Why the “what” was so hard to answer…
I created WorkPlay Solutions in July of 2021 because I wanted to help people.
The “why” of my vision was crystal clear. “Life is too short for work to suck.” As a card-carrying member of the great resignation, I wanted better for myself. I wanted better for others. I wanted to serve the Lord and match my skills and experience to people that needed them. I started with the “why.” Simon Sinek would be so proud.
However, when you launch a new business, the question people first ask you is rarely the “why.” Instead, friends, family, colleagues always ask, “What does your business do?”. I have found that question much harder to answer than I anticipated. Every time I was asked that question, my brain shut off the business side, and Fun-Mark took over. I could hear these things coming out of my mouth:
“We do identity theft… Preventing it? Haha, no. We create it. I’m working on some great Nigerian prince emails right now. So… what’s your mother’s maiden name? (Long awkward pause)”
After a moment the other person would realize I was joking, we would laugh together. Then I would try to answer the question authentically.
“Well, I have a diverse set of skills and experience, and I like to help people solve problems. So, what problems do you have?”
My response was incredibly vague and unhelpful. I made the mistake of assuming when I spoke to a friend or a colleague, that person already knew my work history and capabilities. I believed it should be obvious what my new business could do. There are a few things wrong with that assumption. For the sake of being concise, I will not dive deep into those errors in thinking right now.
Looking back, my formal role in my previous organization was to manage and inspect the challenge course, create new activities, and train staff. But for much of my professional career, I was used as a Swiss army knife. If there was a need, and someone was needed to help blaze a trail forward by learning a new skill, system, or software quickly, I was all over it. I served on organization-wide committees and projects not because of my role but because of how my mind analyses, simplifies and strategizes. So I implemented new software, managed projects, created advanced surveys and reports, learned how to lead people, and designed resources. The organization and I benefited from the variety of expertise.
For weeks, I found myself avoiding dealing with the “what” question and focusing only on the operational infrastructure of the business. I formed an LLC, decided on the logo and brand colors, and built a website necessary to operate the business. Business license, insurance, startup funds, check, check, check. But I still delayed in definitively answering that question, “What does WorkPlay Solutions actually do?”
I did some soul searching into my hesitation, I realized what was going on inside me. The decision was about the nature of possibilities and how we think about the future. I have always been a person energized by the infinite nature of the unknown. I love to brainstorm. I love to ask, “what if?”. To cast a vision to see what isn’t but could be. Until I say conclusively, my business does X, Y, or Z, there is always the potential to do A through W. Now I’m under no illusion that I can do anything and everything. I’m not going to be performing medical procedures or trying my hand at corporate accounting. There are thousands of things I’m not qualified to do. However, I have a diverse set of knowledge, skills, and experience that overlap in unique ways. And that makes it somewhat challenging fitting my business into an existing mold.
So how on earth do I communicate my abilities as a unique value proposition? I’m not sure I know. Are you looking to hire a Consultant/Trainer/Facilitator/Designer with Experiential Learning, L&D, Risk & Safety, Event Planning, Software, Project Management, Evaluation, etc. experience? It sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud. (This is one of the reasons why my email signature just says “Owner.”)
It makes me wonder about the boxes we put people in. The Justin Timberlake’s and Hugh Jackman’s of the world are good at everything (and make us normal human beings jealous). But they are the exception. Most of the time, we view our coworkers as more like Robert Patrick than Timberlake or Jackman. Robert Patrick is a shining example of someone who is an excellent actor but typecast in Hollywood. Patrick plays the no-nonsense military leader in EVERYTHING. I can only imagine what it’s like for him to read scripts for different roles and with such limited variety. Should he play a “straight-shooting Army Major” or “by-the-book Air Force Colonel?”
This line of thinking still did not answer the question, “What will my company do?” Then finally I had an insight into my procrastination. If I do not decide, I do not have to suffer. When I decide what the company does, I have to put to death all the possible things we will not do. And lost possibilities are something we need to grieve. Procrastination becomes a defense mechanism against pain.
I think it’s the same reason why it took me forever to watch the second season of the Netflix show Stranger Things. Season one was incredible, and I knew season two would be just as fantastic. But I put off watching it for over a year. This delay drove my friend Joseph crazy as he wanted to talk about the new season immediately. There was an infinite range of possibilities for how it could be superb and I did not want that feeling to end. It was like the show was Schrödinger’s cat in my mind. Both alive and dead at the same until it was observed.
I think it’s the same reason why my favorite part of Christmas morning is the moment before we opened gifts. Anything could be inside those boxes. (Well, not anything on a middle-class budget). After the wrapping paper is removed and the presents are revealed, the time of dreaming is over. This was true even if I got the gift I really wanted.
And frankly, after almost two years of the pandemic, I did not want to do any more grieving. But to grow, move forward, and actually help other people accomplish their goals, I needed to get past this discomfort. In working through this process, I realized a few things. There is power in boundaries. Limitless possibilities are thrilling but also suffocating at the same time. You can’t stay here forever. And choosing not to do a particular type of work does not mean I have to cut that piece out of my life or kill it permanently. I’m working with Rachel Eichhotlz on a children’s picture book for foster kids. Writing a children’s book is one of my dreams. I’m passionate about loving and giving back to the foster care community. What does this book have to do with WorkPlay Solutions? Absolutely nothing, but that’s ok. I expect to lose money on the project, but I feel like it’s the right thing to do. The lie I believed was as an entrepreneur, all your work and effort needs to be on your business. It doesn’t.
Some of the exciting projects will get pushed back to the “yes, but not yet” list. They do not have to be killed. They live on for a time in the future when I need to try something new. I do not weep because they are only postponed, not canceled. We only have so much time, energy, resources, attention at one time. It’s good to put things on the “yes, but not yet” list, and I am ok with that growing and growing faster than I can check them off. It is exciting knowing there is always a challenge or adventure waiting to be started.
If you scroll down to the end of the page, you can see a comparison between my first post-plunge brainstorming session and where we are now. I hope you can see the growth. And a special thank you to everyone who put up with my stupid jokes about Nigerian prince emails.
Reflection and Action:
Have you ever been afraid to take the next step?
How did you overcome this feeling of paralysis?
What is the relationship between boundaries and possibilities?
Think of an experience or project that prepared you for where you are now.
Share it with someone in your circle.
If most colleagues only see a piece of you, how can you show them more of your capabilities?
What question(s) have you been avoiding?
Commit to seeking out genuine answers even if they are uncomfortable.
What I should do with my (unnamed) business: (Brainstorming session: July 1, 2021)
Write blogs
Write children’s books
Make cartoons
Write a daily comic or comic books
Write satire
Create a podcast
Write professional books
Author LMS Courses
Consulting
Training
Freelance Facilitation
Project Management Professional
Work in Corporate Learning and Development
Get a job in product development
Become a SCRUM master
Get my MBA
Design board games
Design card games
Make escape rooms
Do OSHA certification
Teach sports psychology
Do freelance work on Fiverr
Create experiential learning props
Create facilitation and processing tools
Learn app development
Create an online store or garage business
Package and sell my “content.”
Design assessments and surveys
What WorkPlay Solutions does: (November 1, 2021)
We want everyone to discover the joy of work. We create catalytic events and activites that help people build, train, and manage their teams.
Build Your Team:
Experience fun and memorable times together
Create catalytic events
Establish vision, values, and norms
Train Your Team
Make training more effective
Discover activities, tools, and techniques to engage learners
Evaluate your training
Manage Your Team:
Cultivate a healthy culture
Simplify processes and systems
Lead effective meetings
Update (December 3, 2021): I read this today and the content is still true, but it does not seem like the “big reveal” it did when I wrote it a month ago. I guess that is how growth works. We are one step closer, and always striving for more.
