Everything Works, Everything At Once Doesn’t Work

Most diets? Sure, they work, if you stick to one. Most online business strategies? Yep, they work, if you actually focus on one for long enough to see results.

But here’s how we usually do it:

• Create an email list

• Start engaging on LinkedIn

• Launch a podcast

• Fire up a YouTube channel

• Run Facebook ads

• Post like a teenager on TikTok

Solid strategies, all of them. But here’s the big, ugly paradox:

The Good News

If you put serious hours into just one thing say, becoming a LinkedIn ninja or building an email list, you can absolutely build a sustainable online business. No need for ten spinning plates.

The Bad News

This works strategy takes time (gasp), requires patience (double gasp), and, honestly, can feel a bit boring. Sorry, no magic beans here.

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” Bruce Lee

Squirrel! (Confessions of a Serial Plate Spinner)

I’ve built a Shopify store one week, bought podcasting gear the next, signed up for the latest affiliate training course, and spent far too much time on shiny new platforms. Did any of it stick? Not really.

Why is this such a trap? It’s classic FOMO. We see people crushing it on every channel, and somehow convince ourselves that we need to do everything, right now, or we’ll miss the last train to Successville.

But here’s the thing: You’re a grown up with decades of hard earned professional chops. You know how to set priorities, manage resources, and execute. Yet somehow, in online business land, we forget all of that and sprinkle our energy across a dozen half-finished projects.

“The man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” Confucius

Your Past Is the Secret Weapon for Your Future

Pause for a minute. Look back at your career. You didn’t get this far by jumping from shiny thing to shiny thing, right? You got here by identifying what mattered and giving it the attention it deserved.

If you want to win at building something meaningful online (or offline, for that matter), focus your efforts. For most midlife professionals, this probably means building one core connection point with your ideal audience.

Some ideas:

• Engaging deeply on LinkedIn: Share real insights. Build a network. Become known for your brain.

• Creating a valuable email newsletter: Give people what they genuinely want. Build trust, not just “traffic.”

Now, pick one (OK, maybe two that are tightly connected). Then commit. Learn the platform. Discover what sticks. Show the hell up for a while.

Try This:

• What’s one channel or activity you could focus on for the next three months?

• What platform aligns best with your proven strengths and target audience?

• Write it down and tell precisely no one about your other ideas until you’ve given this the proper shot.

What Am I Doing? (Because You Asked)

I’m building an audience through this very newsletter. Writing consistently and leveraging social media purely to invite people from rented spaces (like Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) over to my owned platform.

I know this is a marathon, not a sprint. I still get distracted by the odd squirrel, but for now, I’m holding the line.

What I Will Be Doing (And You Should, Too)

This isn’t about swearing off every other shiny strategy forever. It’s about sequence and mastery.

Stop trying to build Rome, the Colosseum, and the Great Wall all at once. Pick your project. Pour your efforts in. Then, when you’ve built something solid, layer in the next piece.

You already have everything you need: decades of experience, and strategic discipline. Time to use them.

Try This:

• Unsubscribe from at least one platform or newsletter that’s making you feel behind.

• Set a timer for thirty minutes and map out what “consistency” could look like for your chosen focus over the next month.

• Share your commitment with one accountability partner (bonus points for humour/honesty).

Now get out there, build one damn thing worth building.