2 Questions that Make Business Success (and anything else) Simpler

By Sara Torpey, Business Coach at Torpey Coaching and Creator of Selling for Weirdos

I guarantee there is at least one spot in your business or life where you're thinking 'gah, this is complicated,' or you're doing something in 13 steps that could really be 5.

Maybe it’s selling, or feeding your family dinner (again!), or maybe it’s networking and connecting -  but no matter what it is? 

You are not alone - this is all of us. We all do this thing where we take something that could be simple and try to solve it in 11 extra steps.

Over time I have discovered - in my own work, and in work with my coaching clients 1:1, in groups, or in the Uncomplicating Business Lab - I have found that when there is something that *feels* harder than it needs to be there are two key questions that help figure out how to make whatever that thing is SIMPLER, every time.

Ready?

​1. What is the actual problem I'm trying to solve right now?

2. What are the fewest steps I can take to solve it?

And before you're like 'okay, those are fine and it sounds maybe tooooo simple?' there are two notes:

Question 1 might seem weird but it's VITAL --- because at least half the time we're taking 22 steps to do something, we're taking steps that have little or nothing to do with where we're trying to go/what we're trying to accomplish. Taking a moment just to step back and refocus in on what you’re actually trying to accomplish or solve often goes a long way to removing excess complication and steps.

For example - if what’s feeling complicated is networking and connecting, the question to ask might be: what am I trying to accomplish through networking/connecting? Why do networking and connecting matter to my business right now? 

Your answer might be that you’re looking to expand your network of people who know you and what you do to create more sales over the long term, it might be that you’re networking to build a network that you can use to make referrals for clients and colleagues, or something else. 

And Question 2? It might seem obvious --- and yet it is worthy of intentionally asking. It’s not about ‘how have I solved this before?’ or ‘what steps can I get rid of?’ but rather how can you approach whatever you’re doing that allows you to reach the end goal in the fewest possible steps. 

To continue the example we used a moment ago, if the problem you’re solving is growing your network for sales (or referral partners) the simplest path to meeting new people might be to join a networking group where the people and focus of the members line up with your own. One example is the Prosper Network, where women connect around shared values of generosity, reciprocity, and expansion to grow successful businesses and each other. 

No matter what problem you’re solving, these two questions work because they ask us to step back and get re-grounded in the problem we're trying to solve ---- whether it's how to make more sales OR deciding what's for dinner (again) --- and then look at whatever we're doing with fresh eyes.

Taking a pause to step back and look at the problem gives you the birds-eye view needed to chart a straighter, and simpler course to success.  

If you’d like to simplify networking and connecting by joining a group of amazing women who are committed to growing through giving twice as much as we get, come join me in the Prosper Network.

Sara Torpey is the creator of Selling for Weirdos and a Business Coach at Torpey Coaching. She helps the teachers, helpers, and givers of the business world sell more and help more people by GIVING + INVITING instead of convincing.

You can learn more and find a time to CONNECT with her on her website.