May 13, 2004 | View Comments (32) | Category: Our Thoughts
Summary: If you want success you got to do what it takes to achieve success.
Most people I have met wish to become successful in their lifetime. To each one success has its own connotation. One person may just want to live comfortably, while another is looking for millions of dollars. I have always had big dreams because I know what I am capable of and I am sure many people feel the same way about themselves. Some may consider my goals farfetched, but I consider them stepping stones.
When starting any kind of business you have goals. I am sure a lot of designers when going freelance or starting a small design firm set reasonable goals for themselves that they are sure they can achieve. For example the first year goal may be to make $30,000, but what about 5 years down the road? $50,000-$60,000 maybe? Why not $500,000-$600,000?
Some of us just fear success. No really. Its a comfort zone to work on a $2,000 project, but what happens when you get the $20,000 project? Do you choke? Maybe you don't even attempt to go for it and make up excuses for why you couldn't handle it. Yet you get mad when you see other designers making more money than you and you feel you are a better designer than them. Step outside of your comfort zone and give it a shot.
You start a blog hoping that everyone in the community will come visit it and post wonderful comments. However, do you really want that? Do you really want to have a successful site where sometimes you have to watch every word you say and know that with every entry someone is going to vehemently disagree with you? With popularity comes responsibility and expectations. Some people drown under the expectations while others embrace them and stand above them. (For a good example of what happens when you get a popular site check out this thread at the CSS Vault).
Maybe its your own expectations that you fear. A $400 site carries very little expectations. As the dollar amount rises your expectations of the site rise. At $10,000 maybe your expectations are so great that you fear you can't meet them. Again embrace the challenge and run with it. Nobody likes to design the same type of websites over and over again. Designers like a challenge. So what should be different about challenging yourself into getting larger projects?
Ever meet someone who wants something, but isn't willing to go through what it takes to get it? Sort of like the client who wants the world's greatest, award-winning Flash site, but will only pay you $50 to do it? I wanted a popular blog (at least in our community) so I took the necessary steps to getting one. Then I thought it would be cool to have a useful resource that everyone could use and have that become popular so I did that as well. Now I am working on making a popular Geek site. Over this time I have found that you really do get back what you put into it.
If you want something bad enough you have to do what is necessary to get it. If you play it safe don't expect to get anything spectacular. If you contstantly go after small contracts why should you expect to be recognized by the community (if that is something you want)? If you write useless information in a blog why should you expect it to become popular (if that is something you want)? If you are a freelance designer or a small design firm and you do not have a blog, you should start one. Blogging is marketing. If you have a blog, but neglect it, get back to work on it. Blogging is marketing. I am sure everyone constantly wants business, so you need to constantly keep your face and name out there.
I have a Masters in Management Information Systems. I did not get this degree to become a lifetime web designer. I got it because I had bigger plans for myself (not that being a web designer is small change). I excel in helping organizations with whole systems because that is what I love to do. I do that better than I design websites (heh, not hard ;-).
Let's pretend Scrivs and some others were starting a company. The others asked Scrivs what his goals were with the company and he made sure to let them know. Sure the goals might seem difficult to attain, but with the right kind of resources they are not impossible. It makes life even easier when the others begin to embrace your goals.
If you want to be big, you have to think big. If you can't do what is necessary to make it, then don't point the finger at others because you have three pointing right back at you. These guys and these guys are friends who are starting to take the necessary steps to reach their goals.
Some people would kill to have the success of 37Signals. But why stop at being just a successful web design firm? Why not also try and become a successful author and a successful service provider? Thinking big and going big are two different things that work really well when done together.
Let's pretend Scrivs and some others were starting a company and they wanted to become successful. They knew that with the talent they had put together and the experience they have in doing what they do, the only thing holding them back from success would be themselves. They each had weaknesses that was balanced out by the others' strengths. They saw the chance for success and they went for it and got it. That would be pretty cool.
Inspired by Why Small Web Design Firms Should Think Big
Trackback URL: http://9rules.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/239
There's nothing wrong w/thinking big - I'm all for it. However, there has to be a balance of common sense as well.
First, no one in their right mind is going to hand off a 20,000 project to an unproven designer, or any vendor. If you bid on these large projects without any prior experience with a project that big in cost - or at least in scope - all you're doing is telling is establishing the reputation of a joker.
Secondly, don't take on more than you can afford to lose. Consider the opportunity costs.
By taking on a big project, which will more than likely involve investment in capital or outside help, what are you losing in cost for that project by taking it and bypassing several other smaller opportunities which together might add up to the same amount of money and actually put more money in your pocket because of less investment on your part.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Most peoples problem is not the fear of success. It is a lack of confidence. Like you said a $2,000 project is one thing, and a $20,000 project is another.
Now I, just like many others would be totally confident with that $2,000 project. Why? Because the stakes are not as high. Maybe in the hands of a small business I would be a little uneasy with that, because I do not want to live with the fact that if something goes wrong, that I was the one to break them.
But in the hands of a large company, a $2,000 project is replacing the toilet paper in the restrooms. It is not exactly going to make or break them.
But sometimes to get ahead you have to step outside your "comfort zone" and perhaps ignore how much confidence you have in yourself. Once you are able to take on some more high-stakes projects, your confidence returns, and your "comfort zone" grows.
Ryan (http://www.destroyhope.org)
"...that if something goes wrong, that I was the one to break them..."
In alot of projects for companys it also a matter of "you break it, you pay for it."
Like I said, don't take on more than you can afford to lose. Confidence is only a small part of the equation.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
I agree there is nothing wrong with thinking big. But if you want to be big you have to BE BIG. Own it, work for it. Don't just think it.
What I see where many people hit a wall is when they think big, talk big, but don't act big.
With any idea, or dream, you need to have to be able to back it up with actions and lots of hard work.
Dreams are great but it's hard work (and maybe a little luck) that really reap rewards!
Keith (http://www.7nights.com/asterisk/)
Very inspiring. Now I should get back to work. :)
I really liked what you wrote, applies not only to web designers, but to anyone who wants the best in life. :)
markku (http://rebelpixel.com/)
"...they think big, talk big, but don't act big..."
...and they don't pretend.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
I'm not going to bogart your post here, but something just occured to me.
These "just pretend" posts over the past couple of months have seem to have gotten more motivational and desperate in tone - almost like you're speaking to certain individuals about getting this "pretend" venture off the starting blocks.
I don't know who you're trying to get a message across to, or if this even the case, but for whatever it's worth, individuals and companies who make the big money don't waste a whole lot of time trying to light a fire under the butts of their team. Moreso, the team all shares a common vision. Sure some have strengths where others fail, but they are typically driven to succeed.
Case in point, you mention 37 Signals. I would bet that Jason didn't have to constantly say to Matthew or Ryan, "let's pretend that we're going to write a book." More likely, it was decided - and it was done. In fact, you will probably see that response in everything they do, that's why their who they are.
All that to say ocassional motivational speeches aren't required - they are. But after a while, if there's no movement it's time to cut what anchoring you down so you can move on.
Of course, trying to motivate someone by saying "let's pretend" isn't going to get gears moving either. Better to say, Scriv's is starting a company - get in step, or get out of the way."
I used to work for a company that had it's own company jet. The CEO instructed the pilot that irregardless of who was flying with him, he was to take off at 7:00 AM on the dot. If the executive flying with the CEO was even a minute late, he was left behind - and later fired.
The only pretenders who made money was the rock group.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Hmm... I took it more like he was trying to get free ideas for something he's planning to do down the line... and maybe auditioning for idea people to rope into this future venture.
But your points are dead on, Mark. Well said.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
Ok, then I would revise my previous by saying that I've never seen a idea get successfully incubated or a partnership formed which was based off "let's pretend."
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
"Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big."
-Daniel Burnham, Chicago (1864-1912)
Jason Fried (http://www.37signals.com)
These "pretend" posts are fun for me. We have been working hard behind the scenes and don't need any motivation. You wanna know the company? Here: Business Logs. There are no fires needed. I don't write to inspire my team. I write for my own enjoyment and everyone else's.
At first I did it to have fun with a hype theory. Then my comrades just thought it would be fun to keep the whole "Let's pretend" thing going so I did.
We are doing something that we enjoy and are having a great time working on it. I can't say when it will be ready for release and I am not gonna say we are going to set the world on fire. Leave that to the new MT 3.0 ;-) However, we do have faith in what we are doing and putting all our efforts into making it work. We decided to work together because there were certain aspects of ours lives that we were not happy with and just happened to cross paths. One thing led to another and here we are.
I wish I could tell you more about it, but for now I rather not. I didn't want to say anything at all, but you calling me out and my partners has caused me to write this. Maybe you weren't calling me out and just offering some sage advice and for that I thank you. I'm not mad as I understand your intent, but I do think it is silly to question my intentions with something that you know nothing about.
I agree that pretenders make nothing. Like Keith said you gotta ACT big, not just think big. "Let's pretend" is a tongue in cheek type thing that I do. Like, "hmmm, I wonder what Scrivs is doing". Me, Mike, and Matthew are DOING and not PRETENDING. We may not raise heads and transform industries, but that certainly won't keep us from trying.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
Damn, now I have to stop being coy in my comments, and all the challenge and fun just went down the drain.
Guess I'll have to find another outlet for challenge and fun.
Matthew Oliphant (http://businesslogs.com)
I think you may be taking this "let's pretend" idea of ours a bit too seriously Mark.
Basically, we want to find out what people think of our ideas and our services, so Paul's throwing them out to his loyal audience for feedback. In short, he's using his website to get constructive advice regarding our business thoughts before we act on them — beta-testing our brainstorms if you will. By dropping little clues here and there and seeing what people think, we are realizing which ideas work and which don't, which need work, and which are spot-on.
We know what we are intending to do and are not concerned about that part, but the more feedback the better. Part of our business involves the use of weblogs, so why not put to good use the theories we have for them?
Mike (http://phark.typepad.com)
Honestly Paul, I had no idea what you were doing.
I even mentioned that in my post "...I don't know who you're trying to get a message across to, or if this even the case..."
It occurred to me that you might be trying to play the hype game, but it also occurred - as it did apparently for JC as well - that you were trying to suck some free ideas off the community teet, and obviously it occurred to me that you were trying to motivate someone, as is apparent in my posts here.
I was talking to both you, and to some of the younger members of your audience who probably have a tendency to dream. I was also talking to myself in a way - there's a number of things I'm needing to get my fat butt off of as well.
Was I trying to call you out? Maybe, but only because I found the "let's pretend" to be discourteous to your readers who have offered plenty of great advise and insight throughout the history of this site.
You have a bucketload of supporters on this site, including (as hard as it might seem for some to believe) myself. To hand us a BS line of "let's pretend" is wrong in my opinion. We've given you the truth as we knew it, there's nothing wrong in expecting that back. If it were hype, there's better ways of doing it.
Remember, this is a visual community. I would guess there's only a very small handful - if any, who know each other personally. It's hard to ascertain what is meant seriously and what's a joke - as you've no doubt discovered via the recent CSSVault thread.
To take what you've considered to become a community resource, such as this site and the vault and turn it into your little inside joke area for you and your online buds...well...
Maybe you might be better off creating a new site under the 9 rules network - prankspace.
Not trying to rant, I will still support what you do and wish you the best of luck with your venture.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Just to clarify... I don't consider it to be a bad thing, and I don't know that I'd use the colorful metaphor Mark chose to use to describe my guess.
You're just trying to build a little anticipation, a little excitement, to create a little hype.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
Ok Mike,
Since this was your way of gaining feedback, here's something for your consideration.
Now knowing the truth of the matter, I don't honestly think that the offering of a false scenario as way of hype is appropriate to create a buzz around a company whose offering is to srengthen the reputation and knowledge management of other firms.
Honestly, I offer this to you as friendly feedback on your effort.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
We appreciate the feedback Mark. Honestly I don't see any false scenarios being presented. It seems you have taken everything out of context here or are just looking at it from the wrong angle, which is quite possible since thoughts do not necessarily always translate well to screen with words.
To say that I am being discourteous to my readers baffles me and in fact hurts me a lot. Last time I checked I created Whitespace, Version 2, and the CSS Vault to help give back to the community because they are not making me rich, that's for sure. I don't expect any favors or anything in return. The beauty of this medium is that if people feel I am "using" them or being discourteous to them then they have the option to not visit me anymore. But if people took it as such my apologies, but I don't see why anyone would. The first thread wasn't really intended for Business Logs or any of the other ones that could have related to it. In all honesty there is no need for us to lie or generate huge buzz with this company because few or any of the readers here would even need our services. As mentioned in that thread, in today's world hype is almost useless and can hurt a company at the beginning.
People want to see results. They are tired of being lied to. Nobody would want to hear he me rave about this new company that myself and others are starting. My audience here is not our target audience and believe me we know that if it was our target audience that creating "false scenarios" is not the way to handle the situation.
Blogs are meant to give a human voice to a website. Over time I think most people have a pretty good feel for what I am about and thats because I write honestly.
None of us wanted to get ahead of ourselves with the company so instead of going with the "hey we got the coolest new company coming" I thought it would be nice to go with a "let's pretend" and indirectly share our experiences. In researching the competition I really was going through that.
Some people look for feedback, while others tend to avoid it. I have experienced enough of it to know how to filter the signal from the noise. I wrote this entry because I know some people (not my partners) who are holding themselves back, but have all the potential in the world to be great. I am sorry that the comments focused more on Business Logs than the entry. That was never my intention.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
Haters step off. Scrivs big up ya self! Bo!
Submunition Assassin (http://www.submunition.com/mtype/)
Paul -
If you think I'm looking at this from the wrong angle, that's cool. I prefer to think I'm looking at this from a different angle. That's the tricky part of marketing/ hype. Everybody comes to it from different angles and with different expectations.
When I posted comments 8 & 9, I had just finished re-reading your post. I'd even clicked the link and read the article which inspired you - it inspired me as well. Then the words "let's pretend" jumped out at me, and I thought " what the...? - How can he finish a motivational post with that?"
I read other blogs which you post on, and I've seen at least one I can recall that you mentioned doing a partnership thing on - and seeing you call him out on getting it together. I also saw a post from him talking about buying a new computer and now having no excuse for doing "whatever."
You've talked about handing off CSSVault as well, and followed up posts on that subject regarding not handing it off to just any fool. There has been any number of other posts where you express frustation in one thing or another.
Given that, reading the post had an essence about it that you were trying to convince someone to the table. Given that, the phrase "let's pretend" is not something you'd say to get anyone off their collective ass.
If you'll reread my post, with that knowledge of my mindset at the time, I hope you'll see my primary purpose was not to call you out. I however, won't deny that is was a secondary purpose, because I think the phrase is somewhat condesending to your audience. You say "let's pretend" to children - not professionals, peers and fans.
Furthermore, the very definition of "pretend" is "imaginary" or "false". I didn't say you were lying - I said you presented a false premise - which you did.
Why wouldn't we be considered a target audience? You have a post from a very well known industry leader right here on this page. Although not nearly as popular, I too have my own studio and clients, as do Keith, Greg, Andy, Jeff and a host of others who visit here frequently. Why would we not be very much interested in the services ya'll are proposing to offer?
We work in the industry. We know people in knowledge management. We know marketing and business. Some of us are extremely successful or have many years of practice within it. So why would you risk insulting our intelligence with "let's pretend?"
Given the introduction ya'll give on the site - would you approach your other target market w/that phrase? (I'm growing tired of it already)
Probably not.
There is a lot of trust that goes into the client / vendor relationship of the industry you're looking to make your fortune in. LP is probably not the phrase you want to have associated with your buzz campaign. Not anymore than having these type of marketing associations:
Surgeon : "oops"
Attorney : "we'll never win"
So, what's my point. I guess, it's like I and several others stated to you in a previous post - hype is a tricky thing. Be careful with it.
All the best to you, dude.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
I agree with Mark in some ways.
Everyone could see what you were going to do, and most of the community were frustrated that you kept saying "let's pretend".
If you're going to do market research, then stop hiding behind pseudonyms and hypothetical situations.
If you want to act big, then say: This is who I am, this is what I want to know and these are our goals. You need to be HUMAN. I'm tired of faceless corporations who pretend like they're listening to the community, but they're really not.
Hype is a bad tactic. Hype is the equivalent of images on a web site. Images will keep your attention for one second and then you expect results, the same with hype.
Just be straight with everyone, if you want market research then just ask us what we think of certain things. Don't become another Microsoft or Jakob Nielson.
You have shown that you have a great personality Scrivs, and a huge determination to get what you want. I just don't want to see you go down the same road a s most other corporations.
Robert Lofthouse
There is no way Paul will become another Nielsen. There are orders from the cabal-on-high to never let that happen again. Once was enough and we apologize for the mistake.
I love you Yakob!
We know what our success criteria are. That criteria will be met. There is no arrogance here. We will succeed because we have the assets, the desire, and the heart to see things through.
I don't think any of us, with our backgrounds, will have a problem being human and really talking to people and helping them achieve their goals.
Matthew Oliphant (http://businesslogs.com)
"Let's pretend" -- let's puff ourselves up, let's make it look like something we're not.
When does "thinking big" become thinking too much of yourself, getting a big head?
Mark has a good point. This forum seems to have gone from being a place to discuss ideas to a place intolerant of dissent.
Harry
My primary concern was that the "lets pretend" seemed a little childish. Kinda detracted from scrivs' usual style.
as for "a place intolerant of dissent" ... it may seem that way at times. Call it "a place that eventually gets annoyed with bad attitudes" and you'd be more accurate. We're all real people here, remember, not magical internet drones. We have good days, we have bad days, and sometimes those bad days intersect in a bad way with other people's bad days, or worse, our good days turn bad from them. And vice versa. I think everyone here tries to keep that in mind. It's the ideas, not the person delivering them, that any comments, positive or negative, are directed to, unless otherwise explicitly noted.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
Dammit scrivs, you need to put a maximum amount of words check into your comments. Some of these comments are getting to long, and even though I love reaing this site, I have to sleep some time.
Stop having such dammed interesting conversations keeping me up till the AM's!
Phil Baines (http://www.wubbleyew.com/blog)
I like to see my comments as mini-blogs themselves :-) Only problem is I can see how this turns some people away. Oh well. To each his own I suppose.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.c)
Yeah I have starting thinking that way about the comments I make also. The worst is when I make a comment on 'site x', and then two days later I want to go back and see what other people said in reply, and I can't remember what site it was. Then I end up going through 'site a' to 'site w' before getting back to 'site x'.
I was actually thinking about writing a little applet of some sort so that I can ping my blog every time I make a comment on a site. Then I could have a comment log (or clog) for people to see what I am saying on other sites.
This, combined with my blogmarks, and an up and coming moblog (bloging from my mobile phone) and I will have four separate logs on my blog.
Phil Baines (http://www.wubbleyew.com/blog)
p.s. I wasn't serious about the comments being to long. Maybe a bit of winking would have helped me there ;)
All I was trying to say is that it doesn't help me with my insomnia. ;)
Phil Baines (http://www.wubbleyew.com/blog)
There is a book called The E Myth Revisited. It is one of the most highly thought of business books around. It does not teach you to think big. It basically teaches you how to design your business and service framework. It really is a good read. Easy too hehe. I could not put it down. The book takes a business and discusses what is wrong with it and how to perhaps go about fixing things. The point is though that the business is fictional. It is pretend. Indeed you cannot set any sort of goal without 'pretending' because you have not achieved that goal. You can only imagine it. Imagination is only pretend until you make it real.
I think they are worthwhile scenarios. They give a focus to the point.
Stay safe all :)
Bruce (http://www.bodyimagedesigns.com)
I belived Donald Trump also subscribes to the "think big" theory, and it seems to be working for him :)
theresa (http://www.dandelionwine.org)
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#1
I understand the fear of success. But I don't have that anymore. Now I have the fear of not trying.
And I know a good cure for that.
Matthew Oliphant (http://businesslogs.com)