A brief glance in the rearview mirror
Recently I spoke to someone who was considering leaving a comfortable corporate job to go it alone and build a business around something they are passionate about. They were put in touch by a mutual connection as they said I was someone who had been there and done that. That came as a bit of a shock to me as 3 years on, I still forget to stop and look back at everything that’s happened over the last few years and still feel like I am winging it most of the time.
Over the course of the conversation, we covered a lot of ground and was a great exercise for me to stop and reflect also. So much so I decided to write down some of the things I wish someone talked with me about when Mulberry St was taking shape.
Don’t say yes to everything just because of the money. This is such a hard one when there is the reality of paying a mortgage and feeding kids etc but what I learnt - the more you say yes to work that doesn’t align to what you want to be doing, the less space there is (and the more likely you have to say no) to the stuff you really want to do.
Price on the client need and where they are at, not on the hours it will take you to do the work. They are paying for your years of experience and not just the hours you sit in a seat. Generally speaking, they are also paying for you to solve a problem and no two problems are equal. This works both ways (charging less and more than a standard hourly rate). This has also meant I’ve been able to take on some work for far less than I’d charge for others, and at times not charge at all, because it’s something that I can see will make a meaningful difference for them and something I’m really passionate about.
Word of mouth continues to be the best form of marketing in the consulting world. I’d rather go over and above what I said I’d do in order to deliver awesome outcomes for my clients as opposed to investing my time in google ads. Almost all of my work has come from a referral.
Only work with people that actually want to do the work. Life’s too short to push s*#t uphill. I’ve only got so many hours in the day and I don’t want to spend them continuing to try and convince someone on why they should be doing something and playing political games, as opposed to just doing the thing.
Don’t stop learning. What I thought I’d be doing has morphed and grown in the last 3 years because I’m continuously looking, reading, listening and studying things that open my mind and expand my skill set.
Experiment, some of my best workshops have started as a complete experiment, an educated risk to take a stab and learn from the impact. This never stops. Even workshops I’ve delivered 20 times are still evolving and changing.
My last piece of advice…make a plan and then just do it. If it’s something you are passionate about and something that the world needs, there will be a way to make it work. And what’s the worst that could happen? You have to go back a get a comfortable corporate job with a bunch more skills and lessons under your belt. But what’s the best that could happen? You get to earn money doing something you love on your own terms.
Was interesting to reflect on what has helped me. Hope it’s helpful to someone else ….