Turning Down Work :: Saying No

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Sometimes I have to say “no” and turn down work.  Sometimes it is because I know that with my current workload, I cannot realistically complete the job and give it the attention it deserves.  Sometimes it is because the work is outside the scope of services that I offer (even if I may be somewhat knowledgeable about it).  Sometimes it is because I do not feel that I am a good fit for the potential client, or them for me.  Almost all of these reasons seem crazy to some of my peers, both professional and personal.

“Why not just work longer hours?  Could you take on more then?”

I currently stick to a schedule and work 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.  I could take on more work when my workload is heavy, if I relaxed that schedule and worked longer hours and on the weekends.  However, doing so would increase my stress level and throw off the work/life balance that I so desperately need in order to stay sane.  The industry that I work in can be very stressful as it is with deadlines, rush jobs, and a general “I needed it yesterday” urgency.  Setting boundaries and giving myself a reprieve is a necessity for me.  If I am completely stressed out and fatigued, I’m really no good to anyone and I do not think it is fair to my clients if they cannot get my best.  If I cannot give my best, I need to turn the work down.

“If you know how to do it, why not take on the request?”  It’s more money!”

As the head of a company of one, I am responsible for all aspects of my business.  There are marketing strategies and services that I do on my own for my business that I have been asked at times to do for a client’s business.  I turn it down and refer them to someone else, because although I may know a little, I am not an expert.  I would be a wolf in sheep’s clothing parading as something I am not for the sake of money.  It’s just not me.

“Whaddaya mean you aren’t a good fit?  You can do the work, right?”

Sometimes, I am just not a good fit for a client.  I know that I am not the right freelancer for everyone, in the same way that Wal-Mart is not for everyone.  Some might prefer Target or another store.  Because of my introverted nature, I operate primarily, through digital channels.  This means most communication is via email, meetings are virtual and projects are managed through an online system.  For someone that prefers meeting in person and communicating via phone primarily, I am not a good fit.  While it is true that I can perform the work that they need done, my work and communication style contradicts the way they would like to work with someone.  I am not a good fit for them and the reverse is true as well; they are not a good fit for me.

Although it seems like I am turning down money, it creates space for projects and clients that are a good fit.  It also means that the work I do for them has my full attention and they are getting my best.  Instead of having a workload that consists of projects that I don’t like because it’s a service I don’t offer; projects that are extremely stressful for me because of my introverted nature; and fatigue inducing projects that have me burning the midnight oil; I have projects that actually make

Finding Out You Are Not as Smart as You Think

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I am sure this is something that happens to many of us, a moment when you realize you aren’t quite as smart as you thought.  This can happen when someone proves you wrong or when a great idea turns out to be a terrible one.  For me it’s often in the form of a “great idea” that someone else already thought of.  The moment the idea is born, I feel very clever and smart.  The moment I learn that I am late to the party, I feel a little dim-witted.  The moment that I realize that not only did someone else think of it, but so did others and a very long time ago, I feel the size of a peanut.

One example is the community of digital nomads.  When I came up with the idea to travel for extended amounts of time, while still working, I thought I was so clever.  I was also so very late with that idea and not very clever at all.  I found that there is a term for a business that can be operated from anywhere – location independent business.  There is also a term for the long-term or extended-stay traveler that works at the same time – digital nomad.  There was also almost an entire industry of travel bloggers that do just that.  Travel, work and earn money while seeing the world.  In this case, I was late to the party, but being late gave me an opportunity to see what worked and did not work for the individuals that were already doing it.  It made me more prepared when I travelled and worked.

In the above case it was actually a good thing that I was late.  I was late, but I learned something from being late.  The same can be applied to new products and services ideas.  If they already exist, being late will allow you to research the flaws and benefits of what is already existing.  It can help you to make a decision to abandon that idea or improve upon what already exists.  Aha…now I feel clever again!

2014 Business Makeover: Free Branding Review

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January is the universal month for new resolutions and goals for the year. All over social media I keep seeing “New year, new me” statements and a lot of resolutions are related to appearance. So, I figured why not for businesses? Your business cannot physically work out or eat better (your employees can), but you can evaluate your appearance — your branding. So…I’m going to be your brand consultant in 2014, for free.

Free? No strings attached?

Yep, free and with no strings attached. You will not be added to my email list (unless you want to be), no obligation to use any of my design services, no catch. I will have you fill out a questionnaire so I can learn more about your goals, review what you have and give my recommendations. If you want to hire me to do what a recommend, awesome! If not, that’s ok, but at least you will have a roadmap for some things to do to improve your branding efforts.

What’s in it for me…and you?

For me, creating awareness. I will get you thinking about things you may not have been aware of before. Also, you might just hire me if you think I’m awesome enough (just being honest). For you, you have nothing to loose by having your brand reviewed, only knowledge/insight gained.

If you would like for me to take a look at what you have going on, fill out this quick contact form below:

Working Around Short Comings

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Do you have short comings that make things difficult as a small business owner?  A disability to work around?  I have a little of both.  I have a disability, that I won’t disclose today 🙂 and a few perceived short comings that I have to work around.  I am an introvert, I have way more right brain functionality than left (not a numbers person), I am a control freak, I have ADD and sometimes have a tendency to procrastinate.

In spite of it all, I refuse to let my short comings deter me from accomplishing my dreams.  It just means that I may have to get there on a different route than others take or in a different way.  What’s important is that I am finding ways to work around my short comings and finding the path that is right for me.

I would love to engage in some dialogue with you about perceived short comings that you may have and how you are working around them.  Scheduling, setting a routine, making to-do lists, setting reminders and calendar due dates helps me a lot on the ADD and procrastination front.  I wrote previously about dealing with my introverted-ness and business here.  What are some ways you work around your short comings?  Let’s talk in the comments below!

When the Boss Gets Sick: Part 2

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Yesterday I talked about how I use auto responders and auto reply emails to notify clients and potential clients that I am out of the office.  This is a great way to notify people that I am out, but not so great if a client has an emergency that they need taken care of.  This is where a back-up plan comes into play.  I have two back-ups that are still in theory/idea form, because I have not needed to utilize them.  One is a virtual assistant and the other is a relationship with other freelancers that do the same thing I do.

For the most part, freelancers get along with each other and some in similar fields work together and help each other out when needed.  Some send overflow work to each other and others step in when someone is sick or unable to facilitate their client’s needs.  While we are technically competitors, in my own my mind, we are not.  In my field in particular, I feel that each designer has a particular design aesthetic that shows in their portfolio and body of work.  Design is often subjective.  What appeals and looks great to someone, may look dreadful to someone else.  There is a reason why my client’s choose me and a reason why others choose someone else.  For that reason, I do not see my fellow freelance graphic designers as direct competition.  Plus, I also believe that what is for me, is for me and what is for them, is for them.

I respect them and their work and when I work with other freelancers on their client’s projects, I am careful to try not to appear like a separate entity if I have direct contact with the end client.  Recently, I played a back-up role for a freelancer (really, she is an agency) that needed to take a leave of absence for a new bundle of joy on a couple of projects.  She had a team of back-ups that stepped in to keep her business running smoothly, clients happy and work flowing while she was out.  It was kind of awe-inspiring for me to see how the relationships she had developed and fostered turned into something that was kind of beautiful.  All of us lending a hand to help someone like ourselves, a small business owner that needed to take time off.  I hope that if I had a similar need, the relationships I have developed would do the same.

My other back-up idea is more for communication and admin purposes: a virtual assistant.  All of my client files are stored in “the cloud.”  My theory is that if a client had an emergency and needed to have a file sent, something looked up, information, etc., that could not wait until I was back at work, a virtual assistant could help to facilitate those needs.  My theory is that they could use one of the (many) email addresses I have set up and I could include this address as a point of contact for emergencies in the auto responder email.  Because my files are in the cloud, I could give them access to look up information or send files to clients.

Thankfully, I have not had to put any of these theoretical plans into action, but it does make me feel good to know that there is a plan in case I need it.

Do you have any plans in place for running your business when you cannot physically do so?