All you small business folk out there understand the challenge of setting priorities and spending your time doing the “right” thing.
Joel Spolsky talks about spending a lot of time focused on wrong things and how that plays out in business.
As a sole proprietor, doing all the work can get exhausting at times. Why not join forces with another business to benefit you both? Perhaps a joint marketing venture, like that discussed here at the Solopreneur’s Million Dollar Mindset or a joint venture of another sort–like sharing resources or using the relationship to break into different markets.
It’s an intriguing way to expand your offerings or your marketing. It’s something I’ve been looking into for a while now.
My new joint venture with the design firm studio;wink is just one example. There are other potential parterships on the horizon and it’s fun to think about new directions to take Alley424.
Multitasking has always been one of those things that puzzles me. Or at least degrees of multitasking, because of course there are times I’m doing more than one thing at once. When I multitask, it’s usually something along the lines of reading a book while boiling water or reviewing email while downloading my bank statements. And on the rare occasions it gets more involved than that, I notice the decrease in my attention span and in my ability to get any of the jobs done well.
So…it’s really the current trend of doing so many different things at once that I find difficult to understand. And the celebration of how cool or important it makes someone to text while speaking to someone, send emails while in a meeting, or make phone calls while driving. And the shocked and pitying looks one gets when admitting to not multitasking as a rule, as if it’s something to be ashamed of.
Apparently…singletasking is back. Like all trends, it seems the pendulum swung too far in one direction and is now trying to right itself. I, for one, applaud this and hope we can find equilibrium soon.
It’s not that I necessarily hate texting or smartphones or Twitter (although I do prefer my words spelled out fully and I don’t text or tweet or own a smartphone). It’s that I believe the proliferation of communication channels is a detriment to productivity, focus, and just living life. And these tools are just the current addictions.
Thanks to Elaine at MarketingProfs for articulating it so well: Are we too wrapped up in the next big thing?
Other than forcing yourself to knuckle down or promising yourself a future treat, how do you inspire yourself to continue when your motivation lags?
I’m suffering from an appalling lack of enthusiasm at the moment, with a ton of work on my plate.
Can you share any inspiration or encouragement?
Okay. So you’ve hired a freelancer or small agency for creative services on a project. You’ve found a trustworthy partner, who has the resources to do this job, and who fits with your company’s culture and personality.
You’ve sent all the information needed, answered all questions, made available every resource imaginable, and set a deadline. Now you just sit back, awaiting delivery of the masterpiece. On the appointed day, you open your email to find it. Breathless with anticipation, you open the attachment. And hate what you see.
Uh oh. Now what?
This isn’t really a disaster, even if it feels like one. There are only two possibilities here–either it’s terrible work or you just don’t like it. (And there are those who will argue that the latter is automatically the former.)
No matter what is wrong with the deliverable, the first step is to contact the freelancer or agency and discuss what you see is wrong, and how it can be righted. If the work is not to your specifications, it may be as simple as a misunderstanding, and can easily be corrected. Give the contractor the chance to make it right. Once, I gave a client fifty words when he asked for fifty characters. Why? I don’t know. The specs said characters, we discussed characters. But when it came to the writing, something in my head said words. The simple email back to me was to the point and friendly. I rewrote the piece that same morning. No harm done.
If the work is not to your liking, but is technically correct, there’s a subtler conversation in your future. Perhaps the work is not in the proper style, or you just don’t like it. Again, just say so. Writers, photographers, editors, and designers all expect occasional pushback. It’s possible for them to do good work and still somehow not quite give you something your audience will respond to.
If the work is sloppy or filled with errors, the situation is a bit different. There are few good excuses for sloppy work, but you do need to give the contractor a chance to explain. If the explanation isn’t good enough for you, or you don’t think the problems can be rectified, you’re within your rights to end the working relationship and find someone new for your project.
The best way to avoid a messy situation, by the way, is to take a few critical steps in advance.
If worse comes to worse and the freelancer or agency isn’t delivering what you need, even after discussing the problems with them, it may be time to find a someone new. It’s okay to hire someone to finish the job if it was left unfinished. And it’s okay not to hire the freelancer or agency again, if it really didn’t work out. But remember: unless the work was on spec or the contract specifically mentioned situations in which you don’t have to pay, you still have to pay any freelancer or contractor for the work they did for you.
Working with freelancers and small firms feels very different than working with large service providers or an internal team. Because it is a bit different. You’re getting a more personal level of attention and creating a different kind of relationship.
Outside contractors, whether freelance or part of a small creative agency, are just working people, too. People who want to help you achieve your goals. They just don’t sit in the cube next to you.