I was told
I absolutely couldn’t participate
in an event.
I didn’t qualify.
The event was full.
There were no exceptions.
Except there are ALWAYS exceptions
and yes, when I talked
to the correct person,
I became one of the exceptions.
There are ALWAYS exceptions
for EVERYTHING.
If you really want
to be the exception,
continue asking,
continue pushing
until you achieve that goal.
Even if I decide
to continue with
the Romance Novel business,
the business will change.
Right now,
I write series books.
It takes about 5 books
to complete an overall storyline.
That’s 2 years of publishing time.
With the way things are going
in the Romance Novel Industry,
I don’t know
if I would have 2 years
of publishing time.
I don’t know
if I could finish that project.
Not completing a project
is frustrating for everyone.
My readers would be angry.
I would be disappointed
in myself.
It would be a mess.
So, if the Romance Novel Business
continues,
I’ll write
standalone stories instead.
I’ll focus
on shorter projects.
Ensure you have the timeline
to complete
the projects you’re tackling.
If you don’t have the timeline,
focus on shorter projects.
As business owners,
our business finances
and our personal finances
often mix.
And sometimes
we might be tempted
to use our business credit cards
for everything
and get rid of
or not use our personal credit cards.
Do NOT do this.
Our business credit cards
build a credit history
for our business ONLY.
It does NOT build
a credit history
for us as individuals.
If all our credit
is in the business’s name
and we close that business,
all that credit history
is gone.
Also
if we try to get
a personal mortgage
or a personal credit card,
we’ll likely be denied.
Because we’ll have no credit histories as individuals.
We won’t have a credit score
and our credit reports will be blank.
Ensure you have a personal credit card.
And use that credit card
once in a while.
Your future self
will thank you.
Yesterday,
someone on social media
contacted me
via email
(which can be creepy as hell
on its own)
and asked
what my educational background was.
That’s all they wrote.
They didn’t explain why
they cared.
They didn’t explain
who they were.
They didn’t explain
how they were using
that information.
I don’t plan
to respond to them.
Because I don’t know
why they need that information
or
how they plan to use it.
And in today’s world,
their reason for asking
that question
is more likely to hurt me
in some way
than to benefit anyone.
If you want answers,
explain why you’re asking the questions
and what you’re using
the information for.
If you’re being asked questions,
be very cautious
about responding
if the askers
aren’t open about how
they’re using your responses.
I apologized to someone
for rushing her off the phone.
I explained
I had been awaiting news of
a loved one’s medical emergency
when she called.
She told me to
just say that
next time.
I wanted to tell her
to stop being a b*tch
and just accept the f*ckin’ apology.
Apologies are hard.
And they don’t need
to be extended.
At all.
Unless you require
that person’s behavior to change
for your relationship
to continue,
don’t critique their apology.
Accept it
and move on.
There are two main schools
in the gardening world.
There are the gardeners
who sow a sh*tload of seeds
and then thin the plants
as they grow.
And there are gardeners
who plant only few seeds
and then watch those plants
closely.
Both schools of gardening
work.
Both can result in great harvests.
New product development
is similar.
There are those of us
who develop a sh*tload
of products
and then launch
the best of those products.
And there are those of us
who develop one product
at a time
and do our d@mnedest
to ensure that one product
makes it to launch.
New product developers in both schools
are successful.
But, as the processes for each
are very different,
it helps to know
in which school we belong.
Are you a new product thinner
or a new product watcher?
which school
In project management,
we often focus on
the planning and the implementation.
Those ARE important parts.
They’re also exciting parts.
Planning involves dreaming
and what ifs.
Implementation involves
taking big action
and seeing the project come to life.
The part very few of us
get excited by
is…
the preparation stage.
We’re implementing solar
in our house, for example.
Before the skilled tradespeople arrived,
we had to prepare the key work sites.
That involved moving shelving
and cleaning spaces
and other tasks.
These were boring tasks.
But they were essential tasks.
And they increased the probability
of the project being successful.
Remember the preparation part
of the project.
It might not be exciting
but it is key.
It happens so often
it is a cliché.
We experience a bit
of success.
We start associating
with exciting new people,
people at the next level
of success.
And we forget about
the team
that helped us become successful
– the spouse who took on
more of the household chores
so we could devote
additional time to the business,
the friend who
told everyone she knew
about our growing business,
the neighbor who brought in
our garbage bins
because we had a tight deadline,
the employee who hustled
extra hard
to make our customers happy
every dang day.
No one is successful alone.
And no one stays successful
if she sh*ts on her team.
Treat your team well.
You’re fortunate to have them.
I love fresh writing.
That is my favorite part
of the Romance Novel Business.
So I try to do
at least a little bit
of fresh writing
every day.
There are plenty of tasks
we have to do
each day as business builders.
It is necessary work
and it has to be completed.
But try to set aside
a few minutes,
it could be 15 minutes,
to do a task
that gives you joy.
That will remind you
WHY you’re building
that specific business
and
it will give you energy
for the other
not-as-enjoyable tasks.
Do a fun task
every day.
Spring is a time
of baby squirrels
and newborn robins.
It is a time
of budding maple trees
and sprouting daffodil bulbs.
It is a time
for starting fresh,
for change,
for hope.
Harness that optimism.
Hitch onto that momentum.
Start that project
you’re passionate about.
There is change all
around you.
Contribute your own change
to the chaos.
Take action today.