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Articles filed in: Entrepreneurship
What’s Your Sentence?
filed in Entrepreneurship, Worldview
Tomorrow you might consider making a list of resolutions. You might even set goals for the coming year. Before you do watch this short video from Daniel Pink and then go craft a sentence that will be your guidepost for everything you plan to do.
The best bit is that you get to choose.
If you’d like to share in the comments I’d love to read your sentence.
All my best to you for 2013!
Image by Jilarson.
The Glory Or Generosity?
filed in Entrepreneurship, Worldview
The performer exited stage left, applause ringing in his ears. Relief and joy flooded through him as he grabbed a sandwich outside the greenroom. The stagehand waiting in the wings congratulated him on giving a great performance. He didn’t stop or turn to face her as he stuffed the sandwich into his mouth whole.
“Boy, I didn’t realise how hungry I was.” he said, as he moved right on to receive the next compliment without acknowledging the last one, or the person who had given it.
When the spotlight is off you. When the applause dies. When the next promotion doesn’t come. When the big idea fails. When the next performance doesn’t go so well and even when it does.
When whatever will be is. What will matter then?
The glory or the generosity?
Wishing you lots of moments of generosity and love this holidays.
Image by Eva Ekeblad.
What Versus Why
filed in Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Worldview
My middle son left school this year and here’s the question everyone asks him.
“What do you want to do?”
I bet it’s a question you’ve been asked too at one time or another.
My seventeen year old tells people he wants to study either architecture or design, and then that he’s off to Billund in Denmark to work as a designer for LEGO. He has absolutely no idea how he’s going to make this happen, but here’s what he once told me.
Can you imagine the feeling of being in a toy shop and seeing a little kid talking excitedly to his Mum about the big LEGO set on the top shelf? The set he wants more than anything in the world. The one you designed.
It’s important to know what you want to do.
Knowing ‘what’ however pales into insignificance when you understand deep down why you’re doing it.
Image by Ben Spark.
Be That
filed in Entrepreneurship, Strategy
If you say you’re the biggest, fastest, strongest, cheapest, —————est, then be the biggest, fastest, strongest, cheapest, —————est .
If you say you’re the best then be that.
And the flipside? If you say it, then you set the intention of being it.
Which means you have an obligation to go make it happen.
Image by Nicolas Henderson.
Work For Money, Design For Love
filed in Entrepreneurship, Strategy
My friend David Airey has drawn on his personal experience of building a successful freelance design business. He’s also gathered the business insights of leading designers and creatives and shared it all in his new book. Work For Money, Design For Love.
Why I love this book… well the title has a special place in my heart, since I named it, the title also reflects what I believe business (not just the design business) should be about.
It’s fascinating to draw on the knowledge and experience of designers and freelancers who have learned how to build successful businesses on their own terms.
These business building lessons are for everyone, not just for designers. David’s book answers questions like.
How do I find new clients?
How much should I charge for my work?
It includes ideas about launching your online presence, common business mistakes and on and on.
We’re so lucky to have access to the insights of others who are one step ahead of us on the journey.
Go take advantage of it!
Image by David Airey.
Anyone Could Have Done It
filed in Entrepreneurship, Worldview
Anyone could have written that book.
Had this idea.
Made that project work.
Pulled this off.
The thing is they didn’t. That most people don’t.
And you’re not just anyone.
Image by Alexander Kesselaar.
Crafting Your Intention
filed in Entrepreneurship, Marketing
I met a really passionate financial planner recently who was a bit stuck about how to craft a 30 second pitch to deliver to the people he met at networking events. The problem was that while he was agonising over finding the right words he lost the ability to communicate his intention.
If you have only one goal in mind when you meet someone new and that goal is to leverage that interaction into business then your pitch won’t work.
People don’t just buy the words you say. They buy into your intention. The people you’d kill to do business with don’t want to hear a polished thirty second pitch. They want to know about the real you.
Having a perfect pitch…the perfect words all set to go might make you feel better, but that’s not the point.
Think about how your pitch makes the person you’re talking to feel.
People want the conversation and the connection, not scripts and dialogue. They want you to earn their trust.
More than anything what they want to hear is your story. Not just another forgettable pitch.
Image by ruminatrix.
The Hard Part
filed in Entrepreneurship
The hard part of becoming a personal trainer isn’t learning which muscle does what. There are plenty of study guides and anatomy books to help an aspiring trainer to get a Certificate IV in Fitness.
No, the hard part is the art of telling a story that people you hope will sign up for your training want to believe. The hard part is standing out amongst all of the other trainers who understand the theory too.
It turns out that the mechanics, the thing we think will be the uphill struggle is actually the easy part. And yet that’s where we focus all our energy. Getting the piece of paper, coding the app and writing the copy.
There is no formula for the hard part. No checklist for telling a story that moves people to act and draws them to you. That’s why it’s scarce and exactly where you should put your focus.
Image by JRP.
Tomorrow
filed in Entrepreneurship
Tomorrow there will be another social network to choose from.
Tomorrow your competitors will be selling a similar app.
Tomorrow there will be ten more books to buy at the bookstore.
Tomorrow you’ll get to inbox zero.
Tomorrow interest rates might come down.
Tomorrow you’ll know for sure.
Tomorrow there will be another podcast to listen to or one more tweet to send.
Tomorrow you’ll have more time.
Tomorrow that tweak will be made.
Tomorrow there will be one less meeting.
Tomorrow the website copy will be just right.
Tomorrow you’ll be really ready.
Tomorrow the holidays will be over.
Tomorrow will be a better time to start.
Tomorrow the rules will change.
Tomorrow ————————————.
Why are you waiting for tomorrow?
Image by Dave Sutherland.
You Scratch My Back
filed in Entrepreneurship, Worldview
The suited up guy approached me at the end of the meeting saying he wanted to find ways to promote my business. He was that impressed!
“There is a quid pro quo though.” he said.
The old you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours routine. A transaction. This for that.
The most valuable relationships I’ve built never started with the limited thinking of what’s in it for me. If you do something for someone out of self-interest or for an eventual return and the payoff never comes, what are you left with?
If you do something because it feels good to be generous and to build trust you’ve got the feeling and the trust.
Meaning can’t be transacted.
Image by Stuart Richards.