Ideas Genius empowers people to be best they can be and enables successful ideas. We harnesses your passion and energy to bring your ideas to life. With you, we create, curate and communicate your ideas. We develop your leadership and objectives through Coaching and Mentoring, build your brand and problem solve through Facilitation, and reinforce your vision and achievements with Creative Projects. We deliver a personal, real experience that inspires thoughts and listens to your feelings about your ideas. We explore them through creativity, personal branding and development, social media, consumer and digital interaction, music⌠and fun! Bernard P Achampong is the head honcho, with experience ranging from media production to project management; from music and marketing to business improvement â especially engaging with entrepreneurs and aspiring leaders from BaME backgrounds. Our clients include Inspirational YOU, CEO Dancers, Vodafone, Caffe Concerto, Integrity Music, Orange Hill Productions, Styles Afrik, Wekumei Enterprises Limited, Musician Union of Ghana and Zoe Records. Contact: [email protected]
The two biggest hurdles to getting anything started are not having enough time or enough money. Wait, let me correct myself - enough time or money to get it finished. We can start quite cheaply. Picking up a pen to note your idea costs nothing. So if time or money doesn't stop you starting something, how do we get over the fear of not being able to finish it?
With lots of money, you can pay for things to be done quickly. The opposite is also true - when money is tight, you can spread the task over years if you have to. A friend of mine, realising they couldn't get a loan to do up their entire house in one summer decided to make it an on-going project. Five years later, the transformation is remarkable. They got it done - it just took a little longer.
So when you have neither to play with, consider 3 things:
Is it worth doing now?
Take a long, hard look at what you want to do and why. Is it something that could wait? At least, could you delay the most expensive bits of it until later. You may give yourself a better chance of success by taking more time to get your affairs in order. After all, very few businesses make a profit within its first 18 months. Putting it off and planning how you can make the most of your money and time later might be your best bet.
Are you worth it?
Take a long, hard look at yourself. Could someone else invest in you? Do you have what it takes (except money and time) to make this happen? Do you have a good reputation in this area? It could buy you a lot of favours and discounts. A colleague of mine is struggling with a project because they've upset one too many people in the past and have a bad name. That works against you when you're in a tight spot and need a break. With money or time against you, ask advice from people with whom you have a good reputation. They may be able to help you out. Otherwise work on being of 'good repute'. It might mean repairing bridges and eating humble pie. That may take more time, by the way.
Is anyone else doing it?
Take a long, hard look around you. Starting up on your own isn't always the best answer. Is there someone else doing something similar? Could you get together and get it done? Not only could it help with your money or time, you'll also get the benefit of their experience. There's nothing like avoiding those rookie mistakes to keep a project on time and on budget.
Not having enough money or time isn't a reason not to start something. Do as much as you can with what you have - then stop if you have to. It's always easier to pick up where you left off than beginning from scratch.
I was recently asked to write a few words as an introduction to a book. I thought I would share it:
'Like any discipline, Leadership is a journey. It is a process of time and experience, belief and will, trial after failure. The leader youâre going to be is entirely based on your unique set of physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual settings. Often it can be in spite of those same traits.
A great teacher once said that project management is like juggling eggs. In that same context, Leadership is ensuring those eggs donât fall. Part of your roles as a leader is directive; giving each egg enough energy and direction to go up in the air. There is also a role to delegate; to let go of the eggs with the secure knowledge that because you have understood the properties and abilities of your eggs, you can allow them to travel through the air unaided. You trust that they will come down where you expect them to. That is also the final part of your role. You are there to catch and support them when they come down.
If you have little experience of being a leader, that description may seem odd to you. After all, arenât you the one who is in charge? Arenât you the boss? The head honcho? The if-I-say-jump-you-say-how-high guy? Those are only effects of good leadership. You become the respected and listened-to one because you are a good leader. Itâs not the other way round. Those come because you are recognised by your team as someone who can keep everyone on the winning side. Acting important without mastering good leadership is like trying to cough enough times so you can catch a cold. Itâs not going to happen. You will meet those kinds of people on your journey. No one wants to work with them.
This book lays down the rudimentary foundations of the aspect of leading spiritually. So hereâs the first secret⌠all leadership is spiritual. Managers can get away with moving tasks and targets around with money or manpower to get the job done. A leader relies on trust, hope and faith in their team and their desired outcomes. Understanding the areas highlighted in each chapter will bring you closer to mastering the full set of spiritual tools needed to be a winner. Think of these as the top line headings and use them as a template to explore deeper your own style of leadership - no matter what your beliefs are.
Thereâs one final thing to say about your journey into leadership. If you have to tell people youâre a good leader, youâre not a good leader. They should know what you are by the way they interact with you and feel when they are in your team. Think of it another way, do you ever wonder about the DJ in the club who is constantly telling you to get up, get on the dance floor, put your hands up, make some noise? Well, if they were a good DJ would you not be doing those things already? If they have to remind you to get on the floor and enjoy yourself, surely there is something missing.
I wish you the best for your leadership journey and pray that your ability to believe, unique personality and leadership style are so naturally fused that everyone you work with never wants to leave your dance floor.'
One of the things I loved about growing up in the 90s was discovering âThe Rewindâ. That moment at the party when the crowd responds loudly to a song and the DJ spins it back to the beginning. Oh man, that was a lot of fun. However it was often not so much fun for the DJ whose responsibility it was to get that moment right. There's nothing more tense than a rewind followed by an  awkward silence while he (or she) struggles to find the beginning of the record. Trust me, itâs a lot of pressure when youâve got a room full of eyes glaring at you while they wait for the party to start again.
The last few months have felt like a long rewind moment for me. There's been the excitement of retraining for a new career, taking on new projects and new responsibilities. At the same time, thereâs the angst around trying to refocus and head off in a brand new direction.Â
You see, the rewind bit is relatively easy. You can stop doing what you were doing... with the right motivation. Maybe it is the promise of a brighter future or the relief from a challenging past. However the tricky part is setting yourself up doing something new. Thereâs likely to be questions like:Â
Will I make it in this new venture?
Is this the right decision right now?
How will I match the financial or emotional security of the previous job, and of courseÂ
What happens if I fail?Â
Just like the nervous DJ, you have a number of tools at your disposal to help make the resetting and restarting process as painless as possible. DJs have their headphones, and all kinds of meters, markers and faders which when used appropriately helps them get the party restarted with little interruption to the good vibe.Â
This monthsâ mailer is dedicated to all who were going through a period of Rewind, Reset and Restart. So, welcome to the party :-) and watch this space.
First Steps to Social Enterprise 2014 course launch
Olmec Empowering Communities invited Ruth Amarquaye to be part of the panel of speakers at the launch of this year's First Steps to Social Enterprise with the aim of 'Inspiring BME Women Into Enterprise'. Â This launch was a free event with lunch provided by a successful participate of another Olmec course, and of course the opportunity to network and find out about the stall holders. Â On the panel there was John Mayford, Director of Olmec; Makeeda Hewitt, Programmes Manager at Metropolitan Housing, Ruth Amarquaye of Ideas Genius; Caroline Odogwu of She Is You UK, Bala Thakrar of Naitika and was chaired by Annetta Bannett (Empress Nia Jai) of Impact Diversion.
Each member spoke of their involvement with Olmec and Ruth shared about her experience during the course:
"Right from the start of te course we knew got on when myself and two other ladies got under the table to fix it in place so the wobbling didn't distract us from learning. Â It was a group which felt more like a family and I am most grateful to Sam Obeng, or Uncle Sam as he became known as and Nathan Brown for going the extra mile to ensure we understood our legal forms and responsibilities. Â Ideas Genius did not go on to becoming a Social Enterprise, but we have successfully embraced social aims and are working towards being a success business. Thank you Olmec." Following the speaking, various people offered a workshop which gave a taster to elements coveredon the 12 week course. These included Nathan Brown, Sam Obeng and Nick Howe, Enterprise Manager of NatWest Business Banking.
Applications are now open for the next cohort of the First Steps course and we will encourage every BME Woman who has a dream of being in business to apply. Â Even if you do not end up as a Social Entrepreuneur, you will end up as an entrepreuneur who makes a social impact. Â You have until 31st August to submit your application and you can find out more at Olmec's website.Â
The hardest part of writing a book is not starting it; itâs completing it. This is because somewhere on route, from the first to the last page, we get a little lost. What begins as an exciting burst of creative energy fizzles into a dull fraction of your incomplete work. What happened?
It works like this: If I plan to get to Manchester from London, I donât simply start driving until I run out of steam. Itâs good to have a destination and key milestones on route. I know Iâll need to go via either the M40 or the M1. Then when I get to Birmingham, I consider, do I take the M6 or the Toll road?
With our 13 Step Book Plan, you stand a better chance of reaching those milestones on route to your completed book. Youâll need a pen and pad for this (or computer, however our preference is actually writing it out). Here goes:
Write the numbers 1 to 13 along one side of a piece of paper. These will be the numbers for thirteen sentences you're about to create, so give yourself plenty of space.
2. The Beginning. Write a sentence about how you want your book to start next to number 1. The characters, location, expertise or knowledge that you want the reader to know in the beginning. If youâre writing a novel about a person on a self-discovery journey, where will they start? What is their current emotional state? If itâs a business manual think about what level of knowledge you expect from your typical reader? If youâre teaching a new method, what should they already know: do they have a degree in Management, have they worked in a business or know nothing at all? Write it as a single sentence, e.g. The reader has never written a business plan or Marcel is about to have his life changed by the mysterious girl on the bus.
3. The End. How will the book end? Whatâs the last thing you want to communicate before your reader closes the last page? What is the big revelation or the nugget of wisdom and experience that you want to share? Try to communicate that as the sentence that just goes just before the words âThe Endâ. Write this out next to number 13. For example: And they lived together in Barbados for the rest of their lives⌠or So now you know everything you need to make vegan burgers.
4. Meet Me Halfway. Consider the middle point between the beginning and the end. Halfway through the book, what do you want -to- the reader to know? Write a sentence next to number 6 which states By this stage of the book⌠we will know the heroineâs secret or we should understand the difference between Dating and Courting or I have introduced my mediation technique. Remember itâs about being halfway through the physical pages of the book, not necessarily of your story. This is the 50 page mark if your story book is 100 pages long. You donât need to count pages, just have a sense of what you want to have written about when halfway through.
5. Half the Halves. Do the same for the points midway between the beginning and the middle (i.e. number 4) and halfway between the middle and the end (i.e. number 10). Again write a By this stage of the book⌠sentence about what you want to be saying a quarter and three-quarters into your masterpiece.
6. Step It Up. You will have two empty numbers between each of the major milestones of your book. Think of these as two steps to get from one stage to the other. Write in here two important moments or bits of information which will follow each other to get from the beginning to the quarter mark, then quarter to the halfway mark⌠and so on. You will find that this is where a lot of your thinking, rethinking, changing, rewriting etc. happens. Thatâs fine. All your thoughts here are helping you really define your story. When you come to write the book itself, you will find that youâve already had those random thoughts and are less likely to go off track.Â
7. The End. Yes, thatâs your 13 Step Book Plan. If youâve put all your energies into getting this part right, you will find the process of writing feels smoother than previous attempts.
The difference now is that you have a destination, a route and a map. When you get lost, you simply look back at your map and get yourself back on track. I hope this has helped you make progress.
Some phrases stick in your head for a long time. A rather colourful Product Development lecturer once commented that âaccountants are the condom on the (man parts) of progressâ. I have censored his statement here for obvious reasons but the intent of his remark is clear. Looking at creativity by what your budget allows you to achieve limits your fullest potential.
So why do budgets - the B-word - have such a bad name? After all, managing budgets is a great skill to have. We are encouraged to be wise and mindful of our resources.Â
In creative terms, working with a budget as you develop your ideas or ambition is like buying a dress and then dieting to fit into it. Of course you should be aware of your current financial means. However, they should not dictate how ambitious you can be.
A good idea comes from being able to think freely and creatively. That should also apply to how you view using your money. A helpful process for thinking this through is:
What could you do if money wasn't a concern?Â
Are you able to fund it with your existing budget?Â
How else could you get it done?
Who else would be interested in getting the most out of the idea? (see post on partnerships)Â
Budgets are a tool rather than a permission to make something amazing happen. The discipline and strategy of budget management are good for things you want to control. However, chances are you do not want to limit your best possible ideas before you have had them because you donât think you can afford it.
To get the best out of your creative process, teams or efforts, forget the B-Word. At least until you have a good enough idea. Then use your best budgeting skills to make it happen.
You start out on your creative and ambitious journey with high hopes. The sky is the limit, and youâve got just what the world needs to make it a better place. You make the best cupcakes. You are a genius with raising capital. You are the best motivational speaker for your target audience. In short, youâve found your purpose in life! You sell most of everything youâve got and invest heavily into your business or career. Good? Great!
Then something happens. As you work through it, there are a few new things you discover. Things are not exactly how they first appeared. This isnât a bad thing. Often after immersing yourself deeper into something, you discover so much more. Your original idea was just the tip of the iceberg. You can do so much more here! On the other hand, after spending some time in the reality of your ambition, you realise it is not quite what you expected.
Now what do you do? No one wants to appear to be making a u-turn. Would your stakeholders, fellow investors, family, friends and haters see you as flighty or as a failure? Would they say of you that you lack commitment or, worse, your vision was shaky to begin with?
Take heart. The first thing to recognise is that you know more than anyone else about what is truly happening. If you have seen a better opportunity for your business, then it is in your interest in the long run to explore it. Also, if you have misjudged your original vision, the best thing you could do for yourself is reconsider.
In the creative relationship, there are three parts: you, the business and your idea or vision. Ideally, all three will be in harmony. When they are out of sync, a decision has to be made. When minor adjustments does not bring it all back together again, it might be time to upgrade your vision.
Here are some suggestions of how to handle it:
Check your emotions. What you might be experiencing is excitement about new opportunities. There isnât anything specifically wrong with your first goal. Youâre simply enthusing about a new challenge. Put it to the side for a while; you might feel differently about it later.
Build on idea one. Consider whether this is an add-on to your current ambitions rather than a brand new idea. Some things might take time to build and your first idea might be the foundation for a bigger opportunity. It will give you more contacts and credibility in for the future.
Compare both visions. Be rigorous with evaluating the benefits and costs of both options - with the same criteria. Compare like with like, rather than like with love. It will help to write them out with equal depth. Be very honest with yourself here. It may help to do this with someone objective.
Sell on or shut down. Your original thought was a good one, although it might not be the best one for you. You may not be the best person to take it forward. Is there anyone else excited about it that you can hand it on to? You could consider licensing it to someone, selling it on or closing down the business completely.
However brilliant your product or service, if nobody knows about it then your business will struggle to make sales, and a business without sales is a failure in motion.
Here are some tips from PR expert Jessica Huie on how to make sure your business is planted firmly in the awareness of your target audience in 2014:
⢠Inject your human interest story into your branding
Nothing is more powerful than authenticity in PR. If you genuinely believe that your business adds value to your customerâs lives, then its important to communicate that personally. By being visible rather than relying on your faceless brand to sell itself, you allow your customers the opportunity to understand the ethos behind your brand and your business values, and if you are marketing to the right audience then your values will resonate with them and make them more likely to buy.Â
We live in a society overwhelmed by choice, which make it all the more necessary to let your customers understand your own personal human-interest story. Do this by asking yourself what the inspiration behind your business was, what is your vision? How are you improving, changing or inventing something which will benefit your audience? Give your customers an insight into the entrepreneur behind the business through your PR materials and watch how effective this PR approach can be.
⢠Be patient and consistent
PR unlike advertising is not a quick hit. It requires a consistent and ongoing effort in order to be most effective. A customerâs buying journey begins with awareness followed by familiarity before moving to consideration purchase and then loyalty. So the more that customers become aware of your brand the better â hence where the outdated all publicity is good publicity line comes from. Equally unlike advertising (which is more expensive,) PR is not guaranteed. It requires the creation of a news angle e.g.; âHuieâs brand secure record sales targets in Selfridges,â âCelebrities endorse Huieâs brand,â in order to capture the imagination of the media and inspire them to write about you/your business.
⢠Create a 12 month plan
If we consider the first part of the year, New Years Day, Valentines, Motherâs Day, these occasions may well have an impact on your customerâs buying patterns. Creating a press release which is âpeggedâ on to these occasions will increase your chance of securing media interest, so plan ahead and be aware of media lead times so you donât miss out on a PR opportunity.
⢠Stay abreast of current affairs and their relevance to your business
If we look at the stories currently in the media, Rail fare increases, 100 year jail sentences considered, the Princes Trust survey findings that three quarters of a million young people in the UK have nothing to live for due to unemployment levels, each of these news stories may represent a PR opportunity depending on your business or service. By staying aware of current news you can include reactive PR into your strategy as well as proactive, producing press releases offering a contribution to a current news debate, a solution to a problem being discussed or an alternate opinion.
⢠Truly understand your customer
A useful exercise is spending time thinking about your customer in depth. Where do they live, how old are they, where do they grocery shop, go on holiday, are they property owners? Once you can answer these questions youâll begin to create a picture of your customer which will allow you to easily move on to the next pointâŚ
⢠Seek out ideal potential partners for cross promotion
By truly understanding your customer you can identify other brands that share your target market. This synergy create the perfect opportunity to collaborate with brands who may be bigger or more established than you and cross promote by marketing to their audience as well as your own and of course returning the favour. List five brands that are not your competition, but share your target audience as your partnership targets.
⢠Be giving
It was one of rap musicâs richest entrepreneurs, Russell Simmons who said âyou can never get before you give.â Itâs a blueprint which can be hugely effective once you work out what you can actually afford to give away.
Free stuff creates a buzz, creates awareness, encourages people to try your products, creates positive brand association and a buying habit. In this era its easy to create a product designed purely to be given away free. Think E-books and audio tapes, the ideas are endless.
⢠Be creative
Creativity for me, is the best part of PR. Unlike advertising, which has a very set agenda and sales pitch, PR is whatever you decide to make it. Are you a fashion brand? Then create a piece for the royal baby, run a take-away food chain? Deliver to the homeless on Christmas day. PR can do good whilst creating opportunities to secure media coverage in the process.
⢠Think global
Your business reach is only as limited as your mindset. If you or your PR team are creating a press release then why limit your focus to the UK? The vast majority of media is also online now and if your business is international then youâd be crazy not to raise awareness globally. That said, focus on one territory at a time for maximum impact.
⢠Ensure you have effective tools
Undeniably the most important tip. Your press release is your business shop window and will create a first impression. Ensure it is professional, and includes all of the crucial information, and use the first paragraph to sum up your news angle succinctly.Â
Jessica Huie, Founder of JH Public Relations and Color blind Cards is an entrepreneur with 15 years media experience, having worked with some of the UKâs best known celebrities, entrepreneurs and brands.Â
JH PRâs Do Your Own PR package includes a tailored press release, founderâs biog and media contact list and is priced at ÂŁ300.Â
To kick off 2014 with an affordable PR campaign that impacts, contact JH Public Relations [email protected] 0203 282 7577 www.JHPR.co.uk
Remember that 90s R&B girl group? Â The chorus to their hit 'If You Love Me' is a simple model for turning your dreams and ambitions into a success:
Say it - Declare it and share it; not wishful or empty words. Once you understand exactly what you want to achieve, you can communicate it - in detail, over and over again.  Got it? Good. Now youâre in the best place to begin.
Do it - There is nothing more powerful to making your dreams real than starting to do it. Doing it means trying, failing, and trying again.  Do it until you get it right. Do it a little bit at a time; practice, build up, save up... whatever it takes. It's simpler one step at a time.
Show it - Once youâve done it, let people know about it. Itâs your testimony. Tell them where you were, where you are now and how you got here. Showing your success will also inspire others to do the same.
Before we make those grand plans for 2014, take a moment to consider this: how much of what you want for next year is based on what you didnât get last year?
If your goals for 2014 are completing something you began in 2013, there might be a very good reason why you didnât get it done this year. Was it to do with a lack of time? Perhaps unrealistic expectations? Unreliable partners who let you down? Maybe a poor balance between personal life and business priorities?
Whatever the reasons are, wouldnât it be great knowing youâre going into the new year without making the same errors again? Not only that, how about making plans for 2014 without the baggage of the things, people, finance problem, etc. that held you back in the past twelve months?
Walking away from 2013 takes more than simply leaving the past behind and hoping it fades into the background. It doesnât. We come across the same challenges, bump into the same people or have to repair financial deficits. Ideas Genius suggests some practical ways of moving forward while locking the past in the past.
Accept It
As tough as this might sound, let the past go. In other words, draw a line under it. We use the ending of a film as an analogy here. Some films have a happy ending, others donât. Some things in your 2013 had a happy ending, others didnât. Let the credits roll and move on. Say to yourself âThat was a bad situation. I lost X, I trusted Y, I spent X and it didnât work out.â Thatâs the end of the story. Â
We did say it was tough. Everything is a lesson, or at least it is when you ask yourself âWhat could I have done differently?â Sometimes it would be obvious that you missed something. Faced with the same situation again you would definitely do something else. Accept that as the lesson. You may also learn that the situation was out of your control. Nothing you could have done or said would have changed the outcome. Accept that too. Now take stock.
Formalise It
In some cases, a business deal or relationship might be on-going. This is the perfect time of year to put some boundaries or formality around it. Perhaps someone has offered to help you with promotions for a reciprocal service. Did you receive the attention to your product as you expected? Â
Whether you did or not, this is a great stage to say âletâs do more of whatâs been workingâ or âletâs consider how we can work together betterâ. You should have numbers or experience to back up your conversations. Does one unit of your service have the same value to your partner? Have you been doing all the work while they have only showed up at the end? It is worth taking time out to talk it through with them to get it straightened out. Youâre going to be investing potentially another 365 days with them; putting aside a day to go over it leaves you with 364 days of a great partnership.
Leave It
Seriously, some things are literally best left in the past. That means all of it. The thing, the deal, the person, the company, the hurt, the tears⌠all of it. You have sat down and considered what went wrong, or could have been done differently. Youâve decided it is not profitable to take forward into 2014. Now leave it. You canât take everything forward with you.Â
The more you are already carrying, the less you can pick up in the new year - new opportunities, new ideas, new collaborators. It is never easy to say to a former colleague, that you have an ambiguous relationship with, that you are working with someone who can bring you more success. It just gets awkward. It is better to go it alone, with fewer resources, fewer contacts⌠especially as those havenât helped you in the past year. Be professional, tie up the loose ends and leave it as amicably as possible. Remember this is about winning with a lesson, not looking for payback.
What about the Money?
What have you actually lost in real terms? There are certain things you canât claim back: time, emotional or physical investment, hurt, ideas. You canât get them back. Money is a different matter. It does two things in our opinion. Firstly there might be amounts owed to you based on receipts, invoices and contracts. If you have these you can pursue your expenses for services and goods you might have outstanding; legally if you have to. Â
However if you donât have any of this to support your claim, there is a second purpose for money. Value. You may find that the real value of the disappointment you are holding on to, when you weigh it up against your loss, is out of proportion. No need to lose sleep over ÂŁ200 when your future business success is worth a lot more. The way we think about it, there are business courses that cost ten times as much. If youâve learned a lesson and how not to repeat it, then itâs money well spent. Cut your losses. Yes, that phrase has new meaning. Cut your losses and move on.
Whatever you have planned for 2014, we wish you well and pray that it is not at the cost of lesson that could have been learned from 2013. Hereâs to a successful year ahead.
Of course finance is important. Â Cash flow is the life blood of any business, and chasing payment (ultimately, not getting paid) is a pain in the... assets.
However a lot of entrepreneurs say you have to be willing to work for free or next to nothing when you're starting a business. So what do you do when you find yourself in that situation where you're doing work without getting paid? Â Even if you are working speculatively, you're committing your valuable time and expertise which is worth something. Â We think you could consider the following 3 ways of getting the best from the situation.
1. Ask for expenses. Â Your full fee may not be available - either because you haven't yet proven your business to ask for your full fee, or the client needs your services and products but has a limited budget. Â Often a request for expenses (travel, consumables, legal or research costs) will be honoured if you can make a fair case for it. Â For example, if you have to travel from London to Birmingham to speak at a conference, you can ask for train fare to be covered. Â In our experience, a fraction of the bill is met more favourably than the whole fee.
2. Ask for testimonials. Â Obviously your clients sees the value of your work. Â If they didn't, they would not have asked you to be part of their project. Â Providing you with a testimonial is like giving a recommendation to future clients. Â You can ask for a testimonial in a number of ways; either as an email request at the end of your work or with a feedback form (less formal). Â Whichever way you ask for it, getting that testimonial will help you get more work in the future.
3. Ask to document your involvement. Depending on your business, you might be able to photograph, film or in some other way capture your role or your work for your website, showreel or portfolio.  For instance, if there is an important or well-known person involved, you could be filmed or photographed with them.  If that is not your preferred style, why not suggest a 'day in the life' article for your local newspaper or industry related blog.  Using it on your own website will give potential clients a better idea of how you work... more importantly, what you're worth.
However you do it, getting some credit back for what you do is important to sustain your business. Â While you're working for someone else, you're still working and there has to be some benefit to your business. Â The best case scenario when working with no money is to agree all three of the above with your client. Â This can be done at the point that they tell you they are unable to pay your costs. Â Then confirm it in writing and make sure you stick to it... for your own benefit.
There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village.
As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish. The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, âHow long does it take you to catch so many fish?â
The fisherman replied, âOh, just a short while.â
âThen why donât you stay longer at sea and catch even more?â
The businessman was astonished.
âThis is enough to feed my whole family,â the fisherman said.
The businessman then asked, âSo, what do you do for the rest of the day?â
The fisherman replied, âWell, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink â we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.â
The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman.
âI am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to Sao Paulo, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.â
The fisherman continues, âAnd after that?â
The fisherman asks, âAnd after that?â
The businessman says, âAfter that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!â
The fisherman was puzzled, âIsnât that what I am doing now?â
