Fat, Unhealthy, Troublemakin’ Dogs… and Pizza

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of opportunities you have?

I feel that way about pizza. So many pizza styles to choose from that it’s hard to pick only one.

As of late, I’ve felt the same way about business ideas. Being an optimistic person is normally a good thing but doesn’t help in this case since it makes me want to run with every idea I have.

Let’s face it, this is a prime example of a first-world problem.

If you’re anything like me, you’re loaded with tons of ideas. I see them everywhere.

If a problem exists, there’s a solution that can help people solve the problem and a business model that can earn money. It’s quite an addicting thought-pattern.

Actually, it happened to me yesterday. I went for a 3-mile walk (yes, in January and in Milwaukee). Most people go for walks to relieve stress, meditate on life, and recite their corny pick-up lines. Okay, maybe not that last one but you know what I mean.

Want to know what I did during my 3-mile walk yesterday? I thought about fat, unhealthy, troublemakin’ dogs.

Let me explain.

I walk and jog often during Milwaukee’s warm months. Every time I go for a walk, I see someone walking their dog.

There’s not a dog in sight during the winter though. Based on that observation, this is the kind of conversation I had with myself for 3-miles:

Do people even walk their dogs during the winter?

Probably not, there’s a ton of people who don’t walk their dogs when it’s warm!

Does that mean that dogs are fat and unhealthy during winter?

I don’t know but I’ve seen some pretty fat labs hanging out during spring.

You know what Cesar Millan says about a dog who lacks exercise… They’re nothing but trouble! They have to direct that energy somewhere.

Hmm… I think there’s a business here… Dog walking during cold months! That’s most of the year here in Milwaukee.

I could start by walking my neighborhood dogs during winter months just as a proof-of-concept.

After that, I can scale by training and hiring high-school students in other neighborhoods.

I came up with about 5 business models for that idea during my 3-mile walk.

See what I mean? I should have been thinking about KiwiJar! That’s my latest project.

There are tons of things that I still need to figure out with KiwiJar and here I am thinking about dogs and how I can be the next Cesar Millan. I’ve never even owned a dog before!

What’s needed here is focus. No distractions or entertaining any other project ideas.

This is the part of the blog post where you would expect a solution to this first-world problem, right? Maybe a guide on how to stay focused during 3-mile walks?

Sadly, I don’t have one. No solution. Sorry.

All I have is a notebook full of ideas. I doubt that I’ll get to run with all of these ideas during my lifetime but if I execute just a couple, then the fat, unhealthy, troublemakin’ dogs, pizza dilemmas, and distracting ideas are all worth it.

Here’s the only piece of advice: Pick one of your ideas and run with it. It’s okay to be distracted with other ideas, just make a habit of finishing whatever you start.

Make a habit of shipping.

(shout out to all the #YourTurnChallenge peeps!)