I might offend you with this article, but I’m going to go ahead anyway.One of the biggest mistakes you can make in starting, building, and growing your business is to act like a non-profit.What I mean by this is focusing on all the busywork of running a business, without focusing on cash flow.Most entrepreneurs take way too long to generate cash flow, and they spend too much time on unimportant things. They spend a lot of time worrying about minor details like the exact angle and cut on the corner of their business card. They worry about whether the blue on their website is just a bit too blue.They practice their elevator speeches sitting at home, and keep polishing and perfecting them without any input or feedback.(Which, in essence, is just like talking to yourself, with about the same results.)Similarly, when given a new strategy or approach, they spend a lot of time thinking through it, planning it, and wondering how they feel about it- but do not execute it.If you ask them, they’ll say, “I am not really sure how to market my business.”But, the truth is that they know what they need to do- they just aren’t doing it.They are waiting for the stars to align and for everything to “feel right” before they make a move.The reality is that if you wait for everything to “feel right”, you’ve already lost your window of opportunity.Success comes most boldly to the person who enters a market first, or, if they aren’t first, to the person who enters it with the most confidence and commitment. The winner in this situation is someone who has decided to play big, step out, be bold, and to keep building more and more momentum.It is not the person who worries about the details that don’t really matter.At the end of the day, it won’t matter if you have a 1/8th cut on your business card or a 1/4th cut. It won’t matter if your website should have been royal blue instead of aqua blue.But we feel like these minor decisions are so crucial, and we lose time and focus worrying about details when we need to be focused on the big picture.As we move further into this year, I will suggest, once again, that if you aren’t seeing the results in your business you truly want, it’s time to do something different.If you’ve been acting like you’re in business, instead of actually being in business- and I’ll tell you the difference in just a minute- it’s time to either step up, or go home.The only measure of being in business is by how much you are actively marketing yourself and actively selling your products and services. Active marketing means that you make a video and you get it out there. It’s writing an article- AND distributing it. It’s meeting people face to face -AND following up regularly.Too many experts sit home and create content all day long. But the greatest content in the world can’t help your business if you aren’t getting your message out there.So if you’ve been puzzling over minor things and mistaking them for a big deal, it’s time to stop that right now.Get into the game. Play to win.