How Many Rabbits Do You Own?

By Michael Adams + On February 28, 2013 · 2 Comments

I was recently approached by someone in a local meetup. She sent a short note wanting to know what kind of online marketing I did. I replied with links to my companies and projects. She wrote back noting my ambition, drive, and determination to succeed. Yes – I have all of that.

But then she tried to sell me on a multi-level marketing scheme.

Ok – I shouldn’t call it a scheme. It’s a real business idea – but probably not a lucrative one. I hate MLM’s. Why should I work my butt off to make someone else money? And an MLM only works when I get people underneath me. It’s a horrible business model.

So, I thought about how to respond. On one hand, I wanted to let her know I was upset she was pitching me a garbage business idea. On the other, I wanted to let her know why I didn’t want to pursue a partnership.

I searched Google for a witty answer. And I found an old Native American saying:

“If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.”

I love this quote. It explains what I go through every day. Except for the fact I have about six rabbits. And the cage is open.

I wrote back to her and explained this quote. My two rabbits were getting away and I couldn’t possibly adopt another one – plus, pellets are expensive. This leads me to an entire post about focus – and my lack thereof.

I start a lot of side projects. Some would say too many. I currently work full-time, run a growing mustard company and manage sales & marketing for a software start-up I co-founded. Not to mention a food start-up resource, writing for this blog twice a week, writing for my recipe blog once a month, and trying to have a life.

Something had to give. My rabbits were out-of-control.

I shut down my recipe blog last week. BlueberryChuckle.com is no more. I don’t miss it one bit. I no longer have to think about making something presentable, taking a picture of it, writing a story about why I made it, etc.

I can simply eat.

And that’s something I love to do – without the fancy pictures and blog posts. I left behind a whopping 10 subscribers on that blog and about 18 recipes. I was one of millions of recipe blogs. I started the project because I loved to cook and hoped it would help me get back into photography. The result? I still love to cook and take pictures, but it felt forced. Like something I had to do.

Plus, it was taking away from everything else.

I worked on my other projects less. Outside of work, I devoted close to 80% of my time between two businesses. So – 40/40. Plus sleeping, eating, exercising, reading, writing, etc. I felt myself losing focus everyday. When I sat down to get work done, I bounced back and forth between all of my projects. But there was no more recipe blog.

I can already feel the difference after sacrificing just one rabbit.

It’s been amazing – like weight lifted off my shoulders. It would be even better if I only had one rabbit. One thing to focus on. But that takes time. I want to find the one rabbit that’s worth chasing after. The juiciest, most promising rabbit to throw all of my resources at. I haven’t found it quite yet and that’s why I’m still brainstorming ideas, building new products, and finding ways to solve problems. One of these rabbits is going to take-off. But at the expense of his furry friends.

So I ask you this: