How to Make Big-Picture Decisions in a Small-Picture World
By: Derick Van Ness
Tags: Business Strategy, Big Picture Thinking, Business, Big Picture, Decision Making

You can’t be aggressive and confused at the same time. - Darrell Royal

One of the biggest mistakes you might be making right now is only thinking about right now.

A lot of people are stuck in the moment, held hostage by fear, confusion and doubt. They’re asking, “How am I going to pay the bills this week?” without also asking, “What moves can I make in this season to position me for success in the next?”

Missing the Big Picture Can Cost More Than You Think

Back in 2008, I was in the house-flipping business. As the market started to dry up, I didn’t really understand what was happening. I didn’t have a big-picture vision, and it cost me everything.

I ended up losing over $2.5 million and filing for bankruptcy. Worse still, it caused me to question myself and struggle with making decisions for about two years after that. When you don’t trust yourself, you can’t move forward in life.

I don’t want that to happen to you.

“When you don’t trust yourself, you can’t move forward in life.” — Derick Van Ness

In 2008, I made the mistake of only looking at my business, my expenses, my needs and my desires.

Right now, no one knows what will happen. We’ve never had the world economy come to a screeching halt and make everybody go home for months.

The playing field is level right now, which means your ability to think is your #1 asset.

I want to help you zoom out and get a big-picture perspective on everything that’s going on.

Steps to Make Sure You’re Seeing the Big Picture

1. Think about the data that IS available to you

For example, is your company going through layoffs right now? Are there some industries or fields that are excelling, whose services and products are in high demand? Would your expertise add value in one of these industries?

Don’t just think about your concrete skills — think about things like supervisory experience, persuasion abilities and problem-solving abilities.

2. Ask, “What don’t I know? What data do I need to gather?”

This could include information in the news about mortgages, banking, Wall Street, new SBA loans, unemployment/disability, etc.

Key tip: Don’t miss things because you don’t want to see them.

Photo by Alekon pictures on Unsplash

When mortgages were tightening up and banks stopped lending, I was in denial because it had never happened before. But just because it’s never happened before doesn’t mean it’s not happening right now.

Don’t wait for the news to tell you. By the time you heard on the news that a recession was hitting, we were already in a recession. By the time you heard real estate was slowing down, it had already slowed down. By the time you heard COVID-19 was going to be a big deal, it was already a big deal.

The government doesn’t want people to panic. Because of that, they usually wait for most people to figure it out, and then they tell you.

Do your own research, trust your own eyes, trust your own ears — trust yourself.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What do I see happening? What is actually happening that I don’t want to see? What do I think is going to happen, based on my industry and my experience? What is the data telling me? What is my heart telling me? What are people afraid of, and what do they want?

Writing down your answers to these questions will help you figure out the next steps your business needs to take.

3. Don’t wait to pivot — go for it!

As the classic book Who Moved My Cheese? teaches, once you’ve examined the evidence and reached your conclusions, don’t wait until the landscape has already changed to change with it.

For example, in my business, we help people grow their wealth and save money on taxes. Right now, people need short-term relief and aren’t worried about the long term as much. A huge opportunity has opened up for us to help small businesses get tax breaks right away. We often help put $10,000 or more back in business owners’ pockets within just a couple of months.

4. Keep the core of your business grounded in things that don’t change

As you decide how to pivot your business to help people where they’re at right now, ask yourself what has changed and what hasn’t changed. Build your business around things that don’t change.

In our business, people will always want to grow their money, will always need security, and will always enjoy seeing instant results.

If we help people save money right now to get them through this tough season with taxes, we will have a good relationship. Then if we talk to them about growth strategies down the road, we’ve already proven that we know what we’re doing.

Be overprepared, not underprepared. You can use these short-term circumstances to strengthen your long-term plan for your business.

The key is to take action now. If you wait 60–90 days, the whole landscape may have changed. Once you’ve asked your big-picture questions, you’re ready to take steps in the short term that will pay huge rewards down the road.

Trust Yourself to Know the Next Step

Photo by Thom Holmes on Unsplash

Once you’ve looked closely at what you know, sought out what you don’t, and decided how you want to pivot (while keeping your business grounded in fundamental truths), trust yourself to know what’s next.

My biggest loss in 2008 wasn’t the money — it was self-trust. Taking the time to see the big picture doesn’t mean everything will turn out fine. But it does mean you can trust yourself because you’ve done everything you can to position your business for success in an uncertain future.