When Hard Work is Not Enough

After a week of enthusiastic, but time-consuming posts, I have decided on a schedule of weekly musings that should be far more maintainable. I expect to post a new entry – and new poll question – each Wednesday by noon. I appreciate the encouragement to invest this time in offering topics of discussion common to those of us who are living on the edge (in a Killearn sort of way, at least).

This has been one of those weeks in which effort has not resulted in corresponding income. That was perhaps the biggest lesson I learned when going into business for myself seven years ago. How much or how hard you work has nothing to do with how much money you will make. Sure, it does in the long run (if all goes well), but you can’t pay yourself with a timecard (if those even still exist).

There are just too many other things to do that have nothing to do with generating income. There are too many projects that take too long to bill. There are too many prospects that remain prospects. And there are too many distractions to knock us off track.

I know, I know. Time management. But it’s more than that. It’s about balancing our daily activities so that we are providing flawless customer service, pursuing new business and attending to the tiny details that keep our doors open.

There are plenty of work-related activities to keep us busy. But it is too easy for an entire day to go by without moving the essentials forward. So what do you do to guard against spending time on good stuff, but not the best stuff? And how do you figure out what the best stuff even is?

Let’s talk about it.

Achieving True Success Takes Time

I’m not sure how smart it is to go all “preachy” in the fourth day of a new business blog, but this being Good Friday, I figured I might get a pass.

As small-business people, it is very easy for us to work all the time. There always is something else to do – one last e-mail to send, one last report to complete or a quick call to return. The truth is that running a business is 24/7 – and for most of us, the wheels never stop churning, even when we are home with our families.

And there’s the problem. I’m sure many upcoming blogs will deal with this issue in some way, but let’s look at it today in the biggest picture possible. No matter how much there is to do, all our work is in vain if we let it define who we are.

We are not our business. We are not successful because we make enough money to support our family. We are successful because we have a family that loves us and would rather spend time with us than go to Disney this summer (although, admittedly, it might be close).

I say this as I didn’t get home until after 7 last night and will probably have to come in for a couple hours tomorrow (Saturday) morning. I am not naïve, and I realize that it takes time to make a business work – it just can’t take all our time. And even more importantly, it can’t take all our heart.

Don’t give your family your leftovers. Striking a balance is not easy, but it is essential. Think about what your kids will remember about you in 10 years. Think about what your spouse thinks of you now.

Again, I am not saying this as one who has completely overcome this common pitfall, just as one who loves his family more than his job.

And on this weekend, as we celebrate the resurrection of the One who loved us enough to die on the cross for us, let’s not miss an opportunity to love our families by giving them what they want most – us.

Have a blessed Easter.

Backing Up to Move Forward

I spent part of this morning writing a client e-mail newsletter that focused on the importance of backing up your data on a regular basis. The necessity of backing up our work, files and financial info (not to mention recent music downloads) is certainly not news, but how seriously do we really take it? What would happen to you if everything on your hard drive(s) was suddenly and unexpectedly gone?

I mean seriously gone.

While I am religious about backing up my QuickBooks files, I am less committed to regular data backups. And since what I sell is my time and what I create using my computer (as opposed to using the computer to keep track of what I am selling), I am in especially vulnerable.

I would probably most miss the thousands of e-mails that serve as a contact resource and history of client communications for much longer than they should. Maxing out Outlook is not a good strategy either, but that is another conversation.

The point is that even if you are a one-person shop, your data is the foundation of your business -- something you don't want to be without. So back up, back up, back up.

If you are interested in talking about good local resources to help you do that, please post them here. We could all benefit from your experience.

The Rollercoaster of Confidence

How’s business? While nice and well-intentioned, that question is most often intended to have the return volley power of a “Howya doin’?” The polite and expected answer is “fine,” accompanied by a confident head shake and slight lifting and scrunching of the bottom lip. (Do that now. See?)

But in reality, that question is a real one for many of us every single day. That is because the status of our businesses can change quickly. And so can our confidence. Some days we are king of the world, while other days we are a bit more unsure about the status of our empire.

In fact, how many of us -- no matter how long we've been in business -- still ask ourselves if we are doing everything possible to give ourselves a fighting chance? Or if we are really “on to something.” And how long before the darkest parts of our minds are free from thoughts like getting a regular job would be a whole lot easier?

So what is the answer? Admitting that things are slow and you are exploring a variety of options to make things happen is certainly OK if that is indeed the case. These are tough times, and many established businesses are struggling to meet payroll and pay for lots of overhead.

But we are lean and agile. Let’s take advantage of our size to adapt quickly, explore all our options and make the most of our resources. There is nothing better than working for yourself – even when the immediate future is unclear.

And that’s how business is. Thanks for asking.

Starting the Conversation

If you are like me, you are suspicious of any business person who has time to blog. While I generally believe that time is better spent actually doing our business than talking about doing it, there certainly are some subjects worth discussing.

It is my hope that this blog serves as a sounding board for area small businesses to share ideas, frustrations, challenges and opportunities. There is much we have in common -- probably more than we even realize -- and I hope this forum will bring those into the open.

This is not intended to be a portal for small business resources. It is not intended to be a networking site. It is not intended to be a harvesting site for new business. But if a little of that happens along the way, that's OK with me.

This blog is an open conversation between business people waking up every day facing the same issues. Where we go from there is up to us.

Let's talk.