Start at the epicenter

When you start anything new, there are forces pulling you in a variety of

directions. There's the stuff you could do, the stuff you want to do, and the stuff

you have to do. The stuff you have to do is where you should begin. Start at the

epicenter.

For example, if you're opening a hot dog stand, you could worry about the

condiments, the cart, the name, the decoration. But the first thing you should

worry about is the hot dog. The hot dogs are the epicenter. Everything else is

secondary.

The way to find the epicenter is to ask yourself this question: "If I took this

away, would what I'm selling still exist?" A hot dog stand isn't a hot dog stand

without the hot dogs. You can take away the onions, the relish, the mustard, etc.

Some people may not like your toppings-less dogs, but you'd still have a hot dog

stand. But you simply cannot have a hot dog stand without any hot dogs.

So figure out your epicenter. Which part of your equation can't be removed? If

you can continue to get by without this thing or that thing, then those things

aren't the epicenter. When you find it, you'll know. Then focus all your energy on

making it the best it can be. Everything else you do depends on that foundation.