Stop Chasing Rabbits: Pick One Business and Become a Top Performer

Today on the podcast, we're going to be looking at why you can't sell successfully for two businesses at the same time. Let me repeat, Today on the podcast, we're going to be looking at why you can't have two hustles. You can't have two side hustles If you're a career salesperson. You cannot sell for three orgas at the same time, 4 orgas at the same time, 2 orgas at the same time. You just can't. Now, the reason why this is the question we're tackling is because there are several listeners of the podcast who are in the same situation or in a worse off situation, and that is what we're going to tackle today.

Now, if you're interested in these sorts of things, then this podcast is your jam. How do you sell well for yourself if it's your own hustle? How do you sell on behalf of another person if you have an auger? These are the sorts of things we discuss over here on the podcast. So if you like these sorts of things, then this podcast is your jam. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple or any player of your choice. I'm your host, Tavi Shima Ayedi.

If you'd love to connect, you can call, send me a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. Also making today's recording at home, so you know, that's where all that noise is coming from in the background. So let's get straight into the topic for today again, why can't you sell successfully for two businesses at the same time? Like I said, the reason why I'm tackling this is because there are several listeners of the podcast.

And when I say several, I mean several. And even though I've spoken about things like this in the past, I'm wondering why, you know, I still keep running into people who. Anyway, let me just head straight into it. So there's one podcast listener in particular who is working for one employer or the employer has three businesses. So I repeat this guy, career salesman, and he's working for another guy. The other guy has three businesses.

And this salesperson is responsible for quotas on all three businesses. One of them a laundry service, another one selling HMO. We do like medical insurance and I can't quite remember the third right now. I'd have to check the charts. So I repeat one salesman, 1 OGA, 3 different businesses, one of them laundry services, the other one HMO service that's medical insurance. The third one I can't remember right now and he has quota for all three.

Then there's another listener who is self-employed. This guy is into dish installation. OK, no problem. DSTV Go TV. Well, you can say or join no problem. Then he's also into car tracking installation, OK. Then he's also into CCTV and then solar installation. OK. Then also this guy also runs a laundry again. And then there's some other stuff, maybe like two or three that I can't remember. And of course, this guy is trying to run all these barrels at the same time.

So apart from them, there are also people who reach out from the podcast, you know, they call themselves, you know, creatives. You know, I'm a creative person, blah, blah, blah. There's a term that used to be popular a couple of years ago called multi hyphenates. I don't hear that again. You see, this is the reason why I say you guys should just ignore these trends. These trends come and they go and you try and hop on the trend thinking that you're hoping on something substantial.

So before everybody was saying I'm a multi hyphenate, I'm a multi hyphenate. I'm a painter slash dancer slash photographer, slash videographer slash life coach slash bodybuilding coach slash. They'll just be put in slash slash hyphen, hyphen, hyphen. You now say I'm multi hyphenate and then you're trying to run all these multi businesses and then you're wondering why is nothing picking up? So all these multi hyphenate,

creative, multi talented, you know, I want to live my fullest potential kind of people. So yes, I'm also talking about you today, unfortunately, forget what you see on TV because on TV what they show is not as if it's a lie. They just show it in the wrong order. What you guys are seeing is the finished product. Whenever you see somebody and they say serial entrepreneur, multi something, something, something entrepreneur, what you guys are seeing is the finished product.

You are not seeing the steps that the person went through to get to that place. So some of you will see Richard Branson, billionaire serial entrepreneur, you know 20 something businesses like you are seeing the finished product. What you're not seeing is how he got there. Some of you will see Dangote, serial intrapreneur, you will see cement, sugar, spaghetti refinery, and the guy is now trying to open a port. What you're seeing is the finished product.

You're not seeing how the guy got there. Or for those of you who are in my own set, you're looking at Jay-Z, you're seeing him music. Used to be a musician. He has his own record label. They're doing music publishing. He's into fashion now. He's a venture capitalist. You are seeing the finished product. You are not seeing the steps how the guy got there. So that's what I'm saying now, please, First off, let us just forget what we are seeing on TV.

Or if we want to take cognizance of what we see on TV, we need to be realistic, a look at the reality of how these successful business owners who run successful businesses, how they got there. Now this is the reality. Most of these successful business owners built all these businesses, yes, but they built them successfully one at a time. They didn't start building all of them at a time. Dangote did not start the cement factory at the same time as the sugar factory, at the same time as the spaghetti factory, at the same time as the refinery.

Richard Branson did not start the music company at the same time as the airline company as the same time as the soda drinks company as the same time as all the other companies. Jay-Z did not start the music business at the same time as the fashion business as the same time as venture capital. That is not how they started. In fact, Dangote is famous for starting out as a trader, not a manufacturer. So part of the gist I've heard is that his big uncle dash him 19 trucks abusing 9 trucks and that's what he used to start trading.

Eventually he started trading in cement, then moved to importing cement, then moved to setting up the cement factory. Then later on there will be sugar, later on there will be spaghetti. By the time I was serving in Kano, it was juice, a dancer Juice. But our dancer thing didn't fly. So we don't see the dancer again. Like well, I can't remember if his dancer anyway, but it was juice. He was trying to do what all didn't work and then now refinery.

So he started trading first, then started importing, then started manufacturing. But he did one thing first when one was stable, then he moved to the next step. So trading, you know, buy A2 naira, try and sell for five naira 50 cobo, collect a profit of two naira 50 cobo. Once you master that game, then import him. Once he master that game, let us produce. Once he master that game, you know another, another, another and another.

But that's how Dangre did it. The same thing with Richard Branson. He didn't start everything at the same time. It was one thing. When this thing is now standing strong, you move to another. In fact, for Richard Branson, the reason why he can move quickly is because he doesn't like being personally involved in these businesses. So he will start the thing, bring specialists in who can handle the thing. Then when The thing is now strong, he leaves them alone and then he moves.

He doesn't shook his hand in all his businesses. That's why Richard Branson in particular moves fast, fast, fast. But you multi hyphenates, creative types, multi talented, leave out your fullest potential. You want to put your hand in everything. You are an artist. You want your personal imprints to be on anything, on everything. And you think your 456 business ideas, all of them will blow at the same time. Same thing with Jay-Z.

It was music first. In fact, he started off, started off as a boy. Boy he was the side rapper to somebody else. Then he now took his own shot. Then from there that's I think was Rockefeller. That's him and Demon Dash. Later on they would now start the fashion company. I think that was Roca Wear. But then, you know, we rock out with Rockefeller. Things didn't quite work out too well. So I think it was Roc Nation next, Roc Nation there from Roc Nation.

That is I think when he now started, you know, properly like into music publishing with Rihanna, Rita Ora, you know, all the people on his label, then the fashion thing and then recently, you know, like within the last decade, you know, that's when he's now started this whole venture capital thing. So he didn't start as a musician, then a fashion person, then a venture capital person. He started off as a boy boy First somebody is a rapper.

He is the younger, the smaller rapper rapping on the other person. Then he take his own shot into the limelight. But you can see first career as a side, as a as a what are they called now almost head side piece sidekick. So first of all, he balance as a sidekick, then he now balance as a musical artist. Then he now balance in the fashion space. Then you now balance in the venture capital. So it doesn't matter who it is.

You love who it is that you respect, whether it's Oprah Winfrey or whether it's, I don't know, call any person, then give me 20 minutes. Let me just jump on Google and do small research and I will show you that chances are this is how the person started. It was not multi doing everything at the same time. You do something, your leg becomes strong, then you move to the next one, you balance, then you move to the next one, and then you move and then you move.

So for people that you love and respect, this is the reality of how they got to where they are. The bottom line, I'm saying on the podcast, I'm saying it again, the bottom line is this. For those of you multi hyphenates, multi creative person, or you have one or the person wants you to sell for three businesses, you have to choose one. Choose one. So you're the business owner yourself, choose one. When you achieve stable cash flows that is good, then you build stable systems around that business that is good so that you're no longer personally required for the business.

Because think about it, the reason why Dangote can be talking about opening a port right now is because the refinery has been set up with all the systems and structures in place. The refinery has it's own CEO, it has it's own MD, it has it's own CFO, it has it's own chief marketing officer, it has its own chief sales officer, it has his own everything. So Dangote can say boys share everything is OK here and don't they move?

I want to open something else because refinery is standing strong. There's only been one year, but so far it looks like the refinery is standing strong. That is the reason why download they cannot be saying let me open port now, who knows, maybe after the seaport is done and the thing stands in maybe another two or three years, you can now say OK, and who knows what he's going to open next. But that's the playbook. So remember, you're the business owner.

Choose one try and achieve stable cash flows first. OK, cash flow don't stable money is coming in, money is going out. We're we're in profit, we're surviving. Next thing will be stable systems. What are the standard operating procedures? How do we govern the sales team, the marketing team, the accounting department, the this, the that, Excuse me, you build things up so that you are no longer personally required in the business.

Remember, for those of you who love Richard Branson in particular, that guy, I know they stay are tall. You know they stay are tall. Once the thing gets moving and he brings in a professional and it's like the professional is doing it. He's like, OK, boys, I'm off. And then he moves on to the next. But he has put a competent professional there. So once you're no longer personally required in the business, then you can now run along and then create your second company and then you are starting the whole process again.

So that is how your favorite entrepreneurs have 34567 companies. That's how they do it. If you doubt me, like I said, just give me any name I give my phone number at the beginning or the end of every episode send it to me. Should be Google is free. I'll do my research. I'll come and I will tell you guys this is how the person did it. And you will find that usually it is this thing of step by Step, 1 by 1, by 1, by 1, one thing after another.

Now let's examine the dynamics. Why can't this work? Why can't you sell for two businesses at the same time? Why can't you be a multi hyphenated build 2 business at the same time? Why? It's because there's some serious challenges. You know, it's physics. You only have one body, you only have one brain. You only have 10 fingers. You only have two hands. You only have two feet. It's just you. It's only you. You are limited by focus.

You are limited by time. And then when you're trying to do two or three things at the same time, there's always conflict of interest. I repeat, it's just you. I know these New age people running around saying that you're infinite. You're not infinite. Nothing. Infinite means no boundaries. You got boundaries. Look at your body. It's one body. It's two hands, only two hands. We don't have 6 hands. We don't have 5 heads.

You are not infinite. You are limited and that's not a problem. We can work within our the limits that we have, the limits of our nature. There's not a problem. So please, you should stop all these new age BS. So you're limited physically, your focus is limited, time management is going to be limited. There will be conflict of interest. Focus just means how much attention can you pay to something. And it's very simple.

If you only have one body, there's a limit to how many things you can pay attention to. For those of us that have kids, you know, you understand what I'm saying. When is one child? No problem. When is 2? No, it's all right. When is 3 or more? I don't need stretch. One of my aunties had 7 When I stayed with her, I knew. I knew that seven children was not for me, that I can't handle 7. It's just simple physics. You are limited.

You can't focus on too many things. Some of you will now say I'm a multitasker. There's no such thing as multitasking. What happens is actually called context switching. You're switching from one task to another. So like if you, if you're trying to catch 2 chickens, you're not chasing 2 chickens at the same time. You spend a few seconds chasing one chicken and then another couple of seconds chasing another chicken. That's how it works.

It's called context switching. It's the same thing with the business. You're switching from one context to another. So it is not multitasking. Multitasking is a myth. And then focus unfortunately is limited because you know, is your brain and your central nervous system. You know, it's a very cerebral something. Willpower unfortunately, is limited. That is why people break. People break. You keep running at full speed and eventually you break down.

It doesn't matter what the enterprise is. It doesn't matter what the the field is, whether it's a physical field or a mental or whatever. Eventually people break because focus is a limited quantity. Willpower is limited. Then time management, remember what we're doing is context switching, so we're jumping from one task to another. Unfortunately, there's a time lag that is involved. Some people have been doing some studies on this.

You know, there seems to be figures that seem wild. Like I've heard that in some corporate settings in the West, some people have said it's 5 minutes, some people have said it's 3, some people have said it's 12. But the idea is this, that let's say I'm working on an Excel spreadsheet and then I stop the Excel spreadsheet and then I move into my inbox to go and start cleaning e-mail. And then I want to now switch back to the Excel spreadsheet,

There's an attention lag. So there's some people who say, and it's not much, it's only three minutes. Some people say 5 minutes, some people say 12 minutes, some people say 15 minutes. Now the exact amount of time is not important. The important thing is it turns out there actually is a lag. So for those people who are saying it's 3 minutes, imagine that you switch between 10 tasks in the course of your day and it's only a 3 minute lag.

So 3 minutes times 10, that's 30. That's how you lose 30 minutes of your day. That's the reason why for you multi hyphenate, multi creative, multi passionate, you know, whatever. That's precisely the reason why you start your day early at 9:00 and by 4:00 you be like Kai or more. I feel as if I didn't do anything today. That's precisely why time management issues. There's an attention lag when it comes to switching and because of that you're losing time.

Small small small small small throughout the day. That's precisely the reason why it is 5:00 in the evening and you feel as if you haven't done anything. Then there's also conflict of interest. Sometimes you're drowning. 2 things for ex business to grow, sometimes why more suffer? How do you make the trade off? And then plus trying to figure out that trade off can be very, very mentally tasking. These are the simple reasons,

right, why you can't be a professional salesperson and have two orgas. It cannot work or you can't style yourself as a multi hyphenate, multi creative, multi passionate, multi talented something something something and have 4 businesses at the same time. It just cannot work. It can't. You're diluting your focus. You're diluting your effort. Now let us pretend that multitasking is real. Unfortunately, the average person can only deal with one thing at the same time.

To sell effectively, to promote a company effectively, it requires deep focus on a few things. The value proposition needs to be focused on one value proposition. The ideal customer, you're looking at 1:00 group of customers, the sales cycle, the sales process. You're trying to figure all of that out. For one thing, by the time you add a second business or a second product, you're now trying to focus on two things at the same time.

You're trying to balance 2 value propositions in your head, two classes of ideal customers, two different sales processes, two different sales cycles. Even if you try, what will happen is you'll become average at two of them instead of being excellent at 1:00. Isn't that what Yoruba people say? Yoruba people say if you chase, I think, I think is it that if you chase three rabbits, you won't catch any then plus you're losing momentum.

From a sales perspective, sales requires momentum. Momentum just means are we picking up pace. I called the guy today, The guy answered no problem. I sent him. We agreed on the meeting. Did I follow up on time? Are we, were we able to go for the meeting? You know, as we're moving Bah Bah Bah, movement sales requires momentum. When you're trying to do 2 things at the same time, you will lose some momentum on Monday. You will agree for a meeting on Tuesday, but then for Tuesday you will now realize that for business #2.

You didn't do anything on Monday. You say, let me try and quickly do something sharply for business #2. Then by the time you finish, like, oh, I'm late for this meeting, then you rush and then you lose 1 meet. You lose the meeting, loss of momentum set back in business #8. Then also when you're trying to sell, it helps if you are the expert at something. Customers expect you to be the the expert, even if truly you're the expert.

By the time they realise that no more you have to hustle, they would just assume that your knowledge there is shallow. You seem less credible. Think about it. Let's go back to the guy who is trying to do solar installation. No problem. Two solar companies come, they pitch me, they give me their invoice. One, I know that solar is the only thing they do. The second guy, based on the website, I see that they're doing solar, they're doing car tracking, they're doing DSTV,

they're doing laundry, they're doing. I can't remember the other one. Honestly speaking, who do you think? In fact, forget about me, Who will you be more inclined to go with? Two different companies in front of you, let's say their price is exactly the same. Company A solar, that is the only thing they do. Company B is doing solar installation, car security, DSTV installation, laundry services and two or three other things.

Who will you pick? Time constraints are real. You know in Oibo land they talk about the 40 hour work week. You know, it's just a recognition of the fact that, you know, we have to sleep when there's five hours or 8 hours we have to sleep. So on average, everybody has 40 hours that they have to work. You don't have more than the 40 hours. So if you're trying to push 2 sales carriers or if you're trying to push 2 businesses, it means that the average human being is struggling to be successful with 40 hours for one business.

You, you now think you're superhuman and you're going to use 40 hours and squish 2 businesses inside, squish 2 sales territories inside. You're going to learn 2 products. You're going to manage 2 CRMS, You're going to manage two different calendars, all the paperwork, the invoice that you have to send, the phone calls that you have to make. You're going to double all of that without doubling the time. It's not as if you're doing this and magically you now have 80

hours a week to work. It's still the same 40 hours a week, man. This pressure is intense, which is why you should not be surprised. Those of you who reach out to me, that's the reason why you guys are tired and burnt out. You think that there's some magic thing I want to tell you that will help you improve your situation? Like I can't. There's no magic I can tell you that will make this thing happen. You have to choose.

Take for instance this thing of meeting like I was talking to one of them, that's the one who sells laundry services, then HMO and then another thing this travel. You have to be on the move. Imagine how disconcerting it is to have an HMO meeting now, then be talking laundry in two hours and then talking something. I mean, but constantly on the move. That's the reason why you are tired and burnt out. Anyway, it's almost 30 minutes.

Let me just cut this ranch short. The summary is this technically speaking, because some of you will say, excuse me, that I know somebody now, my cousin Chukwudi is doing it, my niece and get you, she's doing it, Yeah. So technically speaking, yes, you can work for two businesses. You can work for two companies. You can push 2 businesses technically speaking, but the reason why you are not succeeding at both and the reason why you are always tired and the reason why you're always burnt out, the reason why you're looking to someone like me because you think that this is silver bullet is something I'll tell you that will change your situation.

The reason why you are in this mess is simply because, like I said, it's a matter of physics. It is just you. It's just one body. You don't have two bodies then is also the physics of time. Time is fixed. It's not as if you start the second company, you have 80 hours and then the psychology of focus. Unfortunately, the best that will happen is that you become an average performer in both of them. What I'm just recommending is pick one and become a top performer in one.

Which leads to the next question, which one should you pick? Since for me, I'm all about, look, let's be a top performer in one. Let's make plenty of money. Let's make plenty of traction. Let's make progress quick, quick, at least the quickest we can. My own recommendation has always been pick the one where you are already making the most traction, the most progress. Because if you already have been making progress between the two 3-4 that you're doing, but one seems to be working more than the others, believe you me, when you now cancel all the other ones and focus exclusively on this one, you'll see even more sweet progress.

Luckily, one of the guys I'm talking to has decided that he's going to stop doing the car tracking. I was glad to hear that. And I said, why are you focusing on the laundry? He said, oh, because that's one way I'm making progress for laundry. I talk to people, they respond, perfect. So that's your solution. Please pick one. For those of you who are professional salespeople. You're trying to work for two orgas, Pick one.

There's somebody that I know who does marketing or trying to run marketing for two different companies, not making progress in either of them. Pick one. You're trying to maximize your earning capacity is not like that. Pick one. Become a Don, deliver results, raise your prices instead of trying to do 2 at the same time. Pick one. If you love the idea of yourself as an infinite being who creates and renews themselves, you consider yourself a God in all these new age crap.

You have infinite boundaries, you're in love with yourself as the multi creative, multi passionate, multi hyphenated, multi talented something something something. And if that's the case, then stop complaining now. Stop reaching out to people like me asking for a solution since you are an infinite being and you're a God and handle it yourself then and create this ultimate vision of power and prosperity and whatever that you're looking for.

In fact, this new age thing. Anyway, let me stop here. Let me not go on a rant about New Age, especially since I know that some of you listening to this thing are New Age people. Yeah, I'm still looking for listeners, so let me not drive away the listeners I already have. So that's it. And that is all for today. Remember, if you'd love to connect, call, send me a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. And if you like these sorts of things, stay locked in, stay subscribed on Spotify, YouTube,

Apple, or any player of your choice. Keep listening. There's over 1200 more resources in the timeline. I'll be in the feed that you're currently listening to. So keep listening. Write things down when you write it down, apply. When you apply. Let me know what works. Let me know what you're struggling with. Let me know what you disagree with. So that's it and that's all. I'll catch you guys some other time.