You’ll also find this post at The Pulse

Say hello to my little friends.

We’ve spoken about children at work, and the effects of family illness.

How about critters?

What role (if any) do pets have in business?

Free Range

I figure there are three schools of thought:

1. Corporate environments in which the prospect of pets is laughable.
2. Home / small offices that consider critters de rigueur.
3. Places in between.

As usual, I expect to learn that I’ve merely … scratched the surface.

I’ll describe my situation, tell a few tales, then open the floor.

Winston and Sarah have mentioned pets in several comments.

I’d love to hear yours too.

Dog Days

Omaha and Graham (pictured) spend each day in or around Empire House.

Omaha curls at my feet for hours.

She’s wonderful company for a sole trader in a solitary trade.

Twitter is awash with pictures of cats lounging on keyboards and monitors.

These suggest many businesspeople keep close quarters with furry friends.

Walkies!

My dogs get me out of the house.

I’m forever tempted to put work deadlines ahead of my well-being.

Left to my own devices, I wouldn’t exercise nearly as much.

But when bright eyes and tapping paws implore you to take them to the sun, it’s hard to resist.

Stress Balls

I’ve read that pet owners live longer and have reduced cancer and heart disease risk.

The mere act of stroking fur is supposed to lower your heart rate and stress level.

If you have a bad interaction with a client or supplier, the warmth and unconditional understanding of a best friend can be very calming.

Pet Hates

It cuts both ways, though.

When clients visit, critters must vanish.

You can’t have them jumping and pawing.

And that visitor’s chair better be clean.

It’s bad enough when you go to a meeting covered in fur. (The old sticky roller’s a godsend here.)

Sending your clients back into the world similarly hirsute is even worse.

Corporate Animals

Some larger offices allow pets (and military mascots abound).

Responses range from lifting team morale to finding poo in the boardroom.

Some people can’t handle the distraction of animals at work.

And a cute puppy sure can stop an entire department in its tracks.

Babies have a similar impact, though they don’t tend to chew three-phase power cables.

Then, of course, there are allergies.

Despite the pitfalls, some big firms have a liberal attitude towards pets at work.

How about you?

Your Say

What do you think of this fuzzy frivolity?

• One meow, yes.
• Two meows, no.

Give us a sign,

lest we do this by

arf.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Blink and you may miss it.

Here’s a business tip I learnt the hard way:

If you get a gig, job, order, project, piece of work or commission, do it NOW.

If you don’t, it may not be there tomorrow.

For several reasons.

Unkind Cut

A large IT firm gave me 100 recruitment ads to critique.

I toiled for much of Easter, getting 50 done.

Then I rewarded myself with a couple of days off.

When my client returned to work, he found his budget slashed by overseas corporate masters.

He was forced to cancel the project.

He paid me for what I’d done, which was half of what I could’ve done, had I pressed on.

As this happened when I was just starting out, I felt the revenue loss keenly.

Mind Altering

I was asked to source radio jingles for an automotive firm.

I offered the job to Adam, who quoted $3000.

The client approved the quote and Adam pulled several all-nighters to write, perform and record some rippers in double-quick time.

But before I could send them to the client, she abruptly changed her mind and tried to cancel the project.

Fortunately, I still had her email approval, so we had her cold.

Had Adam waited a few days, he’d have missed out on a lucrative gig.

Off Balance

Of course, this hot-iron-striking advice flies in the face of all our warm fuzzies about taking care of ourselves in business.

We’ve had wonderful suggestions about negotiating realistic deadlines, operating within our limits, maintaining work-life balance and so on.

But as GFC II threatens, I wonder if we can afford to dawdle on such shifting sands.

Vexed issues are best handled by the fine minds that inhabit this space.

And so I put it to you.

Your View

When you get a piece of business, do you:

a)    Luxuriate in the prospect and do it as, and when, you see fit.

b)    Seize it as if it were your last meal on earth and devour it on the spot.

c)    Attend to it fairly smartly, but without unseemly haste.

d)    Handle it some other way (please describe).

?

The clock’s ticking.

Let’s get to work!

…

No?

…

How about later?

…

…

Never mind.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Today we welcome Sheila Smith, author of The Birthday Dragon, which she proudly self-published this year.  Sheila candidly shares her experience of launching her own business, and the mistakes she learnt from along the way.  Thanks for joining us, Sheila!  Emma

As I prepared to self-publish my first book, The Birthday Dragon, I thought (rather smugly) that the business side would be easy. Experienced in publishing and in business generally, I wasn’t going to do anything silly. Yes, that’s the sound of my forehead hitting the desk.

Not only did I do it all wrong, I didn’t even do what I already knew! What was I actually doing when I should have been getting the business side squared away? Well… mostly coughing while I formatted until my eyes bled.

As a one-person business, there was only me to get things done.  And I simply wasn’t all there. I’d come down with the flu, which was the topper to a ghastly six months for me. So, right as I published my book (in a fever-dream), I spent a couple of weeks in a state of semi-collapse.

If I could do it all again, I’d do plenty of things differently.  Here’s my top five mistakes.

1.      Don’t forget your launch plan. You need it where you can see it. Consider having it tattooed inside your eyelids, or on the forehead of your beloved. I forgot to look at my plan. Completely.

2.      Emotions are great fuel, but don’t leave your brain behind. Someone bought a copy of my book, emotion took over and my mind went completely blank. I forgot I was even launching a business.

3.      Don’t be vague. I was planning to launch sometime in June, thinking I was avoiding pressuring myself. But sometime on May 30th, while in a flu haze, I became obsessed with publishing on June 1st. This is probably how the first edition ended up with an entire scene accidentally deleted from chapter one!

4.      Even no-budget launches need marketing and PR. I made a few semi-hysterical tweets about my book’s debut. Sales went into double figures on the first day. I thought this might happen in a few months. In shock, I was convinced (in my delirium) that it would be arrogant to note who mentioned buying it. I did thank them though!

5.      Without my support systems, I was fail. I ignored my friends. Several marketing and PR lovelies sent long thoughtful emails, to which I said mostly “Argh no!”. Instead of figuring a way to use what they suggested, I had knee-jerk reactions based on my current (ill, over-emotional, reclusive) circumstances. Part of my problem was an inability to see even simple solutions, and my plan – that I wasn’t looking at – needed an escape clause written in.

It’s my own fault. Excuses are symptoms of a deeper malaise. When I planned my book it was done with flexibility in mind. I even shifted my narrator from one character to the next, and the plan (with the flock of attendant spreadsheets) took it all. With inflexibility, and by ignoring good advice, I lost that golden period where a book has the gloss of ‘new release’ shining on it.

I’m confident about overcoming this shaky start, but I’ve made it hard for myself, and where’s the sense in that?

What lessons did you learn along the way when starting your own business?

Sheila Smith, Author, The Birthday Dragon

Do you share dark days with clients?

Disease is visiting my family.

I’ll spare you the details; it’s life and we all must live it.

The question is, do our private lives concern our customers?

Family Feud

Fonnie and I differ on so little, it’s significant when we retain opposing views.

Hers is that family affairs have nothing to do with business.

Mine is that clients appreciate candour and humanity.

Fonnie is wise.

My business is successful.

So who’s right?

Our chronic debate has covered many scenarios. See what you think.

Gone to the Dogs?

If I missed a client phone call due to walking my dogs, I used to apologise and say as much.

Fonnie argued that my unsolicited admission would win few votes, especially from those toiling daily in windowless rooms.

I recognised the difference between truth and blurting and am now less forthcoming.

House Call

Last week I had to cancel a client meeting due to a pivotal family medical appointment.

Against Fonnie’s advice, I told two client representatives in broad terms what was going on.

One was sympathetic; the other annoyed.

A tie.

Truth or Dare

I’m fully booked for the next fortnight. Yet it’s highly likely my family will need me during this time.

If they do, I’ll put them first.

But what, if anything, should I tell clients whose deadlines I miss?

Have you ever phoned a supplier to be told, ‘He’s in a meeting’ and you know he isn’t?

I’ve even heard (disgruntled) secretaries say, ‘He’s gone to the pub’ or ‘He’s on the toilet’.

I see here that discretion is preferred.

But if someone I seek is tending a loved one, I’d much rather be told than deceived.

In my book, to understand is to forgive.

Body Blow

On the other hand, some people fling family matters in your face like a smoke screen.

When I advised our architect that her $3000 laundry plans (developed over weeks) made no provision for our washing machine, she promptly cited a miscarriage and stopped taking my calls.

Then there’s grey areas. For instance, does a snake bite wield less gravitas on a teen than a toddler if they’re both your kids?

Help!

I won’t lie to clients.

But I don’t wish to bore them with matters they consider irrelevant.

I feel my approach should be situational, but I’m crap at reading situations.

I therefore rely on your views to illuminate this picture.

What do you think of life, death, customers, family, the universe and all that?

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

I often say our subconscious is a powerful, problem-solving ally.

Last night mine (let’s call him SC) gave us this blog post.

I’ll be interested to see if you prefer his writing to mine.

Stumped for a good topic, I was awake and worried at 5 am.

I asked SC if he’d help.

He didn’t answer directly (he never does) but he immediately put me to sleep.

Mind the Gap

SC then noted that while we always bang on about how a business is nothing without its people, we rarely note that people are nothing without their brains.

Given this, he was amazed at how poorly I treat mine.

He next dictated this subheader:

Bossing Our Brain

He observed that I boss my brain around dreadfully.

When I want to wake up in the morning, it’s three strong teas and a stronger coffee.

When I need to stay alert in the afternoon, it’s diet cola.

If this doesn’t work (or something’s going seriously wrong) I may even bang my head on my desk to clear the static.

When I’m keen to relax after a hard day, it’s beer or wine.

When I’m ready to sleep, it’s one of Fonnie’s herbal remedies.

If I still can’t sleep, or I wake at 2 am, it’s half a sleeping pill.

Not to mention the headache tablets, relaxants, antidepressants and myriad other medicines I’ve used over the decades.

Round the clock, through the seasons, I’ve bossed my brain, dictating how I want to feel and function; giving it no chance to do its thing.

I’ve read that cave people survived stresses far greater than conflicting deadlines (e.g. sabre-tooth tiger attacks) with no mental aids.

Their brains naturally contained every chemical needed to help them work, rest and play.

SC was surprised and annoyed I had no faith in what he considered our primary organ.

A Worker’s Tools

Models get manicures.

Crowd controllers tone their muscles.

Singers save their vocal chords with humidifiers.

As business owners, our brains are arguably our most important asset.

As a writer, mine’s indispensible.

So how do I care for this most precious tool?

• Meditation? Too much to think about.
• Exercise? Only if I’m in the mood.
• Healthy diet? When I don’t have work on. And I can be bothered shopping and cooking.

Not very impressive, to my mind.

Worse, because I live mostly ‘in my head’ I’ve not taken great care of my body either.

I’ve done detoxes. They’re hard, but they force you to face and fix bad habits.

And in the quest for something more interesting than beans, you discover fab foods you’ve never touched.

Soon I start 30 days off the grog.

Dry July and kindred events are showing a welcome shift in societal attitudes towards nicotine, alcohol and other poisons.

I can’t wait to report how abstinence affects my work.

What Do You Think?

Having dressed me down at length, SC rewarded my attention with a wonderful dream that my mother was still alive.

I awoke with a rare feeling of calm.

Then I rose and wrote what had happened.

Other people’s dreams are supposed to be very boring.

Yet mine may have value if you’re thinking of treating your brain better.

You’ve read this far, so I could be in luck.

I’ll be even luckier if you share your thoughts on better business via bright brains in buff bodies.

 ( )

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                       Now hear this!  

Speaking of music, do you use it at work?

Or would that fry your brain?

Below are a few case studies.

Let’s see if one calls your tune.

Trade Mark

Almost every tradie I’ve seen has a battered boom box blasting brash commercial radio.

The station is always slightly de-tuned so the voicesss orrr gorrrbled and the esssesss are sssssssssibilant.

I can’t see what comfort these radios provide. The Victoria Park renovators have a particularly large one and the effect is cacaphonic.

One bloke, high in the steel of the Tom Sherrin Stand, dutifully whistles every tune. Perhaps the station is his companion.

The instant someone puts a commercial station near me, it’s like a radar jammer – scrambling my thoughts and rendering me unable to work.

Am I alone in this, or do you feel it too?

Studio 1

Music is obviously very important to some.

Web designer Anthony Olsen has written 13 blog posts about music at work.

Many of his selections are quite beautiful.

But while I could possibly handle some of the more ethereal ones in the background, I still prefer to work in silence.

Not My Department

Perhaps this aversion comes from my 14-hour Christmas shifts at Myer department store.

One year, our gifted Visual Merchandising Manager swapped the Muzak tape for The Jackson Five Christmas Album.

After six weeks of Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, I would gladly have accepted CIA rendition to escape my sonic prison.

Bop Till You Shop

On the other hand, I totally get the use of music in fashion shops.

Following Fonnie to boutiques on a Saturday, it’s obvious the phat club tunes are appropriate and enjoyable for staff and customers alike.

But when I do the Sunday morning grocery run to my local shopping centre, the Baker’s Delight speakers blare across the empty car park and deep into the suburb.

I find this wall of sound impenetrable.

Friday on My Mind

The one time music does rule Empire House is Friday arvo.

Bereft of flesh-and-blood peers, I crack a bevvie and belt out a set for my imaginary staff, occasionally tweeting highlights, be they this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this or this.

Your Song

But enough of me; let’s talk about you.

Do you like music at work?

Why?

Why not?

What does music do for (or to) you when you’re trying to earn a crust?

Go on …

Hum us a few lines.

We’re playing your song.

…

This is DJ Half-Yearly Clearance.

With blasts from the past,

fantastic plastic

and platters

that

matter.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

As you may know, Paul’s undertaking the exciting task of rebranding The Feisty Empire and has been sharing his journey with you. For this he enlisted the help of Angela den Hollander.

After a lot of thought, a few months back, Angela sent the message below to Paul (who naturally completely understands). Angela was more than happy to share this heartfelt communication with you.

While most small business owners love running their business and pursuing their passion, unfortunately it doesn’t work out as planned for some.

And that’s okay.

And you know what else? You’re not alone.

From Angela to Paul

I am taking ages I know.

I think we must have had similar years last year. The difference in my case is that I’ve actually decided to give up on my business and get a ‘real’ job.

After 17 years in this game, it got to Christmas day and the ensuing break, time to think, time to assess the previous years, contemplate trying to get enthused all over again and, epiphany moment, I realised that I just didn’t have it in me anymore.

There were a few particularly inane clients towards the end of 2010 that didn’t help. Married with the underwhelming financial performance of the biz over the past 5 years. Then there was a healthy dose of analysis about the very nature of running a small business, client types and the cold, hard reality of what it takes to create a successful business.

Add a soupçon of not being able to think of a single example of a successful business targeting small to micro clients in my sphere.

And then, ice the cake of despair with the contrast of my employed friends who have weekends not consumed by endless ‘just do these few emails/write up that report/plan my next seminar…’.

Friends who take 4+ weeks of holidays each and every year, truly, there are people out there actually taking leave, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Friends who are able to actually effect real change and results due to the structures and support around them.

It seems to be the lot of the solo business owner to be frantically juggling and playing whack-a-mole day in, day out. No matter how much you outsource.

So, in my long-winded and rambling way, I’m trying to say, I’ll get to your cards, I’ve just been frantically doing job applications and trying to learn how to prepare for an interview.

Last time I applied for a job, dinosaurs roamed the plains. I had my first interview last Thursday and stuffed it up enough to know what to do better next time.

I would really like to do a full walk-through of the process of redesigning your cards/logo as I thought it would make and excellent and educational blog post. But the amount of work involved in doing that is daunting me and has me stuck in a morass of inactivity.

I’d love to show how your original typographic treatment is actually great, with a bit of playing with scale (make the logotype big and the rest of the text small) and position on the page it could really sing.

I’d then love to show why I don’t like your red ball, back up my assertion that it adds nothing, in fact, detracts from the great logotype.

I would imagine talking people through the slightly retro feel of your logotype. Big letters married with small type was huge in the 60s and 70s, as championed by U&lc magazine. This is something we can also use and have fun with.

Your cards would look awesome printed on an uncoated stock (paper), with an interesting texture. With the rise of cheap, full colour cards, mostly with a matt or gloss plastic coating, we don’t see many tactile, interesting, uncoated cards anymore.

And that’s what’s been holding me up.

Angela.

From Us to You

As a business owner, have you ever felt it wasn’t working for you? Perhaps your heart wasn’t in it any more. Or maybe you had to find your passion for the business again.

If you need it, there’s a list of support available at Business.gov.au.

To Angela and every business owner, we’d like to say (and really mean it, too) that you do a truly amazing job every single day.

In other words, we love your work.

Sincerely, Naomi.

For Angela…

Thank you Angela. You’re an amazing individual for being so open to sharing your experience and hoping that it may help others. Thank you. I truly admire you and wish you every success.

Naomi Helleren, MYOB

                                                  Have you done your duty? 

Four years ago I was summoned for jury duty.

I’d always wanted to do my bit (and witness a court case).

But when the time came, my business couldn’t afford the income hit.

So I piked.

Testimony

This is what I wrote to the Juries Commissioner’s Office:

I am a self-employed sole trader who does not have anyone to fill in for me. This is my sole source of income and if I stop work, I will have trouble servicing my home and business loans. I can’t see this situation changing within 12 months as I don’t have time to train an understudy.

Rereading this, it seems rather plaintive (tee hee). Even pathetic.

Anyway, it worked.

Defence

Though my reasons were acute and genuine, I didn’t feel great about my decision.

Surely I wouldn’t be the first business owner to down tools for a case.

But what if that case went for three months? My Empire would be finished.

Prosecution

On the other hand, my absence meant one jury missed having a white, middle-aged, horse-loving, Capricorn hermit.

With me gone, how could that panel truly represent our diverse community?

Then again, perhaps I was a dangerous anomaly, best discarded.

But what if I were the only one to identify with the accused?

I could’ve been the sole voice of reason that swayed 11 souls.

And saved an innocent life.

Corporate Citizen

If you’ve a ‘real job’ in Corporate Land, jury duty can be a holiday.

Your employer holds the fort while you get paid time off.

You even score pocket money for each day’s expenses. 

Imagine the bliss of focussing on just one thing, instead of hundreds!

Then again, some firms don’t replace missing staff, making them catch up after court.

That would be tres unfun.

My Fault?

So I put it to you.

On the evidence presented, am I guilty of being more corporate than citizen?

What would you have done?

What have you done?

Has jury duty impacted your business?

If so, how?

If not, why?

We eagerly await your verdict.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                     Do you have hearth-and-home holidays?

As Easter and Anzac Day coincide, Fonnie’s taking three annual leave days for ten days off in a row.

We both sorely need this break, but we’re not going anywhere.

We’re spending our holiday at home.

How about you?

Freedom

We’re so knackered from early starts, long days, big projects and weekend work, we need every one of these days to rest.

We don’t want to waste two days travelling.

Nor do we seek punch-ups with travel agents, airport officials, resort owners or other uncaring service providers.

The money we could spend on air fares and accommodation will go to debt reduction and rare treats.

We’re going to enjoy our home, our pets, our city and our state.

• A picnic in the park.
• A special dinner.
• A visit to the hairdresser.
• The museum.
• A play.
• Long lunches.
• Sleep-ins.
• DVDs by the fire.

We can’t wait!

It’s said that the less you need, the richer you are.

So I guess you could call this a get-rich-quick scheme.

By scaling down our ambitions and enjoying what we have, we hope this will be one of our best holidays ever.

But there’s a threat.

Working Holiday

From our couch, we can clearly see all that needs to be done to the house and garden.

Painting. Weeding. Scrubbing. Maintenance. Repairs. And more.

Then there’s two PC portals to our respective work worlds.

The temptation to check in may be too great.

And if the phone rings with urgent business, how can we say no?

It’s going to be an interesting exercise.

As post-GFC domestic saving reaches new heights, I wonder if others are doing likewise.

Your Time

What are you doing this Easter?

Are you:

• Off or on?
• Here or there?
• In or out?

Tell us your plans, and what costs and benefits they’ll have to you and your work.

It’s time!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                            My medical short cut wasn’t.

It’s risky to ditch a trusted supplier for a cheap unknown.

I just learned this the hard way.

And have a scar to prove it.

Free & Easy

I was across town, visiting Dad.

My sore ankle wasn’t improving, so he suggested I see his doctor.

He liked this doctor because he was:

• Close.
• Free.
• Malleable.

By contrast, my excellent doctor was:

• Far.
• Pricey.
• Firm.

Seduced by the lure of cheap, easy health care, I went.

Cutting Comment

The doctor had the blank, far-off look that comes from doing something ten years too long.

With languid, cursory movements, he pronounced my tendons intact.

Eager for even more value, I next pointed to the freckle I’d gained in Bali.

He immediately said it had to be cut out.

This surprised me, as the spot was very small. I asked if he could try freezing it with liquid nitrogen first.

He grunted and fetched the hissing vial. Holding a swab at arm’s length, he poked at my face like an impressionist blocking a landscape in fading light.

As the nitrogen froze everything it touched, I didn’t realise he was attacking the wrong spot – a birthmark two centimetres from the freckle I’d indicated.

Back in my car, the mark turned red and throbbed to twice its normal size.

Bitter Pill

With my savings of time, money and effort more than negated, I searched for the silver lining of this upsetting experience.

So far, this blog post has been the sole ‘plus’.

I have wonderful suppliers for IT, muesli and other essentials. These businesspeople have earned my trust with years of constant, superior service.

It was always going to take a mighty fine offer for me to dump them.

I now plan to keep them for life.

Bad Medicine

How do you feel about your suppliers?

Do you cherish them like family, or chop and change to save a few bucks?

Have you ever switched horses mid-race, only to fall at the first hurdle?

I’ve faced my demon.

Let’s see yours.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire