Make A Job, Don't Take A Job: The Essence Of Enterprise

The world of work and business has changed radically. I’m writing this in a bar in Spitalfields East London which I have commandeered as my office for the morning. There’s loud music playing and I’m taking advantage of the wifi, running my business sprawled on a sofa. To those not familiar with this style of working, I may look like I’m at play. But I’m working; and this is how thousands of people work today. We have created our own micro businesses, monetising our talents, working for ourselves, running businesses our way.

This is Global Entrepreneurship Week, and when I think of business and enterprise, I don’t think about the office blocks of the City a stroll away from here, I don’t think about business tycoons on their private jets, I think about people like me, and you. Through the window I can see the red awnings of lines of market stalls at Old Spitalfields Market - to me, this is the perfect example of business at its most basic. A bunch of stall-holders have paid £10 for a table for the day. Some are selling handmade bags; others prints and photographs. Someone else is selling second hand books, another clothes and jewellery. They may not think of themselves as entrepreneurs but they are: they are selling their wares in the market. Some may fail, others will succeed.

What unites the coffee-shop entrepreneurs and the market traders is that we have all made jobs for ourselves: there is not a job description or appraisal form in sight. The theme of Global Entrepreneurship Week is ‘Make A Job, Don't Take A Job’ and that’s music to my ears. It’s what I’ve always done in my career, whether I’ve been self employed or not. Carving out a role that reflects my talents and desires, breaking the boundaries of a fixed job spec. I’ve always encouraged working for yourself; my first book is a guidebook for people taking the leap. You don’t need a bunch of qualifications or a business education to work for yourself, but you do need the right mindset;and it’s not for everyone. Working for yourself and setting up your own business is tough: there’s no switching off, it takes stacks of perseverance, commitment, energy and passion. So ‘Make A Job, Don't Take A Job’ is a good mantra for entrepreneurship so long as we recognise that not everyone has the self-belief and motivation to make their business idea happen. To help people believe in their ability we need to bust a few myths about business, taking it out of the boardroom, doing away with the jargon. And that market stall is a damn good place to start.

Atilim!

Excited that my first book 'Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free' has just been published in Turkish. Here's the book cover artwork.

If you’ve had enough of the day job it might be time to take The Leap

When I quit my job in 2000 to set up my own business consultancy, I felt like a real pioneer. Now ten years later, the world seems to be full of the self-employed. Every town coffee shop is full of micro-entrepreneurs, freelancers and consultants with the tools of their trade: a skinny cappuccino, laptop, wifi connection and a bunch of ideas.


My book ‘Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business And Set Yourself Free’ is full of everything I’ve learned doing it for myself, by myself. ‘Leap!’ is your personal navigation guide for freelancers, start-ups and work at homers.

It’s awesome to hear from readers how the book is resonating with their own experiences. I recently heard from Pamela, a reader in Sydney Australia:

“I wanted to write to you and thank you for writing such a simple yet powerful book. I am a 40 year old IT professional and have spent the last 16 years of my life working for two multinational PC Companies and your book has changed my life! I instantly connected with your informal writing style and read your book and instinctively knew that this was my time to leap”. (thanks Pamela)

A key message in the book is about having the right attitude and mindset when you work for yourself; you can access the whole first section ‘Attitude’ here (totally free, no strings..). You can hear a review of the book by Mohammed Seedat on SmallBizPod here (review starts at 02:17).

And if you’d like to read a hard copy of the complete book, get it on Amazon.co.uk here and Amazon.com here.

If you're taking the Leap, let me know how you get on.

How To Live The Juggle Life

Last Friday I was interviewed by a local website Longpier.com . Longpier.com is a great website run by James Harrod serving the local community with stories, videos and features. He's great at covering local events, offering live coverage by uploading pictures to Flickr, videos to YouTube and updates to Twitter. You can follow James on Twitter @longpier

Here's the interview that was filmed in the gardens of Leigh-on-Sea Library.

Think Rapid!

Here's a simple yet obvious tip (so obvious that people consistently fail at it).
In business if you want to stay ahead of the game, keep your clients happy or just stay on top of your projects & commitments, make sure you deal with things rapidly.
Watch the video:

Interview with JetSetCitizen.com

Here is an interview I did recently with John Bardos of JetSetCitizen.com. John interviewed me via Skype from Japan about my business and writing career. You can see a transcript at his website.

‘If You Don’t Want To Know The Score, Look Away Now’

I’ve done a couple of interviews recently about working for yourself and yesterday got asked the question ‘can anyone work for themselves’? Whilst I think most people have some entrepreneurial spirit in them (however small), it does take a certain personality-type to pull it off; it’s not for everyone. The fact is that I have seen some executives who are brilliant when they’re working in an organisation as part of a team with all that support infrastructure around them; but as soon as they go solo they’re no good at getting results by themselves – they can’t perform. Whilst you can delegate and outsource lots of tasks when you work for yourself, there are many things you can’t: so you have to be highly motivated and disciplined at getting stuff done.

Whatever the benefits of working for yourself - by yourself - (and there are plenty) there’s lots of challenges along the way and I think it’s important people have their eyes open before they take the leap.

Here’s an extract from my book 'Leap!' on this very subject:


"Let’s get the bad news about working for yourself out of the way now.
It’s going to be tough at times.
You’ll get lonely.
Cashflow can be difficult.
Getting sales is not easy.

So what’s going to make it easier?

- A support network of co-workers and mentors.
- A positive outlook.
- Friends and family who understand this is different, and offer support and encouragement.
- Clients and the promise of work
- A financial safety net for those lean months.
- A physical – and dedicated – workspace (not the corner of your bedroom).

What’s the journey like?

It’s like what I heard on the radio this morning in the bathroom, a lone round the world yachtsman talking about his current voyage. ‘What’s been the best thing about the trip?’ he was asked. ‘Freedom’ I mumbled to the mirror as I shaved. ‘Freedom’, replied the yachtsman. ‘And the worst?’

‘When you are in a gale and being blown against the rocks’, came the response.

And that’s what it’s like in the scrambled up world of work."

The Facts Of Life When You Work For Yourself

I’ve been talking to a few people recently who are thinking of taking the leap to work for themselves. Taking the leap is usually a frightening decision to make, even more so when there is such uncertainty out there. But it can also a liberating process, as you go ‘back to basics’ to look at your raw skills and talents and how that can be turned into a business. If you can pull that off, it’s a very rewarding transition.

I was reminded by a quote from my first book (‘Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free’):

Life in this scrambled up world is always unpredictable, sometimes scary, almost always liberating. And whatever changes you’ll have to make, whatever the highs and lows, the bare facts remain the same:

“All I have is my bare hands, a bunch of contacts and a few ideas. And with that I have to make a whole load of money”

It’s that simple. GULP (And that scary).

There’s no pay cheque going in your account anymore. There are no guarantees; this is different.

And whatever the challenges of trying to launch a new business or go solo, those bare facts of life can help motivate you to turn your talent into a commercially-viable proposition.

Helping Creative Talent Take The Leap

Yesterday evening I hosted what I billed ‘A Big Conversation’ at London’s Royal College Of Art on the theme of ‘Taking The Leap’. The RCA is very progressive in running a professional development programme ‘FuelRCA’ to provide students with business & life skills to help them make the transition to life outside the college. My talk was part of that initiative with the attendees including 2009 graduates & continuing students from disciplines across fine art, textiles, fashion, illustration and industrial design engineering.

Each student has a real creative talent to offer the outside world, whether they are looking for commissions, exhibitions, work placements, freelance work or setting up their own studios. As I stressed, of course there is no prescriptive route for success in this rapidly changing ‘scrambled up world of work’ but I did impart the following Survival Tips:

1. PUT PASSION AT THE HEART OF ALL YOU DO. You need to love what you do & be passionate about your talents.
2. SELF-BELIEF. Whether you are freelancing, job hunting or working for yourself have stacks of self-belief/ confidence in your talents.
3. BE DISTINCTIVE. It’s a crowded market out there and success – and survival – is about having a clear point of differentiation. Work out what makes you different.
4. YOU ARE A BRAND. Whether you’re working for someone else or setting up your own design studio you need to think like a brand. What is the spirit at the heart of your DNA? Make sure your personality pervades all that you do.
5. SHOUT ABOUT YOUR TALENTS. Get over the taboo of self-promotion and use social media tools - blogs, twitter, videos – to stand out from the crowd.
6. UP YOUR GAME. Professionalise your offering, embrace a style of how you adhere to deadlines, deal with clients, honour commitments, run projects etc. But you don’t need to wear a suit!
7. BE AUTHENTIC. Your personality is at the heart of your business, don’t try and be something you’re not. Don’t bullshit. The goal is that ‘The Work You’ is ’The Real You’.
8. SELL YOUR TALENTS. Winning clients or getting a job is tougher than ever; get over the ‘Sales taboo’ and use friends/family and word of mouth to sell your creative talents. ‘Sell’ is not an expletive; it’s all about establishing and managing relationships.
9. HAVE AN ENTERPRISING MINDSET. You don’t have to ‘sell out’ as an artist but you do need to be focused on turning your creativity into a business commodity. Recognise the importance of creating business opportunities, of charging the right fees and becoming a commercial success.
10. DON’T OVER-PLAN. Forget a detailed business plan; it’s more important to just put your ideas into action rapidly and with online tools, that’s easier than ever. Tweak as you go.
11. BE A JUGGLER. Career choices don’t have to be ‘all or nothing’, embrace plurality. Carve out a work life that reflects your multi-dimensional talents.
12. LOOK AFTER YOUR CLIENTS. Super-serve your clients, don’t neglect them, keep in touch and nurture relationships. Repeat business with existing clients is often the best foundation for growing your business.
13. KEEP IT LEAN. If you’re setting up your own business, it’s recession-friendly to keep it lean. Keep overheads to a minimum, use freelancers rather than staff, share office or studio space (or work from home).
14. STAY FLEXIBLE. Be prepared to re-invent your offering or business model when things change. You might need to change to keep pace with market demand or technological developments.
15. GO FOR IT! Take a leap of faith into the unknown. Act on instinct!

Living The Juggle Life - Radio Interview

Here is the radio interview I did last weekend on Irish station 4FM, where I appeared on the Michael Comyn show. Michael is a true juggler, mixing radio presenting with a business portfolio that embraces communication training, psychotherapy, coaching for individuals, plus he’s a voice over artist.

The interview is about 10 minutes long and you can hear it by clicking 'Play' below (audio only).

(I got a call from the station half an hour earlier than scheduled to do the interview so I was in a shop with my wife and not quite ready. Told I had 16 seconds before going live, I quickly dashed out so apologies for background traffic noise...)

'Leap!' on SmallBizPod

SmallBizPod is a podcast, blog, news and community site for small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs founded and hosted by Alex Bellinger.

In the latest podcast, listener and start-up entrepreneur Mohammed Seedat reviews my book ‘Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free’. You can hear the review here (scroll to around 02:30 for the review).

Rethinking Your Career

The 'Weekend FT' had a piece on how redundancy has prompted many executives to retrain and follow their dreams ‘Jobless Bankers Carve Out Careers From City’ (FT April 18/19 2009).

Of course redundancy can be frightening stuff. With mortgages and bills to pay, mouths to feed, the thought of losing your job is not likely to fill you with optimism. But, if you are fortunate enough to have some savings to fall back on or a redundancy package that gives you space and time to ‘breathe’, it can be a catalyst for some great changes in your life.

So many of us fall into a rut with our career; I know people who have stayed in the same job or organisation for years and years, but never really meant to. Redundancy can give people the opportunity to do something completely different, to follow their dream. To retrain, do quit an office job for something totally different, or to take the leap to work for themseves. The FT article quotes Kate Blake, director of Dartmoor Outdoor Company, which retrains people who want to work as mountain guides has had more enquiries due to redundancies:

‘They are thinking, this is the kind of kick in the pants I need to [make me] look at my life and do something I enjoy’.

So, if you are unfortunate enough to be made redundant, try and turn it into an opportunity to change your working life and consider what you really want to do.

Hong Kong, Chicago, London

Thanks to my travelling friends Mike Southon

and Cheryl Goldenberg for snapping my books at London City Airport, Chicago and Hong Kong.

Advice To A London Cabbie: If you hate your job that much, do something about it!

I got in a taxi last week and we got talking. The cabbie had been off ill for a year and was back behind the wheel for the first time that night. I had to update him on road closures and how a junction layout had changed; so much so, I joked he should be sitting in the back and me in the front. He was not happy to be back behind the wheel. In fact he told me that he'd hated being a cabbie for ... wait for it... fifteen years! He really wanted to be a builder, doing loft conversions.

I had to laugh because over the years I have spoken to loads of people who wanted to take the Leap to work for themselves or make a career change. Most had an instinct to take the leap or do something different, while others had just a 10% hunch but knew they needed to take action. But here was a bloke who knew 100% he wanted to do something different; and what's more he hadn't just tolerated something he hated for 15 weeks or 15 months, but 15 years. Gulp! As I handed over my fare, he said he wasn't sure what he should do, should he set up a basic website and start trading, fulfilling his dream? To me, it was unbelievable. If you hate something that much AND if you have a clear yearning for something else, just do it. Go for it!

So I gave him a tip. I told him to live his dream and go for it.

(And then I realised he should have paid me, not the other way around....)

Me and Todd Sattersten at SXSW

I was really pleased to meet Todd Sattersten at SXSW. Todd is author of 'The 100 Best Business Books Of All Time' and president at the Milwaukee -based book company 800-CEO-READ, the business book division of Harry W. Schwartz Books. 800 CEO READ's mantra is 'We sell business books and promote great ideas' which I think is a great one to have.

Todd interviewed me at SXSW about both my books 'Leap' and 'Juggle' and you can LISTEN TO IT HERE.

Scenes From Day 2 @SXSW

Going 'On Tour'

Next Thursday I jet off to Texas to the annual South By South West Festival, along with 149,999 other people who head to this Interactive, Film, Music festival. I’m off to the ‘Interactive’ festival (only 10,000 go to this bit). This is the blurb:

‘The SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of exciting panel content and amazing parties. Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. Whether you are a hard-core geek, a dedicated content creator, a new media entrepreneur, or just someone who likes being around an extremely creative community, SXSW Interactive is for you!’

I’ll be doing a few things at SXSW.

1) I’m very excited to be co-presenting a ‘Core Conversation’ with Chicago-based accidental film-maker and life coach Melissa Pierce, entitled ‘Is the Planned Life Even Worth Living Anymore?'. We’ll be in Room 5C in the Austin Convention Center on Saturday March 14th from 5 - 6 pm. Our session is all about the importance of a non-plan: With ever-changing technologies and globalization, having long term plans for lives, careers and business seems futile. Is your best plan not to have one?

2) Then on Sunday March 15th at 3.55 I’ll be signing copies of my books ‘Leap!’ and ‘Juggle!’ at the SXSW bookstore Barnes & Noble.

3) I am also going to be doing some video blogging from the event, here at planetjuggle.

It’s all about stories

I went to an event at Writtle College in Essex today billed as ‘Grow Your Business In Challenging Times’. Actually it was somewhat wrongly billed as the content was more about the importance of design in business. There were a number of speakers throughout the day but what struck me as I travelled home with a colleague was that the speakers who stood out were those with the interesting stories to tell (stories about their lives, their businesses, their ups and downs). From software entrepreneur Doug Richard and Landscape Architect Liz Lake through to the designer Wayne Hemingway and a young Dutch guy Philip Hess, whose company has designed an innovative umbrella – they all had good stories to tell. Stories that we could relate to, learn lessons from, and stories that entertained.

And whatever else they are about: at their most basic, that’s what my books ‘Leap!’ and ‘Juggle!’ are about; they are about my own story in life and business.

So forget crafting a detailed presentation on business strategy – just tell your story.

Leap Takeaway #9

The final Takeaway on the menu is about the importance of super-serving the client; not just when you’re courting a new client contact, but throughout the whole relationship.

Leap Takeaway #8

We’re up to #8 on the menu in ‘The Leap Takeaways’ and this one’s about the benefits of looking at things from a different perspective. Stand back from the obvious and spot the non-obvious.

Watch it at You Tube or you can also get these as a video podcast at the iTunes store, search on ‘Ian Sanders’