When I started AccMan I learned early on that one of the key tricks to success is about giving things away. 80% of what I know I give away in public blogs. Whether that 80% is worth something is a moot point but it is the 20% I don’t talk about in the public domain where I make my bones. I go further. Very often I will point to others via links as people who are adding value or inspiring my thought stream. It works on the principle that you send people away to bring them back. None of this comes easy and when I see how professionals expect instant results from cookie cutter efforts then it should be no surprise they suffer.
Next month sees the 5th anniversary of my serious blog efforts and there is no intent to let up. It’s been a fantastic ride that takes me around Europe, over to the US and introduces me to some of the smartest people I know. In that time frame traffic has constantly crept up, sometimes taking jumps,sometime slipping back but right now I am happy to have a wonderful group of correspondents that visit and comment from almost every part of the world. AccMan is global.
The Big Question is always – in a world of surfeit, how do you manage to make a living. This comes in two parts:
I made a conscious decision many years ago that I would only work on things that provide me with a sense of satisfaction. If I’m happy then so are you. Alongside that I made the decision to envelope what I do into a lifestyle that I want. In Vinnie Mirchandani’s book The New Polymath we talk about that aspect. Despite the need to feed the blog I can still drop everything at a moment’s notice and go off for a day at the beach or chillax on a bodega terrace somewhere. Why? because my AccMan business model in part depends on the content that sponsors provide. They keep things fresh while I’m off and away. The trade off is that sponsors only pay a small amount to ‘rent’ space on AccMan. The upside is that I get great stuff to riff.
The second part: I am a specialist. My topics are professional services innovation, the CFO’s office and applications selection and negotiation. I used to try cover ethics, tax but Richard Murphy and Francine McKenna have stepped into those gaps in ways that are far better served and more richly nuanced than I can provide. Occasionally I’ll riff their stuff but only when I can add something of value. In the meantime, I collect a ton of stats, I speak with vendors and users on a daily basis. They help shape my thinking. AccMan readers see the first slice and occasionally slivers of the second and third pieces of my business model puzzle. Those interested in the enterprise landscape see me on ZDNet.
So…having patted myself on the back what does this mean business wise and what can PSA firms learn?
- Regardless of how smart you are there is always someone from whom you can learn. Embrace that as a model to make yourself smarter.
- Nothing comes easy and relentless attention to the things that matter to clients (or in my case readers) is critical to building a reputation as someone with knowledge and opinions that matter.
- Never say no in the early stages but understand where the tipping point comes. In the first four years of blogging I took every opportunity to contribute. Today I will do the same but only when I understand the purpose behind the request.
- Understand that proprietary intellectual property ownership is a short term illusion. You create a great tax saving scheme? Sell it. Make it available to others. Share your knowledge. Why? Once you’ve proved your worth, people come back time and again.
- Learn there is a difference between page views and influence. If what you have to say appeals to a small slice then don’t be afraid. That slice will flock to your offering when you demonstrate clear understanding and differentiated knowledge. Example: I am currently negotiating a deal that marries future technology to the needs of the CFO. Why? Because I understand both parts of that equation in ways that others don’t. I will likely make a stupid amount of money out of the deal. My prospective client will make millions. The attention slice is tiny but powerful.
- Always think client value. There is a post on AW which is a classic train wreck scenario. (login required – another ‘doh’ scenario.) More on that later.
So this is where I am at. I don ‘t need the extra work that is piling in. If that sounds arrogant then understand what I have done: balanced lifestyle with economic need to create different revenue streams that dilute my exposure to economic change. Have you done the same?
