It Sure Beats Working

Better Than a Contract

I had lunch with an old friend yesterday.  We worked together at the same company for years and now both work solo.

We were talking about 2009 and he was asking what I had done to lock down my largest clients for the coming year, in case they had budget cuts and wanted to cancel our contract. 

I told him I hadn't thought about it.  In fact, I don't have contracts with any of my clients.  I write up a brief agreement when we start, just to make sure everybody's clear on the arrangement, but from them on, I just invoice quarterly.  They (or I) can stop whenever we want.

He thought this was strange; how would I keep them if they decided to cut back?  What leverage would I have?

I have to admit, I initially thought that he had a good point.  And I decided to do something about it when I got back to my office.

But then, a little while later and back in my car, I remembered that I don't want clients who -- for whatever reason -- don't want to work with me anymore.  I only want the people who are thrilled to pay me each month for the work I do... not the ones who are waiting for the contract to expire.

Here's how I look at it:  When you start focusing on how to "lock people down," you stop focusing on how to do your best work.  Given the choice between the risk of losing a client, and the risk of just going through the motions for the money until the deal runs out, I'll take the former every time.

Turn Down Your Radio

Lots of bad news out there these days.  Or so I've been told... I don't listen to it. 

Every time a story comes on the radio (or TV or newspaper or whatever) whose purpose is to give me one more view into what's going wrong, I shut it off.

Here's how I look at it: The "economy" is an average of what's going on in general.  It matters if you're an economist, or a member of the media, or an academic, or anyone else whose job it is to report on and predict trends.

But it's still an average of what's going on in general.  I don't live in general -- I live a single, specific life with a single specific business.  And so while I care about the people and businesses whose lives are hurt by the down economy, mine isn't (and will never be) one of them.  I make my own economy.

Is it naive?  Or unrealistic?  Or just plain irresponsible to focus on what's going well and ignore anything bad in the belief that we all make our own future? 

I don't know.  But I do know this:  That's what "they" told me nine years ago when I quit a comfy job, even though I had no clients and no business plan.   

So I say keep pedaling, keep creating, keep focusing on whatever it is you do.  And keep your finger on your radio's off switch.