What Are You Willing to Try?

Yesterday we asked a different kind of question.

What possibility does your business keep showing you?

Maybe it was a service you could offer.

A different way to do something.

A piece of equipment you could put to better use.

A relationship worth developing.

An idea you've been carrying around for a while.

Maybe it was simply a little “What if?” that keeps showing up.

So now what?

Try something.

Not everything.

Not the finished version.

And definitely not the version where you quit your job, borrow $100,000 and hope you were right. 😂

Just something real enough that you can learn from it.

You Don't Need to Know Where It Ends

I think sometimes we put too much pressure on ideas.

The moment we see a possibility, we start trying to figure out the entire thing.

What's the business model?
What's the name?
How much will it cost?
Who is going to run it?
What happens if it works?
What happens if it doesn't?

Before long, we've talked ourselves out of something we haven't even tried yet.

But what if the first question wasn't:

“Will this work?”

What if it was:

“What can I try?”

There's a big difference.

Trying gives you permission to learn without pretending you already know the answer.

You think customers might want a new service?
Try offering it to a few.

You think there's a better way to handle something in the shop?
Try doing it differently for a week.

You think you could create a show?
Record one conversation.

You think people might want to read the stories behind the people you meet?
Write one.

You don't always need a five-year plan to take the next five-foot step.

Sometimes Trying Doesn't Look Like Much

I've been thinking about this one personally.

Because if you've been following what we're doing, you've probably noticed I've been spending a lot of time building Red Alpha Studios.

But it didn't start with everything you see now.

It started with trying things.

Have a conversation.

Try another one.

Create a different kind of show.

Write something in the morning.

Tell a guest's story in a way we hadn't tried before.

Make some clips.

Try a new format.

Build a place where all of it can eventually live together.

Then yesterday, we officially opened the doors to the new Red Alpha Studios website.

And yes, I'm proud of that.

I'm okay with patting myself on the back every now and then. 😂

But this isn't the victory lap.

We're still trying.

There are things we're doing today that may become a major part of Red Alpha Studios.

There are probably things we're doing today that won't.

And there are things Red Alpha Studios may eventually become that I can't see yet.

That's the point.

Trying Gives the Business a Chance to Answer You

This may be the part we miss.

When an idea stays in your head, you're the only one who can respond to it.

You can think about it.
Analyze it.
Talk yourself into it.
Talk yourself out of it.

But once you make the idea tangible, something changes.

Now the world gets to respond.

Customers respond.
Your team responds.
The market responds.
The numbers respond.

Sometimes the answer is:

Yes. Keep going.

Sometimes it's:

Maybe—but not like that.

Sometimes it's:

Nope. 😂

And that's useful too.

Because trying something that doesn't work isn't necessarily wasted effort if it teaches you something you couldn't have learned while the idea was still sitting in your head.

And information gives you something to work with.

Certainty Usually Comes Later

A lot of us want certainty before we're willing to move.

I understand that.

Especially when you're running a business and your decisions affect employees, customers and your family.

You shouldn't recklessly chase every idea that crosses your mind.

But there's a difference between being responsible and being afraid to try.

Sometimes we're waiting for a level of certainty that simply isn't available yet.

Because certainty is often something you get after you try—not before.

You learn by doing.
You adjust.
You try again.
You get better information.

And slowly, something that started as:

“What if?”

becomes:

“I think there's something here.”

And eventually, maybe:

“Let's build it.”

Read Between the Lines

We've spent several mornings learning how to listen to what our businesses are telling us.

Repeated questions can tell us something.
Interruptions can tell us something.
An owner's absence can tell us something.
Knowledge trapped inside someone's head can tell us something.

And yesterday we talked about recognizing the possibilities hiding between the lines.

But recognizing a possibility isn't enough.

At some point, you have to interact with it.

Give it a little room.
Put something in the world that wasn't there yesterday.
Then pay attention to what happens.

You don't have to know exactly where it leads.

You don't have to have the whole thing figured out.

You don't even have to be right.

You just have to be willing to learn.

So as you look at your business today, here's the question I want to leave you with:

Because the idea you've been thinking about might not need another month of thinking.

It might just need its first chance to answer you.

What if?

Let's find out.