Often I’ve found that work done by others is sub-par. Usually I have to go in there and fix it or redo the entire task/project. As a business person it’s a battle against TIME and RESOURCES. You have to pick and choose wisely. Then there is TALENT. Most people who are good charge a lot (or learn that they are good and then charge a lot).
Lesson: Balance your time wisely. Get rid of the losers very quickly. When you find a good player? Curate, season, and build the relationship for the long haul.
One of the hardest parts of building a business is staying with it. There are two failures in business:
1. Those that don’t have the skills to build what they want to build.
2. Have the basic skills, but don’t stick it out for whatever reason.
Most businesses do NOT flourish overnight. Most businesses are HARD to build. Most businesses take years to succeed. I’ve read that something like 80% of new businesses fail within the first year.
Lesson: Before you begin make sure you understand your domain to a basic level of competency (the more relevant people and knowledge the better). Then really decide if you want to stick with it.
One of the things I’ve noticed is a lot of useless garbage on Facebook.
Take it back. I finally started using Facebook 1x per day (or greater) and found so much garbage that it’s pretty much useless. The usual suspects:
1. Politics.
2. Religion.
These are poison. No one is changing anyones mind. It either angers or makes someone feel uppity inside.
My advice is to stick to reasonable conversation that does not try to poke at others in a condescending way. Even if you think you are starting a dialog with a 1-off poster/image or gotcha-point. Guess what. You are NOT. And probably pissing people off more than anything.
Lesson: Use the social to socialize. Start dialogs for changing peoples minds in private. If you decide to post something inflaming, then understand that you will probably gain more ire than goodwill.
After I left my previous job I decided to take a few interviews. They were all miserable. One particular one was a phone interview where I was asked a series of technical questions. At some point I finally realized that my heart was not in this game.
I finally accepted that I am an entrepreneur.
At that point I politely ended the interview and moved on. At first it was a little shocking, but also liberating because I knew that if I ended up taking another day job I’d be bored, unhappy, resentful, and then end up quitting at some point.
Lesson: Avoid the thorny thickets in life. Go for your dream. Yes there are challenges, but good challenges are ones you look forward to and want to overcome.
