Are you ready for the next big thing?
How what's next can often depend on what was last or most recent
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 245
You may not realize this but your future is built on the foundation of your last chapter.
“Are you ready for the next big thing? is a question that often pulses through the entrepreneurial world, dripping with promise and potential.
We’re conditioned to look ahead, to lean into the future, to chase whatever is on or just over the next horizon.
We're all so busy trying to predict the next big thing so we can get ahead of it and make it our own.
But the real key isn't about guessing the future—it's about building it. And the foundation for what comes next is always, always what you just finished doing.
We often imagine our journey as a series of hops across a string of disconnected islands—we’re on one, and we need to find a way to jump to the next. Then the next. Then the one after that.
It feels precarious, like we might miss and fall into the sea.
But that’s a flawed model.
The reality is that your career, your business, your life—it’s not a chain of islands. It’s a bridge you are building while you are walking on it. Each step forward is only possible because of the structure you just laid down behind you.
Think about your most recent project, your last client engagement, the problem you just solved.
That client who forced you to develop a new skill? That skill is now a permanent part of your experience toolkit, a new tool on your workbench for the next project.
That project that failed in a specific, visible, painful way? That failure taught you what doesn't work, narrowing the path and making the right next step clearer than any success could have.
That small, seemingly insignificant connection you made last month? That person is now the one referring you to the opportunity that feels like a "lucky break." (Spoiler: It’s not luck. It’s compound interest on relationship-building).
Your "last big thing" even if it was a little thing … that’s your foundation.
It's the soil from which your next big thing grows. You cannot plant a majestic oak in barren, untended earth and expect it to sprout overnight.
This is why the frantic, anxious search for what's next can be so fruitless. It’s like a farmer endlessly scanning the sky for rain, while neglecting to till the soil or plant any seeds. The harvest is entirely dependent on the work done in the previous season.
So, if you’re feeling stuck or unsure of what’s next, or if you’re paralyzed by the pressure to find your next big thing, I want you to stop looking ahead and turn around.
Look back at what was last.
Audit your recent work: What project did you just finish? What lessons did you learn? Not just the tactical skills, but which human lessons—about yourself, about your clients, about your process? Within those lessons are the clues for what to do more of, and what to avoid.
Follow the energy: What part of your last project lit you up? What aspect of the conversation energized you? What task did you lose yourself in? Your "next big thing" should contain more of that. Conversely, what drained you? Your next move should systematically eliminate or delegate those elements.
Listen to your network: Who did you just serve? What did they need next? Often, the most obvious "next big thing" is the solution to the problem your last client is still having. Your next offering is very often hidden in the unmet needs of your current audience.
The bridge to your future isn't built from a blueprint you found in a trendy business book. It’s built from the materials of your recent past: the relationships you nurtured, the problems you solved, the value you created, and even the failures you experienced and absorbed.
Rather than keeping your eyes on the horizon, take time to look down at the ground beneath your feet.
Solidify it.
Improve it.
Extend it.
The next big thing isn’t a distant destination you need to jump to.
It’s the very next plank you are about to lay.
Build well.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
Feel free to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn
P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Let go of the things you can’t control
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.