Getting Out of Bed

As a continuation of Saturday's post, I'll dive a little deeper into the discussion on passion.

Passion is a well-worn subject on business blogs, and I know you could find plenty of great insight on it if you poked around online.

I would add one thing to what many others have written: Often, a freelancer's passion is what they specialize in (I.e. Interior design, photography, painting). The actual work is what they love. Often, the business end of the venture suffers because it's easy to get lost in doing the work they enjoy. If there is a balance (or if the freelancer hires people to run the business end), the work of creating art can be fully enjoyed.

On the other hand, the entrepreneur typically has a passion for something outside of the product. Tony Hsieh from Zappos loves customer service. He built a billion dollar company around the art of providing knock-your-socks-off service in an industry that lacked just that. Tony's passion for treating people well gets him out of bed in the morning.

What gets you out of bed? Today, write down the thing(s) about your work that make your work worth doing. Then grow that (although, maybe not to the same extent) like Tony did.

Freelancer or Entrepreneur?

Yesterday, I got a call from a gentleman who is considering starting a business. We batted some lingo back and forth, covered some different business ideas, and tried to define his passion (more on that tomorrow). 

After our half-hour phone call, I started crafting a list of questions to send over to him to narrow down what he's really after. One of the questions was to make the decision of who he wants to be: an entrepreneur or a freelancer?

If you're in (or going into) business, this distinction should be made early on. If not today, certainly by tomorrow.

By definition, a freelancer is someone who works for different companies at different times, rather an being permanently employed by one company. In other words, I, the freelancer will provide the customer with a certain service or product, in exchange for a dollar amount we agree on. Freelancers are often designers, artists, musicians, contractors, etc.

An entrepreneur, on the other hand, builds a business bigger than himself. His business turns a profit while he's sleeping, or in Cancun, or bicycling. In the early stages of business, the entrepreneur acts as a freelancer. He does the sales, the accounting, the production, the marketing, the warranty work, the forecasting.. Everything there is to do in a small business. Where he becomes an entrepreneur is when he hires people who can do all of these jobs better than he can. This frees him up to work on the business, not just in the business (or to hang out at the beach with his family).

There's no right or wrong answer, but there needs to be an answer. Too often, start-ups fail because someone who thinks she's an entrepreneur works her head off trying to make the business make enough money so she can finally get away. Upon her return, she is dismayed to find out that her employees unknowingly sabotaged her operation, because no one knew how to do everything she knew how to do.

On the flip side, a freelancer has less to lose. If he doesn't show up to consult his client's HR department, he doesn't get paid. If his client's website doesn't get finished, he has no one to blame but himself. If he does show up to consult, he gets paid. It's a much simpler way to do business, but for some, it doesn't give them the freedom they're looking for.

Take a look at where you're at (or where you'd like to be), and make that distinction. It can change the course of your business's growth, and consequently, your life.

If you want me to guide you through this definition process, zip me an email using the form on the right!

Is this for You?

If you have an idea that you don't talk about to anyone for fear that they'll make it happen before you do, this blog is for you.

If you have an idea for a service or product you think would sell, but you don't have the time or money to make it, this blog is for you.

If you lay awake at night trying to solve problems you face at work, this blog is for you.

If you are a fast-draw with excuses as to why you don't do the hard work you know you should do, this blog is for you.

If you want to be your own boss but don't know how (or what or where or when) to get there, also for you.

If you are (or wish to become) one who leads the change you want to see in your world, this is definitely for you.

Welcome!

Sometimes, Secrets do make Friends

I want to tell you a little secret: I don't have it all planned out.

I don't have a perfected project to launch, I don't have a prototype ready for production, and I don't have a notepad filled with dated, achievable goals for this blog. Yet.

But I want to narrow down what it is I plan to do here:

• Find and connect with people who want to change things at their job or in business, but don't have direction (or, more likely, don't have the courage to overcome the fear)
• Build and lead a community of people who are willing to stand up and set themselves apart from the status quo
• Not only start, but finish projects, and help others do the same

If working your day job, and climbing to corporate, and getting a grade, and being content with average is you thing, you're not going to get much here. But I hope you will consider the Dave Ramsey quote that has inspired millions to achieve their goals: "If you will live like no one else, you can live like no one else."

If you don't fit the earlier description, and you are looking for a way out of average, welcome to the club.

Tomorrow, I'll go a little deeper to describe the person I'm working to provide value for. I hope it's you.

The Challenge of Starting

My cohort Marshall and I do a fair shake of business discussion, with long email threads titled 'Business Banter' and stuff. The problem is, we're stuck. Stuck talking, not working.

To sabotage that viscous cycle, we've challenged each other to write one blog post per day for one week, starting today.

We have differing end goals, but we are both sold on the idea of making our dent in the universe by taking the tortoise approach: a steady, reliable message. Like Seth Godin says, "Stand up and say, 'This is who I am, look what I'm making'".

Ultimately, this challenge is a step toward overcoming fear of failure. Blog posts are a very inexpensive way to fail, and a phenomenal way to reach people whose worldview resonates with mine. And if I can be the one to light the fire, to help solve the problems, to lead the way to successful entrepreneurship, I've started making my dent.

We'll continue our blogging beyond a week from today, but we needed somewhere to start. Call it a baby step, sure. But baby steps are better than the paralysis caused by fear of failing. 

Tomorrow we'll take a closer look at my goal with the blog.

Until then, try staring down the fear of failure and do work worth doing.