I call it “Grass Is Greener Syndrome.” I have heard others call it “chasing multiple rabbits.” Regardless of the vernacular, the point of the saying remains the same and many of us entrepreneurs (including myself) suffer from it. Going after multiple different opportunities either at the same time or starting one and before it is to fruition you begin on another.

Let me paint you a picture. I am partners in a data management company. We help maximize business continuity and initiate multiple levels of redundancy for your data. In other words, we keep your business going and your data backed up automatically. During the course of getting that business up and running, I helped to develop a fantastic process (currently patent pending) that secures your data. It is data protection on steroids. So now we do data management and I also have to start seeking avenues to promote data protection. Not a far cry from each other as they both deal with data.

About this time, one of my other companies, a web hosting and development company, began to take off. We took on two other partners and our volume, as well as services, began to grow. Because I am the partner that is sought for innovation and marketing, now I am faced with actively promoting and working with my partners to develop processes to handle the growth. So, now I have data management, data protection and web site hosting and development.

Not long after this, I had an associate from the northeast region of the US contact me about another opportunity. As I said, I am sought for innovation and marketing. They knew of this technology in Europe that will eliminate the need for landfills. It can process medical waste and the resulting processed material is non-toxic. When you combine this with a gasifier you can literally turn trash into electricity or remove landfills and make the area arable land again. So, I jumped on board and brought in a few other people. We acquired the exclusive distribution rights for the US and US Territories. We made appropriate partnerships here in the US with other companies that can enhance our solution and augment our offering. I got the ball rolling with strategic partnerships and started my marketing mojo.

Soon after this got started I was asked to (I am just going to list things now rather than full stories or we will be here forever) help with the sale of home medical equipment, limousines, promo gifts, glyconutrient supplements, video intelligence software, 3d technology, Bill Mack art work and some original plans for parts of the Panama Canal. I am sure there were more. But that is all I can remember at the time.

Slowly but steadily things began to spiral out of control. I went from doing a few things excellent to many things mediocre. I am not a mediocre person and this situation did not sit well with me. I suffered from Grass Is Greener Syndrome. Every single one of these opportunities were 5 figure and higher deals. They were all legitimate and not pie in the sky dreams. That is what sucked me in so quickly. As I got one started, I looked at the next and the grass looked greener over there where the new opportunity was. So, I would head on over there to the greener grass until my eye spotted another opportunity in an even greener pasture. A good friend of mine said that I was going to chase many rabbits and catch none.

After he told me this and I figured out why I was unhappy (I was unhappy because I was not performing excellent in any one category), I sat back and evaluated my life. I cleared the table and began to evaluate every opportunity that I had before me. I decided to put a majority of my effort into one main goal and effort into two other projects if and only if I had any down time. I picked the one project I had the most time invested in and the most experience. Then I picked two other projects in the same manner. I cleared my plate of all other opportunities. I didn’t thrown them away, simply put them on pause. And I began to pour all of my effort into that one main project and only working on my other two during times of inactivity with my primary focus.

Things began to turn around for me internally. I was excelling again and no longer performed mediocre. The project with my main focus began to flourish and will soon be on autopilot, not requiring my constant attention. When that happens, one of my other two projects will come to the forefront and another one will move into one of my two secondary positions for projects. I was told by people who had already achieved multiple millions of dollars to focus my concentration. I thought I knew better. They were right. I corrected. Now I am repeating what they told me and my experience.

All of you rabbit chasers and people who suffer from Grass Is Greener Syndrome, heed my warning. Focus on one business or main project at a time. Build it up until it runs by itself (off of processes) or you sell it, then move on. For those of you who choose not to listen because you know better. Please visit this post when you change your mind and leave your comments for others to learn from.