Success is 10% inspiration, 90% last-minute changes. . . .
What do you do when a last-minute snafu -- The printer lost the ad copy... Your partner let loose the virus from hell on the network... You deleted the copy of the big presentation minutes before the client arrives -- explodes your dream of entrepreneurial independence?
1. You make the best of it, of course (if you survive, this becomes excellent experience for future crisis management).
2. You adjust your plans to fit the new circumstances.
3. You go ahead and service your client to the best of your ability. Regardless.
Ah, the joys of small business. "S**&% happens" should be the guiding mantra for anyone launching a new venture. I was running late for a really important client meeting, so I grabbed a coffee for the car and dashed off. Somewhere between reading the directions, answer the cell phone and finishing the presentation, I managed to spill the entire cup of coffee down the front of my suit and tie as I pulled into the client's parking lot.
So, here I am sitting in their parking lot, with 5 minutes to go before the big meeting covered in a double no foam soy latte. My instinct was to pull out of the lot,never to be seen again. But I waited a month for this meeting, I was ready, it was now or never.
I survived the meeting, I joked about my appearance and the client was happy. I came off as a real, caffeinated, but real.
Some days the forces are beyond your control. Rather than fight it, let it happen and learn from it . . . At the very least, your client gets a chance to feel superior, "Remember that time . . ."
1. You make the best of it, of course (if you survive, this becomes excellent experience for future crisis management).
2. You adjust your plans to fit the new circumstances.
3. You go ahead and service your client to the best of your ability. Regardless.
Ah, the joys of small business. "S**&% happens" should be the guiding mantra for anyone launching a new venture. I was running late for a really important client meeting, so I grabbed a coffee for the car and dashed off. Somewhere between reading the directions, answer the cell phone and finishing the presentation, I managed to spill the entire cup of coffee down the front of my suit and tie as I pulled into the client's parking lot.
So, here I am sitting in their parking lot, with 5 minutes to go before the big meeting covered in a double no foam soy latte. My instinct was to pull out of the lot,never to be seen again. But I waited a month for this meeting, I was ready, it was now or never.
I survived the meeting, I joked about my appearance and the client was happy. I came off as a real, caffeinated, but real.
Some days the forces are beyond your control. Rather than fight it, let it happen and learn from it . . . At the very least, your client gets a chance to feel superior, "Remember that time . . ."
posted by Mike Doherty at
2:32 PM
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