If you give a shit about being popular and liked by the masses, then this post is not for you. But I sure hope you don’t read this blog looking for advice on how to be “normal.” On the other hand, if your goal is to be successful on your own terms, then let’s get down to business.
Conventional wisdom is code for fitting in
When I hear phrases such as “The conventional wisdom suggests you should ….” I just want to scream. We did not start our own businesses to be conformers. When I started my first business, conventional wisdom suggested I needed an office, a receptionist and all sorts of other things. I had none of those. I had just an idea and a cell phone. (Remember, it was 1988.) I drove where I could, flew to other places and managed to sell enough of my first software product to make money and stay in business for two years before being acquired.
That acquisition put me back in a cube farm; and even there I found ways to not conform. I became a master of begging for forgiveness vs. asking for permission. I befriended senior managers by getting things done and as time passed, I had more and more freedom to work on the projects I wanted to work on because I delivered results. I managed to spend more than 50 percent of my time out of my cube and on our shop floor or visiting customers and vendors. Cubes are stifling – avoid them if you can.
Creativity happens where it happens
Ask a life-long creative where their inspiration happens and you will likely get as many answers as the number of people you ask. There is a reason why. Even now when my company ColorMetrix could easily afford an office, we don’t have one. We thrive on finding creative ways to do business. And even with a beautiful home office, I manage to spend less than 50 percent of my time there.
I spend several hours a day, several days a week in coffee shops getting the creative work done that is required to run my businesses the way I want to run them. Sometimes that time is spent writing a blog post or creating an email marketing campaign. Other times, it might be preparing a client proposal or clearing an email inbox. You might be asking why I can’t get those tasks done at my home office. The answer is I can; but I prefer to be surrounded by a sea of humanity. That’s when my creativity soars. Oddly I achieve this in a very isolated way; staring at a computer screen with ear buds in and music cranking.
Find your own style
This point may seem trivial but I can attest to the fact that it is not. When you choose to own your own business, you earn the right to have no rigid, society-imposed dress code. Weather permitting and when working from home, I wear pretty much the same uniform – jeans, t-shirt and flip-flops. And yes I’ve gone to client meetings dressed like that. I shave when I feel like it, which is not every day. I have not put on a tie for professional reasons in a very long time. Fairly recently, I’ve decided dress pants are no longer a part of the wardrobe even when they “should be.” I’m a jeans, dress shirt and nice shoes guy from this point forward. If my wardrobe bothers you then maybe we shouldn’t be doing business together.
The key takeaway to all of this is be comfortable. When you are comfortable, you maximize your creative potential. Work by your own rules – not those of “conventional wisdom.” Blaze your own trail.