Herman School of Business
Back to Square One...
Every year in August my wife and I attend the Carnival at a small town twenty miles out in the country. Her cousins meet us there for dinner…and we wish we could see them more often. Each year we catch up on what’s happening and share stories about the last twelve months.
This year we shared as usual and a comment was made that prompts this posting. When they asked me about the book sales and speaking engagement progress, the same topic as last year…it hit me that while much has been accomplished it seems like I am still at square one. There have been more than 150 radio interviews, a few TV appearances, speaking engagements in several states across the country, and some great opportunities already booked ahead. But…it is still just a drop in the bucket to stardom and huge success. My wife’s cousin said…“Yeah, Herman, but you love building things and you know it takes time. Eighteen months on this project is not very long and you know you will make it.”
She is right.
When you are struggling near the bottom rung of the ladder the top is a long way away. The efforts you make daily seem to go nowhere. But those efforts do add up. My past has proven that grunt work pays off. If you diligently do the daily tasks progress will happen and lead you to where you will need to go. Activity breeds other activity. Building a skyscraper takes months or years…overnight success is rare indeed.
Where will new clients to consult with come from? How will I be booked to speak before large audiences? When will book sales start flowing through the door? The answer is pretty easy actually. When enough people have heard me speak…when enough clients are satisfied with my consulting…and when enough readers start recommending the book to others…the current tide of activity will either turn into a wave of success, or the marketplace will tell me to stop because this is my limit of success.
So, even though many mornings it feels like I am still at square one…I’ll keep emailing for new contacts, sending books out for exposure, and grabbing speaking opportunities wherever available…and that will take me to the next square. Success is not what you do…it is sometimes the result of what you do.
- Posted: 18 August 2008
- Comments: 2
- Category: Running a business
Comments
Enjoyed reading your blog. Let me know when you decide to go international as a speaker and will visit The Netherlands. Kind regards, Wouter ter Reehorst
HERMAN SAYS: Book me for an event and I am there. Airfare, reasonable accommodations and a few Euros is all it would take. thanks for your support.Written by Wouter ter Reehorst on 19 August 2008
“Many of Life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”
Thomas Edison
I think of this quote often. Over the past 6 months I’ve been evaluating different businesses to buy. Often I think about quitting and enjoying my nights and weekend again vs. looking at financial statements and working on my due diligence. It’s frustrating but I know if I give it time the hard work will pay off.
HERMAN SAYS: Richard you are a living example of "Look before you leap!"Written by Richard on 18 August 2008