and How To Conduct Yourself In Business
There was a time when I advocated that adults should (note the word "should") know their philosophy, ethic, and world view.
I knew mine and still do but it's a shifting landscape out there, man! There are more slippery slopes in life than in Telluride.
Honestly, we need to grow into our personal values before we concern ourselves with our philosophy, ethic and world view. So, forget the “shoulds.”
As I evolved as a freelance writer, I saw that what I value in work and business had to come from what I valued in life. At that time―the 3 C’s of Communication, Caring, Compassion.
◉ Communication: It’s Not Just a Successful Exchange of Data Anymore.
It’s the information we give our clients―about who we are and what we can solve.
As a human being and a professional, what I do for a client comes out through my values and mindset. They are of significant importance and benefit to both of our businesses.
They reflect back what I can accomplish for your restaurant. Better human connections, better income, better guest experience. That’s communication.
◉ Caring: It’s Not Just an Object of Concern or Attention Anymore.
It’s about recognizing that we are an asset and an investment. We perform our job to influence, that is, our job is to provide value always so the business can be what it’s capable of.
It’s about not settling. Not settling for being another expense. Not settling for becoming another part of the overhead.
It’s respecting our part in the value exchange. It's taking daily action with a vested interest in the business. Because we’re a part of it; part of the team we achieve with. And the guests we serve become part of us.
Build relationships. Build trust. Build consistent reliability. Do this by showing up for yourself. By giving. And by receiving consistent rewards on every level for good work. That’s caring.
◉ Compassion: It’s not Just About Indulgence and Sympathy Anymore.
It’s about really understanding the human need to be understood as being human. After all, we’re all living the life we’re willing to put up with. It’s about empathy and acceptance. These are good things, human things.
The thing about acceptance, too, like the whole ball of wax here on Earth―everything that has a front has a back. So, behind acceptance there are actually two things.
First, there is your level of willingness or unwillingness to take certain actions.
Second, there is forgiveness. Forgiveness of ourselves and then forgiveness of others. Forgiveness then becomes part of your nature and acceptance becomes part of a new way for you.
As Gary John Bishop says in his brilliant and engaging book, Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life:
Once you find the obstacles in your life as a matter of willing and unwilling instead of weighing yourself down with negative opinions of yourself and your circumstance, you can break through the self-imposed barriers that are truly holding you back.
The barriers that are holding your business back. You first accept them. You accept the things that are holding back your potential for making more money.
The changes you are unwilling to make. The status quo you are willing to pretend is still serving your business. Whatever tech you were unwilling to get. Whatever outdated website you are willing to ignore.
You forgive yourself for them. Then you take the necessary action, today, to grow your business in new and effective ways.
Once you get into the practice of unconditional self-acceptance, there is nothing previously unacceptable that you cannot take action on.
If I accept myself completely, then I can see myself authentically. I’m free to expand on the good stuff until that’s the avalanche and it’s wiping out what no longer serves.
Now you’re ready to growth hack yourself and growth hack your business.
And along with those 3 C’s we apply these 3 things―Surviving, Saving, and Serving.
There’s an entire movement dedicated to this stuff. Bob Berg and John David Mann, in the classic, The Go-Giver, say we are to Survive―to meet your basic living needs. Save―to go beyond your basic needs and expand your life. Serve―to make a contribution to the world around you.
Now you’re thriving.
You start every day with the motivation to learn, grow, expand competencies; to be more human along with a willingness to see what happens when you leave a piece of yourself—your soul, creativity, and love—in your work.
I liked to over promise and over deliver. I promised work in 72 hours and delivered in 24 to 36. They paid for 500 to 1000 words, I delivered 750 to 1200 words. One or two revisions did the job.
I've even worked with clients I'd given a discount to. I was only charging ¼ of what seasoned freelancers charge. All you have to do is check the price guide I’ll send out. My past clients voluntarily paid the full amount.
Sometimes they gave a bonus. They were so in love with the content they received and the service I provided. And with the advice and brief coaching I'd given, too.
I was there for them. And the work was there for them. In return they paid a premium―and not a hefty premium at that.
What mattered to me was going after a value exchange. It makes for the sweetest headway toward a great working relationship.
Sigh… ! No matter what happens, it is a beautiful panorama. Sometimes you snowboard smoothly to the lodge. You chill with a cognac by the fire. Sometimes there's an avalanche.
I've seen how natural disasters change the landscape forever―in geography and in life. I've seen lives and terrain altered by hurricanes, earthquakes and avalanches.
In the world it's devastating. It's devastating on a metaphorical level in our lives, too. It takes time to rebuild. We already know.
There have been times when I was snowboarding down a rock-and-a-hard-place slope. Not like now, believe that, but it is what it is―I know the terrain. There’s a personal life side to it.
And there was a freelancer’s side to it, as well. The avalanche part. Pelting rocks at my head, and my question was When will the value exchange kick in and stem the coming flood?
My time and resources were limited. I did't know if I'd make it to the lodge. A cognac by the fireplace with my friends who made it would be nice. But what if I need a Saint Bernard to come and dig me out of the snow? Again. No. I don’t think so.
I started my journey with nothing. From PKfreelancing to Vivid Writing Services to Vivid Culinary and beyond. With nothing. No money, no experience, no website, no network. I'm still amazed with what I've done―with no money, no referrals, and struggling social proof.
I'm still at it. But now I’m snowboarding across the consultant wilderness. I’m still my best resource. But time seemed tight early on.
Time is a measure of movement. You can’t “make time” but you can choose how to move. So, saying I started with nothing is an overstatement―I had actions to take and that ain’t nothing.
I was creating web content in 3 hours that a lot of freelancers need 8 hours to do. 3 hours is not a lot of time.
And here comes the avalanche. Again.
The idea―and the ideal―was to have a side gig. Work 30 hours or less. A gig to provide while I built up my business.
With money coming in―no matter how little―it would enable me to Survive, Save, and Serve. It would be money to buy apps and software with. Money to pay for services. Money to get a .com landing page up and running.
I didn’t have the privilege of working that job. The one that provided connections to clients while transitioning to freelancing. I didn’t leave my cubicle with a contact list. I started out with…well, let’s say less. I had to evolve and adapt.
Nobody does this. Nobody. I’m not sure I’d have had it any other way because it gave me actionable steps. It gave me goals with deadlines. It grew me personally and professionally.
There’s a nexus between expectation and self-fulfilling prophesy. If you expect the worst from yourself and others―from life and its circumstances―you will invariably get what you expect. You can be right. Unsuccessful. But you get to be right.
I keep positive. I keep it simple. I do what I can. Often, I let go and move on. Often, I’m tenacious and persistent. Never give up. Never surrender.
My focus is on gratitude and appreciation. On providing value in a value exchange. On persevering. And will you look at that? No avalanche after all. Because there can’t be one happening in the same place where there’s proactive movement.
So, what is this value exchange?
Let’s return to fundamentals for a sec.
A value exchange is the sales transaction between your company and its customers. This is a fixed idea to always, always bear in mind. This transaction happens repeatedly over and over again.
The health of the exchange has a significant impact on the health and success of the business.
But there are other value exchanges. You’re hired by a client, you give them services unique to them, you get paid. Value exchange.
Then there’s the growth idea that you give. Not something to bear in mind. This you do.
You give because giving has significant impact. Giving affects the overall health and success of your own vision for life―and for earning a profit.
It’s human to give and we need humans to be more human.
• You’re a resourceful professional. And you give your resources; you being your greatest resource.
• You're a living supply house of inventiveness, imagination, ingenuity, and creativity.
• Because you cultivate being enterprising, you give your drive, dynamism, and energy.
• You have ambition. Your motivation and spirit feed your own personal and professional vision.
• You’re stepping up to your own brand which is better than climbing any corporate ladder.
I love the phrase “Take The Initiative.” Because you’re really giving your eagerness and commitment―with the strategy to serve.
Every time we give, there’s a corresponding receiving; the giver gets what’s in keeping with what’s been given.
That’s more human.
And it works because it’s authentic. Bob Berg said, “Shifting your focus from getting to giving is not only a nice way to live life and conduct business, but a very profitable way as well.”
Take the initiative, be proactive.
Don’t walk around acting and looking intense. Intensity will not make you indispensable. Enthusiasm beats Intensity. You’re not indispensable. You can and probably will be summarily dispensed with. If you’re authentic, that will eclipse indispensable every time.
Enthusiastically look forward to the other side of an authentic value exchange. Like new snow in the last 24 hours.
Powder days are awesome and conditions are perfectly fine right now.
If you offer goods and services, give those totally. Take an honest look at yourself and your operation and see where you can give value and influence.
If you’re a business owner or manager, take a look at your WiFi. Is it the ordinary, standard public WiFi? Take closer look. What else is ordinary in your restaurant?
Is your POS lagging behind? Does it connect to OpenTable and drive revenue? Where else is your restaurant lagging?
The competition in the restaurant industry isn’t going into stasis for you. The competition is adapting and making changes. It's tempting to want to keep doing the same thing, especially once you've become successful. Or you can choose growth.
It's a shifting landscape out there. A small investment in growth hacking your restaurant is the ultimate in avalanche protection. Let’s talk. Cognac optional.
For your curiosity: