As an entrepreneur, don’t be overly impressed with complexity and flash; rather, be impressed by simplification.  Consultants tend to make simple concepts complicated – that’s often how they justify their involvement and their hefty fees.  Good entrepreneurs on the other hand, tend to have a gift for simplifying complex tasks and being able to lead other people in attaining complex goals, one understandable step at a time.  As you identify the tasks that will allow you to grow your company and reach your goals, before you try to execute on them, be sure to break them down into their basic elements.  It will greatly increase the likelihood that you and your team will complete these key tasks successfully.  Be impressed by the company or team that can execute “lay-ups” consistently, rather than those that can throw in a three-pointer or a half court shot every once in a while.  It’s all about consistency, execution and simplification.

You must break down everything you do, no matter how complex it is, into bite-size, manageable chunks.  With all the tasks you have to manage as an entrepreneur building a company, it is easy to get overwhelmed.  It’s particularly difficult when many of these tasks are complex.  The only way to thrive in such an environment is to become adept at breaking tasks into manageable pieces, then knocking them off, one by one.  As discussed elsewhere, it is also very important to delegate these pieces wherever possible.  Don’t try to do it all yourself – it’s not efficient and it’s not a good use of your time to try to do everything.  Learn to uncover where the leverage points are in each of the projects and tasks you must perform or delegate.  Focus your energy on the high impact tasks or critical pieces of larger projects.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember the Chinese proverb that says, “a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”  Get over your paralysis, break the task down in to manageable pieces, and get started!