Nobody Will Notice Your Hard Work
And that is good news that is presenting as bad news…I promise!
After working with over 1,000 businesses during the last 6 years or so, I am beginning to think that not everyone should run a business.
Not everyone likes hard work. (thats why the hack/tip/magic word market is so hot right now)
I know…that may be a challenging thing for you to read.
However…
Running a business isn’t for the feint hearted
It is TOTALLY different from a job.
In a job someone:
- Tells you what you need to do,
- Tells you what the success criteria is.
- Tells you what tools to use
…and if you are very lucky, they will give you useful feedback
on the ongoing quality of your work.
When you have your own business NONE of that happens
Every day is a blank slate, you get to focus on whatever you want to…you are the king/Queen/non-binary monarch of your own domain. While this sounds great in theory, it can become exhausting very quickly.
Decisions take effort, attention takes effort, taking the hits yep, that takes effort too
And the worst part of it all is that only you will know the level of hard work that goes into every. single. thing.
Nobody is watching, or paying attention..or even giving the tiniest damn about you, the work, or even your business in general.
Because everyone…and I mean EVERYONE is thinking only about their own shit..
If you don’t believe me, ask yourself this question.
How much do you notice the hard work other people put into things? You don’t. Unless you are very deliberately prompted/nagged/strongarmed into it…not in the slightest
Speaking as a massive attention Ho myself, that is the thing that I find the hardest about running a business (that’s one of the many reasons I keep James around)
I do something good, nobody gives a damn.
I do something average, nobody gives a damn
…however, do something that is less than useful and the proverbial smashes into the fan loudly…and THAT is the only part of your effort that people tend to notice. (you shag a goat one time!!)
Like I said…not for the feint hearted.
So Here is The Magical Stuff
Once you know this, I mean know it in the same way you know you can’t EVER forget your partners birthday …kind of way, then you can free yourself from waiting for appreciation from others and design ways to get what you need.
The Takeaway
Everyone in business needs two different kinds of support – at KiN HQ we call them ‘Carrot’ support and Stick support
Carrot Support
Someone who is 100% on your side, your ride or die (in a business sense) who will ALWAYS support you, remind you that all of your enemies are bastards and don’t deserve you anyway and nod along sagely agreeing with every syllable of your ranting!
These people keep you pumped up and positive, helping you to maintain your resilience in even the most challenging of circumstances.
Stick Support
Someone who keeps you focussed on what you want long term, rather than what you want now. Most business owners don’t have a knowing problem, they have a doing problem. Stick people will be ruthless and relentless is keeping you to the outcomes you agreed to and leaving you ZERO wiggle room.
These people keep you productive helping you to keep your feet moving, no matter how small the steps you take are.
Real Talk
So far so good, right…but there are a couple of things you need to bear in mind, for your own good and the good of those around you.
- OBVIOUSLY – these cannot be the same person. When choosing the right people for these roles, you need to capitalise on their natural character. In KiN terms, James is the Carrot-y one…neil is more of a stick person.
- We HEAVILY recommend that you don’t use a life partner. For the good of your relationship, your mental health and to save your hair from going as white as mine…keep your business and relationship separate (unless you set the business up together in the first place)
Who WILL Appreciate Your Hard Work?
The only people who CAN appreciate your hard work are the people who have been through it themselves, who know what it like to feel like you are making it up as you go along, are throwing your love and attention into what seems like a void and are looking to build a connection with people who can truly understand that.
Which is why we set up KiNsiders a community of people who are doing it every day, want support and understanding and a little accountability to help them get out of their own way.
Whichever solution you choose, make it a deliberate one. Nobody gets there on their own.
