Sometimes you just don’t know. So, you take a chance.
Risks can sometimes pay off. But sometimes they backfire too.
One of the things that keeps me busy is writing articles for a network of music industry sites. I have good days and bad days with it, but for the most part, I love that I get to share my knowledge and expertise with artists and creatives.
This quarter, I started exploring the possibility of working with an assistant or a writing partner.
I figured that an assistant could potentially take 10 hours of work off my hands, freeing me up to do with those 10 hours as I wish.
And with a writing partner, I saw the possibility of dividing and conquering the work, potentially taking on more and bigger clients.
I got into conversation and eventually found a possible fit. It didn’t strike me as being the best fit off the bat (early warning sign), but I was willing to give it a try.
I got the first article from them, and realized I’d left out a crucial detail about the article, namely that it had to be tailored to musicians.
They were unwilling to make any changes and requested the full payment I promised them.
I still ended up having to write most of the article myself, reworking and adding only the parts of their article that worked.
It wasn’t exactly the best start to the business relationship, but there usually is a period of working out the collaboration and establishing necessary structures to fulfill on the work requested.
So, I gave them another go, this time requesting two articles to be written by them.
If you know anything about article writing, you’ll probably know that plagiarism is a big no-no, and it’s something you can easily be found out for nowadays (if you’re in college, don’t think your teachers don’t have tools to check your essay for traces of AI writing!).
They delivered the two articles on time. There were some mistakes in them, and I had to edit and format them myself, but I expected having to do a bit of that work anyway.
Once I delivered the work, though, my client came back to me, citing issues with plagiarism. Oops.
Even though I’d spent a lot of time editing the pieces provided, I didn’t reword enough of it for it to pass plagiarism checkers (either that, or my client has sophisticated spy software, knows when I’m using content other than my own, and is hell bent on having me write every word myself!).
Losing one of my biggest clients would be a blow. I’ll be honest and share I’m certain I would land on my feet, but it would be an inconvenience and a gut punch to say the least.
I’m currently in conversation to see what can be done to resolve this situation and whether the partnership can realistically continue.
But I was reminded of a commitment I’d made to myself this quarter – taking perfect imperfect actions.
It’s a funny term to me, because I believe everything is perfect, even that which is imperfect.
Count on a writer to argue semantics, eh? 😉
Even though what happened wasn’t expected or desired…
This is what being in action looks like. In unfamiliar situations, mistakes will be made. Not everything will go as anticipated.
If you’re making mistakes right now, don’t get discouraged. Keep going. Try again. You’ll learn from your mistakes.
This is my wont during the holidays. I think, I reflect, I read, and I listen. It’s how one of my more popular posts on 15 holiday reflections came into existence. It came out of a period of deep reflection.
If there is a process to it, it’s loose at best. Mainly, I consume large amounts of information in search of inspiration and ideas. Whether it’s books, podcasts, videos, courses, or otherwise, I focus on the input and not on action. Not yet. Action will come later.
I often feel stirred to action as I’m reading or listening, but as much as possible, I concentrate instead on documenting ideas, realizations, and action items.
But this year, my focus has changed a bit.
I’m not just looking for cool ideas anymore. In the past, I may have been content with fleeting spiritual insights or neat business tactics, but this year, I’m looking for real-world, concretely applicable ideas I can use that will move my life forward.
This year, I’m motivated. I’m not content with where I am and I’m looking for change, especially in my work life. And I know that’s going to mean taking some calculated risks.
So, my focus this season has been on forming a strategy, an action plan. I know I can’t delay if I want 2023 to be a different year than the last, so I’m listening intently and openly for the ideas that are going to transform my life. I think I’ve found a handful of worthy ideas already.
Once I’m ready to act, I must act with urgency. That’s why I’m storing up energy instead of expending it now.
I also find myself thinking bigger than ever. Life is too short for small ideas. I may as well make my biggest pitches now. Otherwise, I may never get the chance.
In the last six months or so, I’ve proven to myself that you can you create a team from scratch and have them engaged and in action without pay.
This is not a guide on how to take advantage of people, though, so go elsewhere if that’s what you’re looking for.
As a leader, I make it my mission to know what’s important to my team, and to create opportunities where possible. And I’ve done just that. I’ve helped my team members book speaking engagements, get clients, and form new connections. I’ve given them opportunities to learn and to grow too.
Have all my team members been engaged and in action the whole time? No. Have any of them done way more than expected? No. But my sister is scheduling my tweets for crying out loud. I’m touched by my team’s participation, and I don’t minimize their contribution.
Where I used to get stuck was in trying to do everything perfectly. That is, until I learned that leadership isn’t about managing people. It’s about managing promises.
Like I said before, letting go of perfectionism is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Because you’ll be less constrained in thinking everything must be a certain way. That goes for your team, too.
I’m starting to discover for myself that letting go of the way things are “supposed to be” is access to freedom in choosing and enjoying all my work. Really, it applies to every area of life, not just work.
If I want to start something new, I can do that. If I want to delete or eliminate a project, I can do that. I don’t need to give my loyalty to unhealthy relationships, whether that’s relationships to people, food, projects, businesses, or otherwise!
Today, I am free.
And you are free to create your own team how you want. It doesn’t need to look a certain way. You can work with friends, freelancers, or employees. You can outsource your work, or you can find an agency. You can take a combination of approaches. Not all options are suitable to all people or all situations. But knowing there are options can be freeing.
You’re ready to start your team. And remember – it’s not about the people, but rather the actions they’ve committed to. That’s the only part that needs to be managed. Never manage character.
For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.
“You can have everything you want. You just need to put structures in place to get to where you want to go.”
And that really got me thinking…
I have structures in place for a lot of things I do, including the very guide you’re reading right now.
And then there are things that I don’t have structures for. Or, if I do have structures for them, but they’re not fully developed, or they’re too ambitious, or they’re not ambitious enough, or some combination thereof.
Obviously, there are limits to how much one person can do. But in a crisis situation, sometimes we are required to do considerably more than we ever thought we’d need to do.
What if one day you woke up to find you lost your primary source of income? This happened to me recently. And things like this can happen at any time.
What structures do you have in place for worst case scenarios?
Or, if you don’t have structures yet, what structures could you put in place?
Asking these questions helps us identify next actions. Working backwards from the result we want; we can determine the steps we’ll need to take to get there.
Things either don’t get done, or don’t get done efficiently when we aren’t present to the steps. We end up prolonging the journey unnecessarily or going down some rabbit trail that leads us far away from the path we originally wanted to be on.
“Ready, fire, aim” has its place. But when it comes to structures, it’s all about planning. So, plan your steps (daily or weekly actions). These steps form your structures.
And all steps should really be a hard “yes” or a hard “no.”
“Yes, these things are worth doing (because they get results).”
“No, these things aren’t worth doing (because they don’t get results).”
Put rules in place. These rules are also part of your structures.
You can have everything you want in life. You just need structures to make it a reality.
For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.
Hey creator!
