The Facts Of Life When You Work For Yourself

I’ve been talking to a few people recently who are thinking of taking the leap to work for themselves. Taking the leap is usually a frightening decision to make, even more so when there is such uncertainty out there. But it can also a liberating process, as you go ‘back to basics’ to look at your raw skills and talents and how that can be turned into a business. If you can pull that off, it’s a very rewarding transition.

I was reminded by a quote from my first book (‘Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free’):

Life in this scrambled up world is always unpredictable, sometimes scary, almost always liberating. And whatever changes you’ll have to make, whatever the highs and lows, the bare facts remain the same:

“All I have is my bare hands, a bunch of contacts and a few ideas. And with that I have to make a whole load of money”

It’s that simple. GULP (And that scary).

There’s no pay cheque going in your account anymore. There are no guarantees; this is different.

And whatever the challenges of trying to launch a new business or go solo, those bare facts of life can help motivate you to turn your talent into a commercially-viable proposition.

Helping Creative Talent Take The Leap

Yesterday evening I hosted what I billed ‘A Big Conversation’ at London’s Royal College Of Art on the theme of ‘Taking The Leap’. The RCA is very progressive in running a professional development programme ‘FuelRCA’ to provide students with business & life skills to help them make the transition to life outside the college. My talk was part of that initiative with the attendees including 2009 graduates & continuing students from disciplines across fine art, textiles, fashion, illustration and industrial design engineering.

Each student has a real creative talent to offer the outside world, whether they are looking for commissions, exhibitions, work placements, freelance work or setting up their own studios. As I stressed, of course there is no prescriptive route for success in this rapidly changing ‘scrambled up world of work’ but I did impart the following Survival Tips:

1. PUT PASSION AT THE HEART OF ALL YOU DO. You need to love what you do & be passionate about your talents.
2. SELF-BELIEF. Whether you are freelancing, job hunting or working for yourself have stacks of self-belief/ confidence in your talents.
3. BE DISTINCTIVE. It’s a crowded market out there and success – and survival – is about having a clear point of differentiation. Work out what makes you different.
4. YOU ARE A BRAND. Whether you’re working for someone else or setting up your own design studio you need to think like a brand. What is the spirit at the heart of your DNA? Make sure your personality pervades all that you do.
5. SHOUT ABOUT YOUR TALENTS. Get over the taboo of self-promotion and use social media tools - blogs, twitter, videos – to stand out from the crowd.
6. UP YOUR GAME. Professionalise your offering, embrace a style of how you adhere to deadlines, deal with clients, honour commitments, run projects etc. But you don’t need to wear a suit!
7. BE AUTHENTIC. Your personality is at the heart of your business, don’t try and be something you’re not. Don’t bullshit. The goal is that ‘The Work You’ is ’The Real You’.
8. SELL YOUR TALENTS. Winning clients or getting a job is tougher than ever; get over the ‘Sales taboo’ and use friends/family and word of mouth to sell your creative talents. ‘Sell’ is not an expletive; it’s all about establishing and managing relationships.
9. HAVE AN ENTERPRISING MINDSET. You don’t have to ‘sell out’ as an artist but you do need to be focused on turning your creativity into a business commodity. Recognise the importance of creating business opportunities, of charging the right fees and becoming a commercial success.
10. DON’T OVER-PLAN. Forget a detailed business plan; it’s more important to just put your ideas into action rapidly and with online tools, that’s easier than ever. Tweak as you go.
11. BE A JUGGLER. Career choices don’t have to be ‘all or nothing’, embrace plurality. Carve out a work life that reflects your multi-dimensional talents.
12. LOOK AFTER YOUR CLIENTS. Super-serve your clients, don’t neglect them, keep in touch and nurture relationships. Repeat business with existing clients is often the best foundation for growing your business.
13. KEEP IT LEAN. If you’re setting up your own business, it’s recession-friendly to keep it lean. Keep overheads to a minimum, use freelancers rather than staff, share office or studio space (or work from home).
14. STAY FLEXIBLE. Be prepared to re-invent your offering or business model when things change. You might need to change to keep pace with market demand or technological developments.
15. GO FOR IT! Take a leap of faith into the unknown. Act on instinct!

'Is The Work You The Real You' ?

It's a simple question.

I know people who answer 'yes' and 'no' to that. A guy who works in banking, but when his suit is off the real him is the passionate windsurfer, that's where he wants to be everyday, his job does not drive him. Then there's the bloke I know who's marketing director of a global car brand. He's passionate about cars, always has been. He loves them. And he loves his job 150%. Whether he's driving to work or entertaining clients at the Grand Prix, he is his job. A woman I know is a senior manager but still lets her personality shine; there's no mask - what you see is what you get whether how she dresses, her business style or sharing a joke with her team.

But inevitably we've all had times where we've put a suit on, performed a role, put on our best voice and tried (too) hard for a presentation or job interview. We all have (I used to).

But with time and experience comes the confidence to JUST BE YOURSELF. Total authenticity. No pretence, no having to put a 'work mask' on, no stuck-in-a-rut doing something you hate. If you're stuck in a dead-end job and you'd love to be outside teaching and playing tennis, maybe it's time to become a tennis coach? The fulfilment and passion of being true to your desires is very liberating; it's at the heart of my book 'Juggle! Rethink Work, Reclaim Your Life', the notion that if you love what you do, you'll be more productive and successful.

Remember, the goal is for 'The Work You' to be 'The Real You'. So re-craft your job or role to make sure it reflects your talents, personality and desires.

The Importance Of Customer Engagement.

It’s what we all aspire to – grabbing the customer’s attention and establishing a relationship. Whether you are Blur, Tesco, BMW, a radio station, an author, a freelancer, a small business, or the corner shop you need to engage with the customer. It could be via a download, it could be a TV commercial, it could be a print ad, an email, a video on YouTube, a website, a meeting or a shop window; but whatever the platform, it’s about communicating and connecting with an audience.

Take the shop analogy: you have your shop window to sell your wares but the real potential for engagement comes from when you walk in the shop and connect with the person behind the counter. When they attempt to build a relationship. Whatever the economic challenges of the marketplace in 2009, this is where the independent shopkeepers and boutiques have the potential for the upper hand over the big stores and supermarkets. It’s that personal intimate service that you could rarely get in a huge hypermarket. In a small shop where the proprietor might be in the store herself, and with a constant and small number of staff, meaningful relationships can be established with the customer. The kind of connection that will make you a loyal customer, coming back for more.

Last week I went in to two – very different – (very small) independent shops. The first, to buy some swimwear. I walked in, the shopkeeper was at the till pouring over some paperwork. I attempted to make a connection but he didn’t look up; zero acknowledgement, no hello. There was a rack of items I wanted to browse but a stepladder had been left against it and it was too difficult to look. Sure, I could have asked for help, but there’d been no attempt at engagement so I decided to walk out. #Fail.

Later that day I went in to the Monocle shop in London, a small concept store selling Monocle-branded items and a small selection of menswear and luggage. I was probably in the shop no more than 5 minutes but by the time I left, I’d shaken hands with the shop assistant, we’d exchanged names and we’d talked about the shop, its products, its other stores. He’d initiated that engagement by welcoming me in. Okay I didn’t buy anything that time, but I’ll go back for sure. #Success.

I know consumers have strong views on this subject. Many people tell me they would rather shop in silence than have a shop assistant talk to them. But this is not just about shopping. This is about business and brand relationships, it’s about taking the initiative to engage the customer in that valuable first minute in your store/ on your website/ in the meeting/ wherever.

So make sure your brand, your website, your brochure, your shop – or whatever medium of communication it is – succeeds in engaging with the customer. And don’t do the business of equivalent of not looking up from the counter (and certainly don’t leave the equivalent of a stepladder across your products).

When There's A Delay, The Importance Of Saying Something (Anything…)

My tube journey on Friday morning was a familiar tale. Delays on the circle line, a 20 minute wait for a train at Tower Hill. As passengers got agitated, checking their watches and the indicator boards, we were treated to repeated recorded announcements saying ‘the circle line is running normally’).

There was zero communication, no tannoy announcement saying when the next train was due, so we could consider other options. Nothing. In the circumstances, even an announcement saying ‘Sorry, we have no idea why the delay is, we’re looking into it’ would be better than nothing. It would have been reassuring, and it would have been courteous.

And – of course – the same is true in business. Don’t give your customers a Circle Line communication void when there’s a problem. Tell them what’s going on, tell them you’re looking into it, tell them if you’re anticipating a delay. I've seen too many suppliers guilty of not bothering; they're scared about how to fix the problem so they say nothing. Even small companies – where communication should be easier – fail to get back to you; they don’t know anything their end, so they don’t know what to say to the customer.

The answer is simple. As soon as you spot a problem, a delay or a headache that’s going to impact the customer you jump on it right away. Tell them, ‘we have a small problem, but we’re on the case and we’ll get back to you soon’. Keep them appraised at every stage.

How did I resolve my frustration on my wait for the tube? I marched up to the ticket office, found a member of staff and asked what was going on and why we weren’t being kept in touch. He radio’d control and asked what was going on, and I got my news on when the next train was.

A good move but should’ve done that from the start. I felt like grabbing the tannoy and telling all the passengers myself. Next time maybe I will....

Living The Juggle Life - Radio Interview

Here is the radio interview I did last weekend on Irish station 4FM, where I appeared on the Michael Comyn show. Michael is a true juggler, mixing radio presenting with a business portfolio that embraces communication training, psychotherapy, coaching for individuals, plus he’s a voice over artist.

The interview is about 10 minutes long and you can hear it by clicking 'Play' below (audio only).

(I got a call from the station half an hour earlier than scheduled to do the interview so I was in a shop with my wife and not quite ready. Told I had 16 seconds before going live, I quickly dashed out so apologies for background traffic noise...)

There Is No Briefing

I saw this sign on a building site the other day. Whilst there are some environments where – absolutely - you should be briefed before you start work (building sites, operating theatres, trains, nuclear reactors, you get the drift…) in the ever changing world of work and business, increasingly it’s a case of learning as you go. And in this scrambled up world of work, there is often no briefing.

Most of us were never ‘trained’ in business or whatever we are talented in. I didn’t go on a course on how to write a book. None of us went on a course to learn Twitter or Outlook or the iPhone. I didn’t go to business school either. There are millions of successful executives and entrepreneurs with no formal ‘training’; their training has been doing the job, learning at the coal face.

We are a generation of workers that learns as we go. Having come from an organisation that used Amstrad word processors, I remember using my first PC in 1993, it was the first time I used a mouse. There was no preparation or computer course for that, you just learnt as you went. And that’s the best way to learn, by actually doing it.

So when people say to me they want to be successful in business, should they take a class at business school? Or they say, I’d like to be an author, is there a writing course I recommend, my advice is simple:

JUST DO IT!