Mental snapshots

Create mental snapshots of the future, and keep your business model secret.

If you want to succeed in business and life, you need to know where you’re going. Sara Blakely, founder of hosiery company Spanx, knew exactly where that was for her.

How did she know?

She created mental snapshots: visions of herself having accomplished ambitious but concrete goals. And even though she didn’t know how she was going to accomplish them, she could use her mental snapshots to cheer herself on and renew her faith in her ability to get there somehow.

For example, Blakely already dreamt about being on The Oprah Winfrey Show when she was in high school. She used that dream to fuel her work until the year 2000, when Oprah named Spanx as one of her new favorite products.

But no matter how excited you are about your business idea, be careful about sharing it too openly.

It’s normal to want to share your great idea with everyone you know. But instead of receiving the support you need, you may well find yourself in the discouraging position of having to constantly defend your business model against the skeptical remarks of friends and family.

Think of how Blakely’s parents reacted when she told them she wanted to sell footless pantyhose: They were extremely skeptical. Even though she had clearly invested a lot in her idea, her parents simply couldn’t see the potential.

And then there’s another risk that comes with sharing your idea. Someone might steal it from you. That’s why you should only talk with potential investors until your business is up and running.