True, true. And frequently treat themselves as badly as any large company might and use excuses like “no pain, no gain,” “if the boss doesn’t, who will?” and such.

Worse, like the cook who serves himself or herself the burnt icky cookies, when small businesses begin to grow they still treat themselves like second class citizens to their new staff—unlivable paychecks, unlivable hours, no social life. Treat yourself as well as you might an employee, or burnout is yours one day. (Don’t I know it!)

I was thinking of Brett’s Factory situation when I wrote this (I actually chopped it out of a comment I was writing to him), but when I rephrased it for this Tip, I did try to phrase it so it applied more generally to all of our human resources, even ourselves. Glad you made me back it up!

Later,

Kelly

Solopreneurs frequently are their only employee.

James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post…Drive-by-Shooting Sundays: Writer Dad

An excellent point. So let’s see…

Invest in yourself—books, classes, a good chair for your office—you “deserve” it as much as someone who works for you;
Don’t waste your energy;
Treat yourself with the same respect you’d treat an employee—no working 24/7, no forgetting to eat lunch or enjoy family and friends, etc.;
Work your a** off when it’s work time—but don’t get used up—remember to recharge the batteries.

Still works, yes?

Until later,

Kelly

Are YOU Wasting Your Most Precious Resource?

When you are an entrepreneur in a small business, you are your most precious resource.

James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post…Drive-by-Shooting Sundays: Writer Dad

That’s a best-selling book, I think.

Or a Kevin Smith movie…

Oh, I know what you mean – in terms of being shapers, we have to come at it from a different angle – our little idea, for instance. Neither of us would be directly involved in contract negotiations or design, for instance.

But yes, you are right.

@Friar,

Do it and we’ll get Spock to come on Thursday for a mind-meld. We can see what we’ve come up with then.

Brett Legree’s last blog post…fail to succeed – report card, week 4.

It will take them a good 5-10 years to just get through the Environmental Assessment, before they can even put a shovel in the ground to to even START thinking about building a new reactor.

And I suspect…being a Nuke-Ley-Yar Enjineers somewhere else will be more of the same. 15 years from now, I hope I’m either retired or doing something totally different that I enjoy.

Dr. Friar’s series of kids books, maybe.

Friar’s last blog post…Christmas Bears

I’m going to start putting down my ideas on Powerpoint slides this week at work .

(And heck..it WOULD be “work-related”, so I don’t have to feel guilty).

Brett and the Friar Save the Company.

That’s a best-selling book, I think.

Friar’s last blog post…Christmas Bears

… that’s 10-15 years off, and not quick enough for the old Friar and I.

It depends on whether you want to be a staffer, when they’re finished, or a shaper, now. You two really see the future from where you sit, and sometimes it’s time for that kind of thinking. I’m just sayin’…

I want to see two of my favorite human resources maximized!

Until later,

Kelly

I did see something else again about two new nukes in SK, so it might come – of course, that’s 10-15 years off, and not quick enough for the old Friar and I.

There are other opportunities, however – Friar, I’m still thinking over here… and will have something to send up to the CEO as a proposal.

They need to save money, and we can help them do it – for a “small” fee of course

Brett Legree’s last blog post…fail to succeed – report card, week 4.