December 9th. That was the last time I updated this blog. Even before that, my updates were erratic. My company has been doing well (thanks for asking!). I am working on exciting projects and spending my time with some pretty cool people. And yet, the platform for talking to people about how they can build their businesses lays in disrepair.
This happens all the time; I just cannot believe I let it happen to me!
When I started the company, my goals were pretty simple. I wanted to share my experience with other companies as they tried to grow. I am quick to point out that my consultation comes more often from the number of times I have failed rather than some other-worldly ability to succeed (more on this in a subsequent blog, specifically a refutation of the en vogue stance against failure) but even I am dumbstruck by the irony of letting my own platform fall into stale disrepair. It’s like seeing a nurse smoking outside of a hospital - don’t they know better?
“So what are you going to do to fix it?”
I hired a consultant!
Ba dum dum!
That is sort of true. I came to grips with the fact that it is hard for the individual to hold themselves accountable. Yes, some of you are capable of working out every morning, making regular dentist appointments and sending birthday cards to everyone you know.
Then there are the rest of us. We prioritize based on a set of rules that make sense to us at that time. That is a bad model. I know that. I have talked to you about that. I continued to talk to you about that and I subtly ignored it. Whether it is using a piece of technology (reminders in Outlook or whatever), an accountability partner (a name that still makes me feel weird but I get it) or even an assistant (the direction I have chosen), find a model that you can work with that will make you pay attention to yourself. Pick something that works with you, not against you.
Now, none of these models will work without you (or me in this case). I still have to listen to my assistant. Realistically, I can always fire her if she really pisses me off, but that would be an explicit decision to be an idiot. We have discussed in the past the concepts of explicit versus implicit decisions but this is a good example. We all know the things we should do to keep the gears of the business flowing. Update your content. Be active in social media. Engage with your clients and prospects. Spend time in your community actually caring and participating. Sadly, most of us suck at it. We make a re-prioritization that moves “working IN the business” in front of “working ON the business.”
Well, I am done with that. I clearly cannot do it myself (and I hear the first step is admitting you have a problem). While you can continue to pay the bills working IN the business you will never grow without working ON the business. I help people do that everyday. It’s time for me to do it myself.
So keep an eye out. Follow us on Twitter (@DerekFournier and @PlainSightGrp). Interact with us. Our goal is to work with my new assistant to create a schedule, and more importantly, stick to it.
Really ground breaking stuff here, folks. The cobbler’s kid is getting some shoes!