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Is it egotistical and arrogant, or confident and self assured?

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Last week, I had a startling “dress down” via email. I have to admit… I was shocked! I mean, I’m a cuddly, lovable ball of fluff filled with marshmallow goodness! Yet when I put forth this self-description to friends and family… they dissolved into a puddle of hysterical giggles. Then I see where Catherine Lawson wrote about “Do you think you know it all“… oops…. maybe I do.

She links to James’ article “The Classic Entrepreneur” over at Men with Pens.

An entrepreneur is more than just a person who strikes up a business. There are specific personality traits and quirks that make up the classic profile of an entrepreneur – and they’re not very flattering.

His post continues…bull headed, control freaks are terms that appear at headers. Other unflattering terms such as “egotistical” appear under these headers.

OUCH! It appears that I am suffering from the classic symptoms of entrepreneur-itis which is pronounced by some people as “bossy, know it all jerk”.

However, I’ve been candy coating those descriptive terms. Instead of “egostical” I prefer “confident”. “Bull headed” is labeled with the much more flattering term “self confident”.  Am I being sef delusional?

I’m not alone in my struggle. IttyBiz offers a tongue in cheek “quiz” with the post Getting More Jobs: Are You Cocky Or Do You Have Balls?. The next post references the backlash unleashed as a result.

I admit, I thrashed about the evening following my stern dressing down. I thrashed… while Naomi found pay dirt with “Entrepreneurship: What To Do When You’re Scared Sh*tless

She’s right.  It all boils down to fear.  It makes sense that the emotion I was battling was fear.  She was right… as soon as I labeled that monster, I was able to process it effectively.

When I began this “self employment” journey a decade ago, I came from a position where I was PAID because people liked me. The more people who “liked” me, the more money I made. That’s the way the ad game is played. I sold my agency’s services to business owners who were successful enough to have built a business big enough to hire an agency. None of us had a functioning accurate crystal ball. They signed because we “clicked”. When they signed, I heard “Ka-ching!”

Talk above Pavlov and his experiments…. they like me, I make money. They don’t and not only do I not get rewarded with a nice big check, but my actions are reviewed and I get to meet with the agency owner to “improve” my process.

So it makes sense that my fear would be based upon some well founded experience.  They like me… I make money.  They don’t like me… my kids don’t eat.

Customers can’t measure quality… they can however decide whether they like me.

So I’ll work on making sure “confident” doesn’t escalate into “egotistical” … because really, isn’t egotistical just a matter of “confidence on steroids”.

One thing about it…. my blog and it’s readers will certainly let me know when I stray into “egotistical” land.

Who told you this was easy?

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Lately, I’ve been being “peppered” with “complaints” of sorts. Oh, complaints isn’t the right word. It’s just an overall sense of “Gee… this building a business stuff is HARD work!”

For example, there’s the client who is struggling to get a logo designed for his business. He signed up and paid his money ($200) to an online company that promised “satisfaction” and came back with four nice, high quality, “generic” logos for his business.

The problem?

His business is not “typical” of this genre. His original web developer “got” that when he built his web site… and I “got” that after a few conversations with him. Heck a year later, he still holds my feet to the fire reminding me of that fact!

The problem was that this logo company didn’t get it. He tried SEVERAL times to explain it to them, and each time they kept “regurgitating” back the same “generic” logo samples. Obviously, they didn’t WANT to get it or weren’t capable of understanding. Either way, they were NOT gracious when he asked for his promised “satisfaction guaranteed” refund.

We had the same “problem” when we hired a video production company to produce his television commercial. We even used a firm in southern Florida so I could work closely with them on the production of the commercial. I know I drove the company NUTS but in the end, we fought and kicked and screamed and finally ended up with a commercial which accurately “reflects” this client’s business.

In the middle of the logo debacle… my client wrote to me and his frustration came through loud and clear, even through email: “Why can’t ANYTHING be simple!”

Right now… as he’s building his business…. NOTHING is easy. We’re pouring the foundation of the business… and just like pouring the foundation of a building, this is important. This is the stuff his business success will be built upon. He’ll be using that logo, the web site, that television commercial, those business cards for YEARS to come. Better to pay a little extra today than pay to rework it all next year.

I’ve never, ever heard ANYONE in any marketing circle say, “What the hell! It’s OK if it doesn’t “tell” the client’s story at a glance. After all, it’s just a logo!”

So if you didn’t know before, I’ll tell you now:

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS IS HARD WORK!!!

building a businessIt’s hard and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you snake oil!!!!

The reason for the high “failure” rate of new businesses is NOT because the business “didn’t make it.” The number of business “failures” in the sense of the business was in debt and unable to cover its expenses are actually much less common than you may imagine.

Over at Business Know How, Janet Attard says:

In fact, US Census Bureau data shows half of new employer businesses survive more than four years, and about one-third of closed businesses were successful at closure.

In other words, the reason for business “failure” is not because the business didn’t bring in enough cash to cover expenses but rather because the owner said, “SCREW IT! I can make more money for less headaches working for someone else!”

As a “boot strapping entrepreneur” you get to wear ALL the hats… even the ones you hate. You get to wear the sales hat… the bookkeeper hat… even the janitor’s hat. Oh, and even when your business “grows” to a point where you can hire other humans to wear these hats for you… the buck still stops with you. If the bookkeeper you hired doesn’t do his/her job… the buck still stops with you. If the sales superstar you hired doesn’t deliver, the buck still stops with you.

I guess because I grew up a family supported by my self-employed father, when I launched my business I knew it was going to be a long, hard road ahead.

As a side note, one of my father’s close friends was the late Jim DeVoe who launched J.D. Byrider. The J.D. in the name stands for Jim DeVoe. Another childhood friend of my father is Joe Astorg who now owns a chain of car dealerships in West Virginia. Both these men launched from “nothing” and worked for many years growing NOTHING into something BIG!  My father was also a car dealer who launched several other businesses as well.  I grew up hearing business growth stories nightly at the dinner table.   I guess that helped to set my expectations when I launched MY business. I knew the business would first have to sit up before it could crawl… and crawl before it could walk… and be able to walk before it could pull a loaded wagon!

Now, 10 years later, running my business is not NEARLY as hard as it was in the beginning. However, when the “young pups” who launched their business last October call to complain… I remind them that their new business is a BABY! They haven’t even been in business a full quarter yet and they’re expecting their “baby business” to be walking, talking and going to work supporting them. I wish I could think of an example of a time when that has worked.

When the shoe fits… I get flamed.

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Well, my last blog entry inspired a nice little flame from the designer in question.

Despite the fact that I didn’t mention him by name, he recognized himself in the post and sent me an email taking me to the wood shed. He dressed me down thoroughly and instructed me that had I followed the instructions on his web site and “contacted him in the specified manner” that he would have gotten back with me sooner.

Here’s a news flash for ANYONE who thinks a potential customer is reading every single word you write… whether it’s a blog, a brochure or an ad that runs in print….

NO ONE READS YOUR COPY AS CAREFULLY AS YOU DO.

The semi colon used on the about page instead of a colon is not going to tip the scales and make someone NOT contact you to hire you for your services…unless you’re offering your services as a proof reader or editor.

As a matter of fact, I’ve seen typos in one place or another on almost every “successful” web site.  It’s the new world order of marketing… “Get it out quickly… mistakes be damned…. make corrections later!”

I’ve been telling clients for a decade now… “The absolute BEST email you can get in your in box (aside from the “I’m interested in hiring you” one)  is the one where the reader corrects your typos!”  Why?  Because that means people are READING your content!!!!  That is the sign that the content featured on your web site/brochure/ad is indeed compelling content and that readers care enough to share their observations with you.

If you’re going to use your Facebook/Myspace/LinkedIn account as your primary web presence… check it daily.

I know… there are people who advise you to ignore your email.  However, I think Steve Pavilina hit the nail on the head with tip #6 on “10 Business Lessons From a Snarky Entrepreneur”

Become so organized it disgusts people.  You’ll never achieve perfection, but you’ll be far better off than your peers who spend two weeks every year looking for things they misplaced.  If you aren’t chronically well-organized, punctual, and dependable, rest assured you’re competing with someone who is.

In the end, no one likes to be “dressed down”… however, you must remember…your best customer is not the one who quietly slinks away… and then complains to 15 people about your business.  Your most treasured customer should be the one who voices a complaint.

Kristin Zhivago writes in her post A buyer’s hellish experience

Understand what people want to do on your website. If you’re not mapping out every step of what everyone wants to DO on your website, you’re bound to be frustrating people. This is vitally important. It is also seldom given half the attention it deserves. There is no substitute for getting input from users and watching users try to use your site. Yes, it’s an extra time-consuming process. It’s also one of the most important things you can do to increase revenue.

I contrast that designer’s response with the ABSOLUTELY classy response to a customer service mis-step which appears on the Ingram Micro blog, First Impressions are Hard to Overcome.

So what do you do when such an issue comes to your attention?  The best defense is not defensive at all.  Own up to your mistakes or shortcomings, pledge to try harder and resolve the concerns, and ask that the offended party give you another chance.  Sometimes they will.  Often they won’t.  In either case its an expensive and humbling lesson.

Excuses and deflections will never fly.  Honesty and perseverance might.

My apology to the designer mentioned previously:

I did NOT intend to humiliate you or dress you down.  I intentionally did NOT mention you, our shared client nor my other client by name.  No details were shared which would identify you and that was by design.

I’m sorry your feelings were hurt.  Your work is inspired.  Take my blog post for what it was… insight as to how a potential customer uses your web presence to contact you.

I’m most disappointed that I will not be able to offer your services to my constantly growing list of clients.  I hope my comments will enable you to refine your web presence so it can become a powerful catalyst in building your business.

Oh… and sorry it took me so long to cook that crow so I could eat it!

When it comes to business… when you snooze, you lose!

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About a month ago, I had a client sign up for a blog and she arrived with an amazingly diverse selection of potential “logos” to use on her site. At the same time, I had another client who was struggling trying to find an artist who “got” his business and could create a logo which “fit” with the other marketing pieces he had already had developed.

I asked the incoming client for the name of her graphic designer… and she promptly gave me a URL for him. This domain name redirected to a Myspace profile page. Fortunately, I have a Myspace page so I could send him a “friends” request… because there was NO other way given to contact him on the profile.

In my Myspace friend’s request, I gave my gmail address and asked for him to contact me there. This request was made almost 2 weeks ago and today, I finally got a reply.

I admit, I didn’t say “I have a possible job for you” in the initial contact which may or may not have inspired him to respond in a more timely manner. However, it did remind me of the wise words of a former client who runs a small publishing company. She said, “I’d rather have a graphic artist of moderate talent who can deliver on deadline than an incredibly gifted one who doesn’t know what the word deadline means.”

Her words come back frequently when I try to work with graphic artists.

Liz Strauss writes about a friend of hers who is a graphic artist and is struggling. In her post When Is Being Good Not Good for Business? where she wonders why he’s not getting jobs.  I wonder if it’s the same guy?

Meanwhile we found another graphic artist for my client who needed one.  Our second choice returned my client’s contact immediately.  Earlier this week, my client send me the first round of logos from the graphic artist whom I’ve dubbed “local talent”.

So in the time it took for the the first graphic artist to respond, we already were evaluating the first round of designs from the second.

I was really impressed with the work done by the first guy.  It was great… but I’m running a business.  If I recommend him to a client and he takes 2 weeks to respond, it makes ME look bad!

Customers can’t measure quality, especially when it comes to logo design and development.

In hindsight, the first clue I had that this guy wasn’t serious about his business was the fact that he’s using his Myspace profile as his online presence.  It’s a shame.  He’s got a gift.

Does the Blog Skinny widget do to more harm than good?

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Blogs are hot… there’s no doubt about it. I’m such a fan of blogs, that I’m actually a “blog pusher and dealer.” They are a GREAT communication tool for independent service professionals who need to build trust with potential clients.

However, in response to the popularity of blogs, several services have emerged which claim to offering help driving to your blog. Some of these resources, like Technorati, MyBlog Log, Blog Catalog are legitimate blog traffic building tools. Others like Blog Rush are of questionable value, but I don’t think it HARMS your blog to include their widget…. unlike a service I stumbled upon the other day.

It’s called “Blog Skinny”and I decided to test the service with one of my “experimental” blogs.

Step 1: Fill in the form and submit your blog to the database.

I fill in the required information. No red flags yet… so I use a REAL email address that I actually check because some tools, like Blog Catalog, have social networking type features, participation in which helps to improve the tool’s effectiveness at driving blog traffic.

Step 2: Authenticate your blog by displaying not one but 2 widgets. Once the widgets are displaying on your blog, you then hit the “submit” button to authenticate.

TWO WIDGETS?!?! I mean, the rest is standard operating procedure, but requiring 2 widgets is asing a lot. (The fact that they offer another 8-10 “optional” widgets should have sent up a red flag, but it didn’t alarm me enough to stop.)

I don’t have a problem with the display preview that they show for each button. The first one is shown as displaying a tiny button and the second is a larger button. I notice as I copy the code that these the kind of URLs that would warrant a quick in person visit before approving a trackback or comment…. that red flag is starting to wave faster and closer in front of me.

Yet, I blaze on and add the code to the test blog. I click “view site” and am HORRIFIED by what I see. I’m not seeing the discreet image displayed in the display but rather a “word at home” text link in place of the discreet first button. Following the link confirms my worst fears: that Blog Skinny widget is going to link my blog with one that apparently lives in a “bad” neighborhood!

WHOA!!! A quick delete of the text widget and I take pleasure in the admonition from Blog Skinny that failure to complete the process will mean my information will be deleted from the database. I’m hating the fact that I used a real email address with them at this point and will have to wait and see if I’ve opened up a pandora’s box of email there.

I frequently tell my clients, “I’m covered with the scars from my experimentation so you don’t have to get burned.” While I initially hoped that I dropped the match before it burned my flesh… using my real email has already resulted in spam emails coming in to me pristine and well protected account.