A place for my thoughts on business, e-commerce, technology, design and life.
No Space for Complacency
adii:
One thing that I’ve learned over and over again of late is that there is absolutely no space for compromise & complacency when dealing with customers. These are the people that makes your business a success and they ensure that you are able to pay the bills; so never - ever - stop short of pulling out all the stops to please your customers!
13 April 2010 · Comments
What Success Means to me
Every person has a different definition for success, here are mine. Hopefully it inspires you in some way.
It’s a good idea to write them down as it tends to solidify them in your mind as opposed to simply thinking about it.
- Doing what I love every day
- Looking forward to waking up in the morning
- Being a good person
- Being happy
- Being financially secure
- Not feeling stressed or constantly worried
- Not having to work 12+ hour days
- Being able to spend time with family and friends
- Being recognized in my industry as a knowledgeable colleague
- Developing un-hindered self confidence in what I do
- Having a clear vision
- Being able to make my decisions based purely on enjoyment
- Having lifetime financial plans in place
- Learning to embrace change
- Becoming a renaissance man
- Becoming a better public speaker
- Staying true to my values
- Being in a healthy relationship
- Having time to actually enjoy life
- Not having to answer to anyone
- Building valuable personal networks
- Being in control of my own life
- Finding time for a hobby
These are just a few, feel free to add yours.
11 April 2010 · Comments
Bring out the Guns, Stick to your Price.
You: So Dave, what is it that you envision your project to be like in the next few months?
Client: I want this, this, that, this, this, this and this … and oh yes, that.
You: Ok … what kind of budget have you set asside for it?
Client: Shoestring.
You: FML.
Admit it, we all know this kind of conversation.
As a freelancer, you are faced with two evils - one is the constant influx of chancers and the other is you - just trying to get by.
It tends to be easy to fall into the “I’ll do the job fo cheap” trap when you have to put food on the table, but please don’t be quick to take on work like this - you inevitably end up regretting it.
Stick to your price, do not deviate - clients will respect you for this, remember this is your hard work we’re talking about.
You are more likely to get more work and make more money if you are slightly more expensive, thanks to a fundamental human flaw causing us to only want the best of things :)
Happy freelancing!
21 March 2010 · Comments
A Message to Startup Founders
Starting and running a business is hard work - you already know this though. Here’s a list I would like to share with you and hopefully you might find inspiration in someone else’s words.
- Don’t ever give up - keep innovating
- Sleep more
- Keep things exciting
- Ask for help when you need it
- Put your pride in your pocket
- Shamelessly promote yourself
- Hire the right people
- Be actively involved in your business - physically and mentally
- External funding is evil, try go without it as far as you can
- Show your employees that they are valuable to you and your business
- Create tangible value in your products or services
- Give back to the community where ever you can
- Don’t be afraid to lead
- Don’t be afraid of criticism
- Don’t be afraid failure
- Keep pushing boundaries like a child pushing buttons
- Don’t subscribe to the cliques - they’re short lived
- Make sure you build a business that can pass the sleep test
- Stop being ordinary
- Release early and release often
- Stay humble
- Communicate, communicate, communicate
2 March 2010 · Comments
