When is it too much?

Someone told me recently that I need to pick one thing and focus on it. This is something I find hard to do because I consider myself multi-gifted. However, now I'm wondering if it's the jack-of-all-trades that actually holding me back. My professor told me last week that her mentor once said, "your strengths can also be your weakness".

1. I have a publishing company that I've published all 3 of my books under. Books 4 and 5 are ready to go to the editor.

2. I have a production company which produces stage play, events, comedy shows and webseries. Right now, I'm have my first play, which I wrote and produced, The Virgin Mary Monologues. It's performed throughout New Jersey.

3. I just started another company, Kingdom Graphics and Printing. Why? Because I just got my degree in Computer Arts aka graphic design. Initially, I went back to college to be my own graphic designer because I couldn't afford to hire someone to design my poster, banner and etc and as a dislocated worker, I would get full financial aid. Now, I design for other entrepreneurs and ministries.

I love all of these companies. Do I really need to choose one? Writing is my form of expression. When I'm upset I write. When I'm lonely I design. When bored I create new plays, themes for books and shows.

Is this branding chaos?

Replies

Patricia McClain Osborne July 2, 2011 at 3:47am

I understand your your plight. I am feeling the same way with my business ventures. One question you may have to ask yourself. Do they integrate well with each other. It seems to me in reading your post they do. They benefit you on a personal level in regards to personally and professionally. I would say that the only other determining factor is the contract work you do for others. This may be the distraction from primary focus. Your creative self. As long as you do take on more than you can handle in regards to your clients you are designing for I would say you will be fine. Being a multi-tasker and using all your gifts is not a bad thing. A great example is the inventor he/she does not have just one invention but many often times simultaneously, but let us not forget the wife, the mother, the caregiver to the family is she not in her own way a multi-tasker the jack of all trades? Just sit back relax go through your pros and cons, what has worked, what has not. You will find your solution. I am most confident in that.
Good Luck to you and blessings.
- An Sean Fields > Patricia McClain Osborne July 7, 2011 at 7:46pm
  
  Hi Patricia:
  
  Thank you for the vote of confidence. I need it and yes, the companies do integrate very will with one another. I have held back from taking on any outside graphic design assignments and I'm completely focused on repositioning my brand. In fact, I'm working on a new websites and fliers now. I want people to take my companies serious, so I know that means having a professional image.
  
  My main goal is to start turning a profit to fire people, so I'm not a one woman show. Until then, I'm Jan of all trades.
  
  Blessings.
Rickey July 1, 2011 at 7:17am

You can have anything you want, you just cannot have everything you want.

You do not have enough time to have everything you want.

You have to make a choice, which activity is best for my business growth. You can be great in all activities, however, being finite means discipline and focus must become our business partner.

Now, you can brand yourself to include all activities,

However, you show still pick your "strength" and lead with that.

You can give it a timeline to establish if that is the "strength" you want to pursue i.e I will focus on doing the best I can with this "strength" for X time and not allow myself to be distracted.

How will know which is your "strength" if you keep "spreading yourself thin?"

Business building demands (business is so selfish) that we do many things and sometimes we let ourselves ( or convince ourselves) those things become most important.

As Stephen Covey points out "we must do first things first". The trick is identify what should be first.

If you are in business to earn a great income, you may want to use that as your "direction finder", which activity produces the best income? The answer should help you decide.

Now, if the question is, which activity gives me the most pleasure, that may a totally different choice.

Ask yourself, why am I in business. Be honest! Accept your honesty and pursue it.

No amount of travel down the wrong road will lead to the right destination.

You can have anything you want, you just can not have everything you want.

Have most productive days,

Rickey
- An Sean Fields > Rickey July 7, 2011 at 7:41pm
  
  Hi Rickey,
  
  Thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate it. To be honest with myself, I do want to earn a great income because, firstly I love being an author and playwright. Writing is more than my passion, its therapeutic. When I was a small child, I knew I was going to be an author. Second, I love my words coming to life via the stage, using it as a platform to make people feel and think. Plus, all of my business are really linked. I write the books -> turn them into plays -> design all the marketing materials for them.
  
  I think I just need balance. I need a schedule that works and allows me to remained focused through the different phases of business.
Paradise June 21, 2011 at 6:25pm

It's a catch 22! Most of us are multi-talented but there are some areas we're good at that we're REALLY good at and I find that is where our focus should lie. I'm a writer, admin, paralegal, marketer, etc... but I find my strength lies more in marketing than anything else and the other talents fall in line with that area. Does that make sense?

Many thanks and regards,

Shellye L. Lyons

Business / Marketing Manager

The Lyons Group, LLC

office 214.960.2795, ext. 103

www.thelyonsgrouptx.com

Social Networks

www.facebook.com/lyonsgroup

www.twitter.com/thelyonsgroup

www.linkedin.com/in/thelyonsgrouptx

Click Here to subscribe to our Newsletter for great tips on promoting your business!
- An Sean Fields > Paradise June 21, 2011 at 7:30pm
  
  That does makes sense but what if what you're REALLY good at isn't generating a revenue? In fact, I've been out of Corporate America since 2008 and I'm considering going back for at least 6 months to dig myself out of debt. I've put everything on the line.
  - MOCHA > An Sean Fields June 21, 2011 at 8:37pm
    
    Maybe someone like Shellye whose strength is marketing can assist with ways to get your name/brand out there more so that you can generate more income. I'm interested in book publishing, but I'd rather go through someone like yourself because of the time constraints.
    - An Sean Fields > MOCHA June 21, 2011 at 11:15pm
      
      We can definitely discuss your project. Please feel free to visit my website at: www.bfponthweb.com or email me at afields@bfpontheweb.com.
      
      I look forward to hearing from you.
Amanda Hollowell June 21, 2011 at 6:22pm

I was thinking the same thing. Is it wrong to be a jack of all trades or can you only be successful if you have a specific skill. I have a marketing/pr company, I have my own event planning company, and I have blog. I feel like you have to have multistreams of revenue coming in. Until that one show itself to be your profit generator. That is kind of how I have to live by until what truly works shows itself to me. Is that wrong?
- An Sean Fields > Amanda Hollowell June 21, 2011 at 7:27pm
  
  If it's wrong then I'm in trouble because I'm with you. I believe in having multistreams of revenue as well, hoping one will take off and pull the other with it.

of 2