Jim... I remember reading in a recent medical journal that under certain circumstances violence can be used to recover from embarrasment.
These posts were an interesting read and I'd like to add my 2 cents. Maybe not applying directly to this biz because obviously like GG said many sites are run by ma and pa shops chasing every buck. But, after many years and several successful businesses and loosing the one woman I really probably should have held on to, I came to one conclusion which is even for type A personalities who probably need this advice more than any and really has served me well.
The advice is to pay for every single service you can afford to have done for you and doesn't REALLY need to be done by you. Accept that other people are lesser mortals than yourself and might always deliver a slightly less product than you can come up with and incorporate that into the plan. Why? Two major reasons: one is that you as the leader are really required to THINK! Supervise everything you can and let go. Think about how to get the next client, how to grow your company, how to get ahead of the curve, and concentrate on implementing the plan. A successful plan always involves a team and the star player is rarely the coach for a reason. If you're always tied up doing menial tasks, your not going to be able to think your way to riches.
The other reason is if you are an independent businesperson then you probably are doing it for a reason such as freedom, control of destiny, a better life with family and friends, blah, blah. What happens to most entrepreneurs is that they really end up putting these things off in favor of working 18 hours a day on the belief that just as soon as they attain x,y, or z goal they will "take some time off", have a vacation, play ball with the kids and so on. But the reality is that those leisure time events rarely happen and the entrepreneur keeps plugging away for years and has missed everything else. Life is short and shit happens. If you make your own hours then be sure to use them on the things you imagined you would NOW! Don't wait. Quality of life is only while you have it! Years down the road you'll really appreciate the wisdom of not wasting it on just chasing money. Everybody probably has several stories of people who rose to the top through hard work and relentless dedication and then years later lost it all.
If a mope is available for peanuts, feed him the best peanuts he ever had. If someone is smarter than you and you can pay him, do it and congratulate yourself on a job well done as you go boating. Most of the most successful have THOUGHT themselves into their success.
2006-05-11, 03:10 PM
Hybrid Mode
