The Question Not Enough People Ask Themselves
Topics: career|entrepreneur|lifestyle design
28 Jan 2010We spend a lot of time talking about WHAT we want.
Some people want a new job. Others want a new website. Still others want better employees.
But not enough people ask WHY they want these things. When you ask why it is you think you want something, you might find out that it still wouldn’t get you what you’re really looking for.
“I want a new job.”
Why? Do you feel you’re not valued where you are? Do you think you aren’t paid enough? Are the hours too long? If the answer to WHY is that you want to feel valued, make more money, and have more control over when and where you work, maybe doing the same thing for a different company isn’t the answer.
“I want a new website.”
Why? Is nobody visiting your current site? Does it constantly crash? Is it full of out-of-date information? Maybe you need a marketing strategy to drive traffic to your site. Or to make sure someone in your organization is responsible for keeping it up and running, and frequently updated. Spending the money to give your site a facelift might not solve any of your problems.
“I want to hire better employees.”
Why? Do your current employees have a bad attitude? Do they produce poor-quality work? Do they lack motivation? Maybe the problem is the culture within your company. Perhaps people feel mistreated or taken advantage of. Maybe they aren’t properly trained. Or maybe your hiring process selects the wrong candidates to begin with. Perhaps changing the approach your company takes towards hiring and managing people is a better option.
We all think we know what we want, but until we dive into the reasons WHY we want these things, we still be stuck in a vicious cycle, doomed to repeat our mistakes and never fixing the problems we already have.
How to Negotiate Like a Jamaican Taxi Driver
Topics: entrepreneur|running a business
26 Jan 2010
For all of our talk about Americans being fierce capitalists, there is one area too many of us fall short: Negotiating.
Visiting other countries can make you realize how much negotiating and haggling are ingrained in some cultures. And my favorite place to visit, Jamaica, is no exception.
Few things in Jamaica are purchased without a bit of haggling first (or higgling as it’s referred to there). And with taxi cabs being the primary form of transportation on the island, a trip anywhere will usually begin with a negotiation over the price of the ride. Jamaican cab drivers have distilled this process down to an art form, and have developed strategies that would help in any type of price negotiation.
Never Make the First Offer
When asked how much it would cost to get somewhere, taxi drivers will respond with “What ya wanna pay?” This allows the driver to size up the passenger. If an amount is offered in US Dollars, chances are the person is new to the country and doesn’t know what the ride should cost. If the quote is in Jamaican Dollars but too low, the driver might respond with a friendly laugh, almost to say “good one!” and reply with a casual “just give me X” (X, of course, being higher than the first offer). From there, a little back and forth is involved before a price is agreed upon.
Lesson: When you let someone make the first offer, you will find out a wealth of information about them (have they done their homework, do they know what they’re doing, etc.). Always let the other party set the starting price for the negotiation.
Learn to Use Awkward Silence
If during the process of haggling the driver is unhappy with what is being offered, they will often clam up and say nothing, just staring at the other party, leaving them to make the next move. This tends to make the other person uncomfortable, who will then make a higher offer just to break the silence.
Lesson: Disrupting the back and forth nature of negotiating can work to your advantage. Silence can influence the other party to step in with a better offer just to end the awkwardness.
Keep Things Light and Friendly
Keeping things friendly goes a long way to ensuring everyone is happy with the end result. In Jamaica, there is always another cab waiting to pick up a passenger. If a driver is too stubborn or gets heated, people will just opt to take another cab. It’s a fine line between getting the best price possible and making the other party feel like they’re getting cheated.
Lesson: Whenever possible, keep negotiations friendly. Getting emotional or being too stubborn can backfire, leading the other party to do the same, or worse, walk away.
Negotiating is an important skill to learn. Whether you are trying to lower prices or raise your salary, understanding what works can have a significant impact on your business or career. Use these tips well to make sure you’re always getting the best deal (or lowest fare!) possible.
- Tags: negotiating
The Night Before Christmas REMIX (An ode to the bloggers who helped me change my life in 2009)
Topics: entrepreneur
17 Dec 2009There is an unwritten rule that bloggers write some sort of recap post toward the end of the year. And overall, 2009 has been a big year for me. I started working for myself and have built a roster of great clients that I feel privileged to work with. And I have big things planned for the new year that I’m excited about.
This path to self-employment has been helped along by a bunch of talented authors and bloggers from around the web. Since they helped me make some life changes, I decided to dedicate my “end of the year reflection” blog post to them, to help spread the word and introduce others to their work. At first I was just going to share a list, but then decided to try something a little more original.
So here is the classic poem The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, remixed as an ode to the bloggers who helped me change my life this year. Enjoy!
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS REMIX
‘Twas the night before Christmas, working from my house,
Reading websites and blogs, clicking through with my mouse.
Self-proclaimed “gurus” were anything but rare,
But a few helpful experts were truly found there.They introduced ideas in the things they have said,
And the words they have written have stuck in my head.
Business success doesn’t just fall in your lap,
But together they laid out a plan and a map.Zen Habits tells of life simple, not fatter,
And to focus on the things that really do matter.
Don’t just look for ways to make cash,
But find ways to clear life of unneeded trash.Pam Slim used to work to help companies glow,
By helping employees continue to grow.
But when she saw it all fell on deaf ears,
Escape was the route she helped make appear.With a passport and flights that took him out to the sticks,
Chris showed us all of his cool travel tricks.
“Don’t conform!” he often and loudly would claim,
To live like all others would be a real shame!Tim Ferriss tells stories with a devilish grin,
With business and tango and travel mixed in.
Forget about selling products in a mall,
Online business can serve a niche that’s quite small.Jonathan used to be a real stressed-out guy,
But then he got sick and asked himself why.
He followed his passion and that’s when he knew,
Career Renegades can design their lifestyle anew.Ramit Sethi has heard every spending goof,
And offers advice and then shows the proof,
That plan when you’re young, and you’ll be bound,
To retire with finances that are cushy and sound.Then there’s Seth Godin, striped socks on his foot,
He’s been sharing for years, and plans to stay put.
By being remarkable and straying from the pack,
Your business will grow and then stay in the black.
Calling marketers liars sounded quite scary,
And it sounded like customers should always be wary,
But it was the importance of stories that we all should know,
And he showed how to use them like a marketing pro.Chris Brogan never has nothing to tweet,
And he preaches that brands should be nice, should be sweet.
Trust is important, and you should write from your belly,
Being authentic will make your brand sticky like jelly!Guy Kawasaki has books on my shelf,
And they have helped me decide to work for myself.
“How to Change the World” I have always read,
And I thank him for all the smart things he’s said.Getting Real has totally changed the way that I work,
And helped create projects that don’t drive me berserk.
As 37Signals expands and it grows,
They help push the limits, and keep us on our toes.As the economy led to employment dismissals,
And security blew up like it was hit by some missiles,
These bloggers helped share a future that’s bright,
Start a business that’s small, and sleep great at night!
The Greatest Benefit of Working for Yourself
Topics: entrepreneur
9 Dec 2009
I had a conversation with two different people this week that got me thinking about traditional corporate employment versus working for yourself. There are definitely pros and cons to each, but these stories illustrated a big difference between the two.
“He Just Doesn’t Get it.”
The first person works for a large media company. This particular company is rolling out a few changes to how they do things and a new process was developed for how metrics are reported. The team was instructed on how to properly implement this new method. This person had then gone the extra mile and worked with the team to ensure everyone understand the new procedure.
It wasn’t a big change, more of a tweak to the current way of doing things. But one member of the team continues to do things the old way. He says he understands the changes, but time and time again, he is turning in his reports with the wrong information. This obviously annoyed this person, which then led to complaints about other employees, along with frustration that the boss does little to reward good behavior or address bad behavior. Overall, short of leaving, they felt powerless to change things.
“They Just Don’t Get It.”
The other conversation was with a developer who has managed their own business for many years. They had been working with a specific client during the past few months and it had grown to be a painful relationship. Endless changes and never-ending complaints had taken its toll, but the client paid well, so the projects dragged on.
After the latest client outburst, this developer had finally had enough and decided to fire the client. Sure, they would be walking away from a large source of income, but it wasn’t worth the aggravation. This type of situation was one of the reasons they had left a corporate gig to start their own business in the first place. So ties were severed and the client was let go.
These two stories tell of a similar experience: the pain of dealing with difficult people. But working for yourself provides a huge benefit over being an employee.
When you work for yourself, you can decide who to work with.
You can’t fire your boss. And you can’t fire your co-workers. But clients can be dropped. When you run your own business, who you work with is ultimately up to you. Whether it is a client who is always unsatisfied and complains about the bill or a subcontractor or employee who continually makes mistakes, these work relationships are all at your discretion.
When you work for someone else, your only option is usually “take it or leave it.” You can always quit and work elsewhere, but while you’re there, you often have little control over who you have to work with. The company decides that for you.
Working for yourself isn’t for everyone. And there are days when the greener grass of working for someone else looks appealing. But running your own business can offer something traditional employment can’t: freedom.
A List of Excuses From a Freelancer (or why a project was over 2 years late)
Topics: entrepreneur|running a business
17 Nov 2009
As any client knows, freelancers can be guilty of some pretty bad behavior. Missed deadlines, followed by lame excuses, can grind any project to a halt.
On reddit today, a user by the name of mustardstache (which is a terrific name by the way) posted all of the excuses he had received from a freelance web developer over the last two and a half years (at which point the website had still not been launched). Frustrated and begging his boss to fire the bum and hand the project over to him, mustardstache compiled the list as evidence of the freelancer’s frequent delays.
More Than Two Years Later, Still No Website
Now, whether or not these excuses actually happened is beside the point. After all, over a span of more than 2 years, a lot can happen. But it’s unacceptable to hold a client hostage like this guilty party clearly did. Some of these excuses may at first seem sad, but when viewed together, it shows an irresponsible freelancer who just can’t seem to balance life and work. It also shows someone who shares way too much personal information and has trouble maintaining professional boundaries. I share them here as an example of bad behavior to be avoided at all costs.
So presented here, in their entirety, are the reasons that mustardstache’s project still hadn’t launched 2.5 years later.
“This weekend I had an unexpected death in the family.. the funeral was yesterday. I will get on it Shortly”
“It’s been hectic, my uncle past away in my grandma’s house Sunday with a massive heart attack in his chair…”
“My laptop processer decided to Burn out on me last week, so I had to go thru the trouble of getting another laptop Configuring everything from scratch and moving all my data over- so that why I didn’t get a chance To work on the site..”
“I would have been done, but Monday and Tuesday I was real sick and sun burnt On top of slicing my hand open chucking wood upstate NY on Sunday then having to get a tetanus shot in the emergency room, which sucked bad-”
“I was mad sick this weekend, but I made some progress today on the admin..”
“Besides my jaw killing me, due to 3 dental implants I got put in Friday….”
“I have been very busy building out a hosting platform for a company and this is why I was booked this week. I was hoping to get these items done during the weekend and I am well aware of the list and a few other things, but thank you for the reminder….”
“I will get moving on your stuff shortly, I have had a hectic week”
“Today’s my B-Day, so I’m trying to kick back and forget about the world as much As I can…. I will be spending time with fam and friends tonight, so I can’t promise you Any work tonight .. but I will call you this afternoon and well get stuff sorted Out”
“Sorry, I didn’t get time to work on the site tonight, I forgot I was invited to my good friends birthday party. I will have something for you Tomorrow as far as the homepage.”
“I had to put my 14 yr old dog to sleep on wed so I’ve been kind of miserable.. I needed a day to chill.. I’ll send you a log with the current stuff. Talk Monday.”
“This is the last day I have to run around like a gravy covered cat in a dog pound!”
“I have to cancel our meeting today and wait till Monday- One of my servers went down and I have to fix this”
“This is Rich, I just got back from vacation and got your message. I will give you a yell tomorrow as I’m am still getting settled in”
“Sorry to drag this on longer than expected, I had in plain English A screwed up week. I got into an accident last week so I had to have my car fixed.. So I had no car, then me and my girl got in a huge Fight to breakup- so I didn’t have her car, then I finally got my car back Yesterday from the body shop but I had to take my cousin to a doctor in Brooklyn, cause he had another apses, the doctor recommended we take him to Coney island hospital and we didn’t get out Till 5AM in the morning last night, 11 hrs of waiting- horrible”
“I will work on the issues as of tonight, I’ve had a busy schedule and I planed the work for this evening. Sorry for the wait, I will look into the category issue 1st thing. Ok”
“I have had a family emergency this week and it’s been a little hard on my schedule. I plan to start the next steps, this weekend or early next week, call me if you have questions.”
“Today is bad for me, I have to do a lot of running around, I have a weeding rehearsal I have to go to tonight, so I gotta Pick up the tux, haircut etc… My good friend is getting married this weekend. Ill contact you first thing Monday..”
- Tags: mustardstache, reddit
About Mark Webster
One of the Co-Founders of SideTour, former TechStar (NYC Summer 2011), ex-NBA'er, and past TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon Winner.
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- Defining what personal failure looks like
- Want to clone my startup? Let me save you $5,757.
- What to Expect From a Disrupt Hackathon
- Getting Off on the Wrong Foot
- Why Groupon Could Be the Next Walmart (and why that’s bad for local businesses)
- Jason Calacanis Just Made His Company Mahalo One Big Hackathon
- Why You Should Stop Learning (and Start Doing)
- Should You Offer Rewards for Referrals?
- The Difference Between Tools and Talent (or what we can expect from Google App Inventor)
- Freelancing Advice: A Unique Approach to Billing Clients
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