I have more requests for my consulting time than I can (or
want to) handle, so I turn down projects and potential clients. Some friends
and clients have suggested I hire an assistant to take on parts of my work, but
I regularly refuse. I didn’t get into consulting to manage people. I know how
much consulting work I want to do, and I restrict my client load so that I
don’t exceed this.
As I’ve started talking about my new creative business, I’ve
gotten requests to do private label work (a high-volume prospect) and partner
with much larger companies who would send a lot of work my way. But I don’t
want to take on this work; my creative business is about doing the work I want
to do, about getting my work out to my market and having my voice be heard.
I’ve done mass market and large scale in the past. I have no desire to go in
that direction at this time.
As a consultant to small and emerging businesses, I’ve seen
both sides of the entrepreneurial picture. I’ve worked with entrepreneurs who
have taken on outside investors to scale quickly (losing a lot of control of
their business in the process), and companies that want to stay small, growing
slowly and methodically (sacrificing growth and risking losing market share in
the long term). Neither is better model. Which model individual entrepreneurs
choose has entirely to do with their values and long-term goals.
I personally think that there’s beauty in the small. I like
not being wholly growth driven (because I don’t answer to investors). I like
having control of my work. I like aligning my vision for sustainability with my
business practices. I know that this means I will constantly have to innovate,
lest better-funded competitors catch up with me. But that’s okay. I’ve tried to
go big before, and I found it just wasn’t for me.
Many of the artists and companies I admire most aren’t huge
– most aren’t even big – and yet they manage to survive and thrive. If you look
for it, there is beauty in the small. You just have to want it, work for it,
and know what you’re sacrificing – and what you’re gaining in return.
Congrats on your Kickstarter project launch, Jen. I wish you the best of luck.
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading this post. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one with small dreams. We're always told to 'dream big' as children which ultimately binds your personal success in life with fame and grand achievement. But the reality is that not everyone can be famous and rich and the best of everything. And the truth is, that's okay. When I finally realized this, it was like a huge weight lifting off my shoulders.
Dreams don't have to be big to be worth chasing or to make you feel successful. Dreaming small is beautiful, too. If it so happens that while chasing your dreams, no matter the size, that fame and riches befall you, congratulations! But if all you have to show for your dreams in the end is a bit of peace and happiness, well then, what more could you ask for?
Anywho, thank you for your thoughts.