Don’t burn bridges
That’s what most people will tell you: “Don’t burn bridges.” Here’s the thing, though: sometimes there are bridges that need to burn. Still, you can make them burn graciously.
Should you say yes?
This one is taken over by Geraldine Carter. It usually sounds like this: “I should probably say yes to this revenue, right?” Or worse: “I already said yes.” Or worse: ”Why would I say no to revenue?” Or worse: ”It’s hard to say no to revenue.” Or worse: ”I don’t say no to revenue.” Or worse: ”I’ve never met a dollar I didn’t like.” Here’s the thing – That one-time custom package that you were about to create… It looks like a harmless little shoot in your yard. But it’s a sapling. And left…
Overqualified
You don’t get to hire somebody highly qualified to do non-qualified-to-do work (paying top dollar). It makes no sense. It’s the same in business. Your customers don’t want to pay premium for a commoditized thing. And your focus in business has the same perspective. Is it important to have all the tiny work done? Absolutely. Can you have someone else do it so that YOU focus on the high impact? That might be a better way to make your business thrive. Maybe. It’s all on the focus.
Financial predictability
How do you assure financial predictability to your customers? One way of doing so is by giving them fixed prices. Another way is through warranties. Another one from helping them picture what it’s going to look like in a further future. Or letting them know what things will be involved. All of them though, need to happen BEFORE they buy. Because there’s nothing worse than getting “surprises” that blow your budget.
You’ll realize it only by going through the pain of doing it.
“Clarity comes in the articulation, not after it.” David C. Baker Taking your ideas off your head and putting them onto paper (or whatever media you use) gives you the clarity of what you want to communicate. You’ll realize it only by going through the pain.
A founder needs to know…
“A founder needs to know all the technical side.” That’s not necessarily true. A founder/principal/owner doesn’t need to know all of the technical side (be it in technology, in services, in consulting, etc.) —even if they’re soloists. What they need to know is how to make decisions. And make them better everytime.
The best decision
The best decision That’s what you aim for: The best decision… within what you have. Will it be THE best decision ever? Fuck no. It’ll be the decision that lets you move. And steer in the way. And how you get to make big, bold decisions that don’t harm you? Starting with small ones. Against the common conception of “Quality beats quantity”, this (as in writing) has to do more with quantity over quality. At the right scale. Small decisions let you practice, learn, refine, correct. So that…
A 101 on hacking growth
This 2bobs podcast episode is a gem: SpamHack Your Way to Growth! It’s a 101 on what NOT to do. 🙂
As long as it’s green
“Any money is good money.” But is it? Ask yourself. If that’s the case, are you happy with any money going into your business? Are you growing and expanding capacities? Or is it something more like it lets you survive? Leading your business with “Any money is good money” translates into a broad base of customers. Any kind of customer. From the ones who are willing to pay a lot for what you offer, to the ones who demand to pay the least to you. From dream customers, to customers of hell. And…
Stop outperforming
You don’t need to outperform the competition. In fact, that’s not even why a brand gets to stay ahead of their market. Some say that strategy is about “outperforming the competition”. Bullshit. To outperform: “to do well in a particular job or activity compared to others of a similar type.” If that were true/the case, Apple would not be ahead in their market. Because, if you compare the features of their devices, you could easily find ones that perform better for less money. You want to stand…
