Up Market |
- Why Yard Sales Are Named Wrong (And What That Means to You)
- How to Rescue an Unprepared Outsourcer
- The Imagineering Way
| Why Yard Sales Are Named Wrong (And What That Means to You) Posted: 01 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT I love yard sales and garage sales. I avoided them during my life as a nomad, carrying everything we owned everywhere we went, but they still tugged at me. Now that we’ve settled (for a while) I’m itching to get out and find some beautiful wood furniture on the cheap, and maybe an old book I can rebind. Yard sales have been corrupted by business thinking and the wrong why. A yard sale is not about making money. If you want to make money, carefully craft meaningful ads for Craigslist, eBay, your website, the local paper. But piling all the junk from your garage and closets out in the yard is not about making money. It’s about cleaning out your garage and closets. Getting rid of junk. If you accept that anything leaving your yard is success, you won’t be selling your used copy of a Dire Straits CD for $5, you’ll sell it for a quarter. If someone says sure, I’ll give you a buck for this, but can I take that, too? you’ll say yup, get it outta here. Are you getting rid of junk, or trying to make money? Clearly define why you’re doing something, then follow a plan for that version of success, not some other version you’re not even aware is in your head. There’s a subtext here that’s not about yard sales. N. B., Business AuthorsAsk an aspiring author why they want to publish a book and money comes up pretty quickly. As business folk, we’re used to selling things, selling our expertise, selling in general. The changes in the publishing industry mean that anyone can publish a book, and they all do. (Okay, we, not they.) The volume of published works out there is staggering. We’d each have to be buying armloads of books every week for every author to fulfill their dream of making money selling copies of their book. Fiction authors have it easier. They can always dream of making it big, because someone is going to, and the market is fickle and unpredictable. Write lots of books people want to read and who knows what can happen. Non-fiction, not so much. The rarified strata of best-selling (read “actually made money”) business books tends to be peopled with New York Times columnists, professors from ivy-walled institutions, and folks who already had more zeros in their bank accounts than you and I. This is in part because they take far more time and effort than most independently published authors to research and refine. They often have a different level of support team in place. They were celebrities before they published. Making money selling copies of your business book is hard. Marketing it can easily become a full time job. Consider a different “why” and maybe you won’t work so hard. Get it Out of the YardJust like that yard sale, a different perspective can make a world of difference. You already have a business. That’s why you’re writing a book, because you have something to teach. Instead of focusing on something new (selling books) focus on what you already do. Use your book to display your expertise, your teaching style, your personality, your dedication to your craft. Help fans of your books become fans of you. Different Why —> Different BehaviourWhile you should certainly think of yourself as an author, don’t think of yourself as a bookseller. Continue to be who you already were, just amplified and refined. Now, when you meet someone fascinating, someone you’d love to work with, instead of selling them a book you’ll see the value of the opportunity and know whether or not giving them this great big impressive business card (y’know, your book) is the right way to show your sincere interest. You’ll continue looking for ways to connect, to give, to learn, to participate. You’ll spend far fewer networking meetings and coffee shop chats wondering how to make $12 on a book, and continue what you’re already doing: sharing your gifts so you can help change the world. I wonder if I should take all the price tags off my books. Just let folks make me an offer. It’d be nice to get them out of the yard and into peoples’ hands.  |
| How to Rescue an Unprepared Outsourcer Posted: 01 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT
I just hired my first VA, and so far it’s been a disaster! After reading your column last week, I know that I didn’t do anything right to prepare, and I’m paying for it now. Do you have any advice to salvage this relationship? Signed, Penitent Employer Dear Penitent, See what happens when you don’t listen to Kirsten? You’re not the only one, though, so I’ll tell you how to get out of the bind you’ve gotten into. It’s not going to be a pretty process, but it’s your only shot for rescuing this hire. Set aside two days within the next week. Set them fully aside – no e-mail, client calls, staff meetings, or anything else should impede on this time. The first of those days is going to be paid vacation for your VA. Because you need to do some serious hustling to get their training materials ready, and there’s no reason they should suffer for your mistake. Spend the first day is for you to spend putting together a welcome packet. This packet should contain:
Once that’s done, send it to your VA and schedule a 3-or-4-hour call the next day where you can go through the packet together. Address questions and confusions as they arise (because I guarantee they will) and make sure by the end of the call that both of you are clear on the expectations. Your VA has expectations of you as a boss in addition to you having expectations of them, and you’re already off to a rocky start. Over the next few weeks, plan at least an hour a day to talk with your VA, address questions, and offer suggestions. That time will diminish to once weekly meetings, but you should always look for at least one daily check-in from a full time VA. So, which days will you be taking off? Kirsten Have a productivity question? E-mail Kirsten and get your answer!  |
| Posted: 01 Jun 2012 02:00 AM PDT Book Recommendation: The Imagineering Way by The Imagineers
Walt Disney coined the word imagineers to describe the people who create the magic that is Disney. Imagineers make movies, design theme parks, and have a fun time doing it. In the Imagineering Way you learn how to infuse that fun and imagination into your work. This book is the antidote to your routines and ruts that are slowing you down. One of the clever things about this book is that it is designed for every type of learning style. Are you a visual learner? There are tips for you. An audio learner? This book has something for you, too. No matter how you approach life there is an answer for you in this book. Like with so many business self-help books, when I am looking for a solution I like to randomly open to a page and see what it says. When I opened the book right now the page read "Ask the Right Questions." That one line makes me wonder what questions I was asking when I was getting nowhere and how I can ask new questions. Suddenly a whole new path has opened up and the rut has disappeared. It's magic. Disney magic. Not all jobs involve thinking outside the box. Some fields, like accountancy and other financial careers, involve staying solidly inside the lines. That doesn't mean this book isn't for those types of professions. When I open to another page it is titled "Creative Stuff from Boring Numbers." I wonder what sage advice can be found there. Clearly this book has something for everyone. That is the Disney way. So when you need to change a habit or get unstuck browse through the Imagineering Way. You'll find a new path and a new sense of creativity.  |
Dear Kirsten,
Habit. Routine. Funk. Rut. Block. We all have them occasionally. And when we get them at work it can affect how creative and productive we are. We need something to pull us out of the ashes and ignite a fire. My solution is to grab The Imagineering Way. No one can stay in a rut after browsing through this fun and creative book.| You are subscribed to email updates from Upmarket To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu