“I Want To Write More, Put Myself Out There, But I’m Stuck.”
That’s the value proposition of my business, in a nutshell. It’s what I’ll tell investors when it comes to raise huge amounts of money to expand. Everybody wants to put themselves out there more often but they’re stuck. I get them unstuck. It’s that simple. And I do it in a repeatable, sustainable way. It’s a pleasure for people. I don’t inflate my prices and I’m straightforward with my clients. I strive to be as honest as possible and as nice as possible. That way, we all win.
You may be thinking it, too. You’d like to say something in public. You’ve got a strong opinion. It’s timely. But…you’re stuck. Well, carpe diem, my friend. Seize the day. If your stuckness is quicksand, or a swamp, then you’re in danger of sinking deeper. I’m offering to throw you a rope, pull you out, and get you moving. Who would turn down an offer like that? Nobody in their right mind. That’s who. People who want to stay stuck.
Every day I speak with people who have important things to say. But they’re too busy to sit down and turn those things into articles ready for publication. They don’t know the editors who might look over such pieces. They don’t know the reporters who might write stories about what they’re doing. They’re not quite confident enough to start writing pieces without knowing the conventions. There are a few pieces they want to write, come to think of it. And they’re having a hard time prioritizing. All this leads to feeling stuck. If only there were a quick way to manage that and move on. Instead of letting it fester.
Because my clients are busy, they don’t need to feel stuck for long. Soon enough, something else comes up. And they get to work on it. Then, in a few weeks’ time, they might come back around to thinking about writing again. That’s when they rehash the ruminations in the paragraph above. And they get stuck again. The bad news is, you can spend years like that.
So. Ask yourself: How old are you, now? How many years do you have left in your career? How many of those are you happy to waste doing the hard work without taking more credit? Wouldn’t you rather gain some visibility for your thought leadership? Wouldn’t you rather such visibility led to your views being sought more often? Wouldn’t you rather have more impact in the world? Or are the things you’re working on not that important? In which case, why bother? Why not go sit on the beach and relax, a little?
I hate to give you the hard sell, here. I actually do have enough work to do, right now. And I love my existing clients. I love helping them get where they’re going, faster. I love the buzz of securing valuable press coverage for their efforts. And I do enjoy the feeling of value that comes with being somebody’s go-to person for such work. Still. I also like to help people. And I realized the other day that if I don’t make myself more available to do that, well…then I’ll be wasting my time, too. And you’ve got to practice what you preach.
