Emerson famously wrote, “If you build
a better mousetrap, the world will beat
a path to your door.” True enough, but
since he hadn’t tried it himself, Emerson did not realize who those pathbeaters were. Maybe a few want to
buy your mousetraps, but many more
want to sell you something they claim
you need, or instruct you on moral
and legal obligations you may or may
not have as a business owner. Or they
just want to tell you a story that means
more to them than to you. They know
someone who tried what you’re doing
and succeeded . . . or failed, or got indicted, or developed a drinking problem. Again, you’ll have to say “no” a
lot. Sometimes you’ll need to say it
immediately after the other person’s
“hello.” Or, in some extreme cases,
even earlier. So …
5. Sometimes a little arrogance is
a good thing. If other people could do
what you do as well as you can, they’d be
doing it, wouldn’t they? But openly displaying arrogance turns people off. What
you want is quiet confidence: I’ve done
things like this before; I can do this, too. I
know you want what I can give you. This
attitude is the sure cure for writer’s block
and speaker’s terror, too. Speak quietly
and modestly, but walk with assurance.
But also remember:
4. Take all the good advice you
can get, but remember that no one
knows your business better than you
do. A baseball player knows he’s in a
slump when cab drivers who couldn’t
make their high school team are giving him hitting tips. He knows he’s in
a bad slump when he starts listening
to those tips. The most useful information comes from people who have done
something very similar to what you’re
trying to do. Remember:
7. You still need to depend on
other people. You’re free, free, free, but
all those things you are responsible for
and don’t want to do have to be delegated to other people. You’re not going to
be good at everything, nor are you going
to have the time and energy to do all the
things you’re good at. And you’ll still need
people to critique your drafts, help you
debug computer code, fill in gaps in your
expertise, introduce you to new clients
and prospects – and so on and so on.
A NA L Y T I C S
6. You still need to please other
people. You can usually disengage from
a client with less difficulty and cost than
you’d incur in leaving an employer, and
you get more of a choice of teammates,
but you still have to do things you don’t
like in order to keep clients and colleagues happy. And …
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