I did sell Tshirts, there are women in more than 40 countries worldwide proudly wearing my slogan tshirts, vests and hoodies, and in fact that marketing tactic helped me get my brand in front of an estimated 50 million women worldwide.

But it wasn’t an overnight success, nothing was…and if I am being honest the first few years were hell. I didn’t have a business coach, I was juggling the business with having a tiny baby at home fulltime (now I have a 7 year old instead at home ha ha) and I had to graft for every single client.

I know better now.

I’ve made all my mistakes.

I’ve tried ALL the tactics…I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t and yes I’d probably do a lot of things differently.

Vision is great, but it’s not enough.

Having belief is good…but that’s not enough either, cos bloody hell does that get tested over time.

What I now know to be true is that we can not work on building empires by ourselves, if we are to build stadiums we must also build tribes, and if we are to build tribes then we need to build support networks and teams toi support us while we do it.

Having an inner circle while you are birthing something is what keeps us sane, it’s what helps us to prove concept, fine tune our ideas, see things that are so apparent but we are too close to them.

Having an inner circle allows us to be vulnerable and accept out flaws, and the gaps in our expertise…but it also allows us to truly see our own greatness in ways we can’t see by ourselves.

It’s why I love running group programmes, it’s why I love building community.

Over the past decade I have worked with more than 20K people in one of my online group programmes.

Over the past 2 decades I have worked on, designed, created and facilitated programmes that have impacted on millions of lives worldwide

I am an expert community engagement strategist and business mentor, I help my clients to activate their dreams and activate their network to help them build their dreams from the bottom up.

I work with change makers and community builders who care about people, and don’t just see them as a paycheck. I work with clients who see the value in doing their work in groups, not because its easier or more profitable but because its adds a magic that can’t be found in working one to one.

You don’t have to do it yourself

DIY in the house is a ball ache, so why would it be fun in your business?

You don’t have to put in ALL of the graft, ALL of the energy, ALL of the ideas…let others pick up some of the load

Build yourself up and surround yourself with the right people and they will come…thats what Kevin should have said.

And they will, and they did, and they do.

Now let’s get building.

Julie Creffield is an Engagement Strategist & Business Mentor from East London who helps her clients create businesses that get full attention in the world, creating programmes that engage and communities that thrive.

The doors are now open for the May cohort of One to Many, her 8 week incubator that helps experts to take their genius online to the masses using a group programme model.

Sign up this weekend only for just ￡1000+V.A.T

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