Scout for Success

Techtrepreneurs - Step Awaaaay From the Machine!

I recently added up the number of business-related hours that I have spent in front of my computer over the last couple of months.  I was surprised at the total. Like many small business owners who provide technology and Internet-related services I expected the number to be high, but not that high.  It occurred to me that I had not participated in any elective, non-computer related, purely personal interest activities for quite a while, so I decided it was time to break out of my rut and enjoy some real world, low-tech, meet-new-people time.

To accomplish that, last weekend I attended The Cozy Library Extravaganza at the Warren Newport Library in Gurnee, Illinois. The Cozy Library is a website I designed several years ago for my good friend and mentor, Diana Vickery. Immensely popular with readers, the site is devoted to her reviews, recommendations, author interviews and a wealth of other information related to the genre of cozy mysteries. (You can learn the definition of a cozy mystery by visiting the Cozy Library website.) The extravaganza was sponsored by the library and included an informal panel discussion of books, writing and writing techniques, along with anecdotes from eight visiting authors from around the country. It was fascinating to hear the personal stories of these authors, and learn more about what inspired their creativity and how they went about turning their ideas, plots, and characters into the written word.  I was surprised at how much the outlining, organizing and character development techniques varied from person to person.

I thoroughly enjoyed the three hours I spent at this event. I’ve been writing myself since I was a child, and continue to grow my business on a foundation of services related to writing.  I actually relished being away from my computer for an entire afternoon, and engaging with friends and acquaintances old and new to discuss books, authors, personal interests and writing in general.  I went home that day feeling refreshed, inspired, and fired up to continue pursuing my writing goals.  Though I know that most technical entrepreneurs, or techtrepreneurs, also have lives away from their workstations, I suspect that many of us have to make a concerted effort to fit these entertaining and purely social forays into our busy schedules.

I also believe that many entrepreneurs and small business owners, especially those who delve regularly into the blogosphere, enjoy and utilize the written word in their work.  Two books that I always keep close at hand are Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones - Freeing the Writer Within (1976) and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird - Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1994).  Many of you are likely already familiar with both works; for those aspiring writers who are not, I highly recommend them.  They each speak to the heart of writing, rather than dwelling on theory or technique.  Writing is about telling stories and communicating with others; as business owners we are constantly telling the story of what we have to offer, how we serve, what our products are, the why and how of what we do, and the benefits we offer our customers.  In an age of email and online written exchange of ideas, books like these can help to make you feel more confident about writing freely, and less self-conscious about expressing yourself and your ideas.

Copyright © Kimberly Washetas - 2008

Revisiting The E-Myth Revisited

About four years ago, my friend Billy Cochrane and I were sharing driving duties on a 10-hour roadtrip from Jackson, Mississippi to a trade show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  In addition to being a great friend, Billy is also one of my first ecommerce website customers (VintageKnives.com) and the van was loaded with his wares along with my marketing materials.  Having started our businesses around the same time, we spent a while talking about some of the entrepreneurial challenges we were both experiencing, before I suggested we take a listen to a CD audio-book I had purchased for the drive.

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber turned out to be a revelation for both of us.  The sub-title might be a little daunting (Why Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It), but the advice turned out to be relevant and business-altering for both Billy and myself.  From growing pains to muddled systems to fear of leaving your comfort zone, the author dealt with these and other common small business issues in a straightforward way.  His examples and ideas about establishing systems and processes were insightful and helpful.  The chapter about working on your business, not in it, was especially thought provoking.

This is not high-falutin’ stuff.  Gerber uses a fictitious small business model to illustrate his points, but while the dialogue may seem simplistic to some, I found it easy to follow his concepts and thought processes.  Highly recommended for entrepreneurs and small business owners, especially those just starting up or in a quandry about what their “next steps” should be.  Also available in book form, but with time at a premium for most of us, the CDs were much easier to absorb.