Breaking out of your entrepreneurial “Groundhog Day”

Does running or leading your business feel like doing a lot of the same tasks and having many of the same conversations, day in and day out? Is your circle of daily contacts mainly limited to just your team? Do you feel that you are just doing the work of the business, and not focused on building the business? Are you in entrepreneurial Groundhog Day?

With all due respect to the annual February 2nd event hosted by our Punxsutawney neighbors, my Groundhog Day reference pertains to the conceit of the 1993 movie starring Bill Murray. If you’re unfamiliar, the main character finds himself living the same day over and over (and over) again. For those running a business, it’s not a stretch to say that that same feeling may exist for you too. The list of responsibilities, the boxes that need to be checked, the tasks associated with keeping things in line and on track can consume all your effort. While it’s important to ensure your business’s day-to-day is managed appropriately, you could be doing long-term harm by continuing to tread in the ruts your success has created.

It’s not surprising why business leaders fall into cycles of activity. There’s safety in doing what you know, and what you’ve always done, and maybe even what’s gotten you to where you are. Changing habits and approaches, let alone product or service offerings, industry focuses, or strategic partnerships, can be big mental hurdles that can inhibit growth. Also, patterns are easier and clearer to plan; however, what you gain in the ability to plan your present can weaken your ability to be adaptable and seize on opportunities when they present themselves in the future.

Fortunately, there are many small steps and resources in our region that can help you shake up your current ways of working and break out of your cycles. Among the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence’s network of entrepreneurs and business leaders, joining a peer group with fellow business leaders, meeting with a management consultant, finding an industry mentor, or partaking of business educational topics presented locally have proven to be effective adjustments to their day-to-day activities, as well as contributing to their feeling of being able to operate at a higher level.

What these new opportunities present are the ability to engage with diverse networks to get you thinking outside of your current streams, collaborate with people outside of your industry to see how they are handling similar challenges, and learn from experts on topics you typically wouldn’t encounter in your current cycle of activity. These new connections can also lead to mentorship or coaching engagements, furthering your growth and potentially opening new networks for you to access. Gaining these diverse viewpoints not only helps you make more informed business decisions, but also aids you as you navigate challenges with fresh perspectives.

While looking to add something more to your schedule may seem like it could disrupt how you run your business, consider how you could benefit by changing your pace or trying something new. Hopefully these will help you break out of your own “Groundhog Day” and break open new entrepreneurial prospects.

Bob brings to his role more than 20 years of entrepreneurism, nationally recognized technology expertise and visionary leadership. In addition to leading Pitt’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence as its executive director, Bob comes from a history of entrepreneurism through his family-owned coal processing business.

Bob Stein

Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
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