Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

It’s Friday - so bear with me - this is another one of my “stop and smell the roses, ‘not-so-big’ life’ “posts, but I also segue to a quick entrepreneur sanity check point.

Dawn Rivers Baker recently posted Something More Than Money in which she writes about the U.S. economy and measurements thereof,

…But then, I also think that characteristic is a large part of the momentum behind the growth in the number of microbusinesses. I have found, from talking to literally hundreds of microbusiness owners, that many of them (possibly most of them) operate for a variety of reasons that have more to do with the natural human longing to find fulfillment in their life’s work than they have to do with making a bucket of money.

That’s not to say that microbusiness owners don’t feel anxious about money, too. I’m just saying that maybe, just maybe, if our society were rich in other ways — in community, in society, in extended family, even in leisure — then maybe we wouldn’t have to worry quite so much about money, even when we have a bunch of it.

Well said, Dawn (as always.) Now, I like money - comes in real handy when I’m using the single woman’s best home improvement tool (a checkbook) - but it can’t be the only reason we do something (including starting a business.)

Here’s the sanity check for you: There’s a huge difference between “aware” or even “anxious”… and “obsessed.” (In today’s world, you’d be crazy if you weren’t at least a little anxious.) If - when looking at a new marketing, learning, or biz dev opportunity - the very first words that pop into your brain are: “But, I can’t afford…” or, “I just can’t spend the money…” or, “Is there a guarantee?” then you need to revisit your reasons for being in business. Fiscal responsibility is a good thing but if you’re obsessing over every dollar, you’re probably never going to make very many of ‘em - and you’re going to be miserable. (”I’ll do some marketing as soon as I get some revenues.” A potential client actually said this to me a few years ago. Ahhh-yahhh…)

As my friend and client Bruce Fryer paraphases, from one of his favorite movies, Searching for Bobby Fischer, “Are you playing to not lose or are you playing to win?” Something to ponder over the first libation of the long weekend…I’m taking off early to go - literally - smell some roses. (My garden needs some serious work.)

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Tags: entreprenuer sanity check, microbusiness, Mary Schmidt, Not So Big Life