It Sure Beats Working

Get Your Team Together

I had a little scare the other day.  An old client called to say that a newsletter my company designed for him five years ago may have included images that were not licensed.  Stolen, in other words.  The owner of the images was now demanding payment from my client.

Uh oh.  I outsource design and had no idea if the images were licensed. 

So I called my designer.  And I called my attorney.

The good news is that the images were in fact licensed and we were fine.  But it got me thinking... thinking about the importance of having a great team behind me.

I like to say that "I work alone."  But it's not quite true.  Yes, I'm the only employee of my company, but when I took score the other day I realized that I work with a designer, attorney, accountant, financial planer, business coach, web technician, IT support, and several copywriters.

I also realized the other day how important it is to have an "all-star" team of players.  My designer had an immediate answer; my attorney told me just what to do.  Specialists who know their stuff and who are available and can be counted on when I need them.

So I guess the lesson is this:  Don't skimp on these people.  I don't like spending money on "overhead" and my team isn't the cheapest (by a long shot).  But they sure are good.

When the phone rings with a problem -- at 3 a.m. or otherwise -- make sure you've already put your team in place. 

Enjoy Your Latte

I just read another one of those "Save $15 a week by cutting back on your Starbucks visits" articles.  You know, the ones that are supposed to help you tough it out until the economy gets better.

You know what?  I say ignore that line of thinking.  Two reasons:

1. It's exactly when times are tough that you most appreciate those little treats.  If you're feeling the pinch, you're probably not taking the family bike trip to Italy next summer, so the special drink is all the more sweet.

2. It's focusing on the wrong side of the equation.  $15 a week is only $750 a year... a lot of missed enjoyment for not a lot of money.  I know, if I invested it at 7% for 30 years, blah, blah, blah.  The thing is, it's a lot easier to earn another $750 than save $750, and this kind of advice always strikes me as paying attention to the wrong variable.  Yes your ends need to meet, but I find it easier (and a lot more fun) to raise my income than reduce my overhead.

The fact is, this advice is appropriate for someone with a job (i.e, a more or less fixed income). 

You and I, on the other hand, don't have jobs.  We have skills that we know how to sell to others and down economy or not, the sky is the limit.

So here's what I recommend:  Drive to Starbucks, order the biggest, most delicious, most expensive drink on the menu and find yourself a nice cozy chair.  Then spend a couple of hours figuring out how you're going to make more money, with a particular focus on the problems you're particularly good at solving.  You'll regain your confidence, your excitement and your vision (not to mention enjoying your drink).