Blog

It rarely pays to be silent when someone is looking to hear from you.

I’ve learned this the hard way in my customer-facing role supporting a widely-used software product. It’s challenging when you’re inundated with emails “just checking in” and asking for updates, but the price of an extended silence can be devastating.

And this is not just about money, it’s also about reputation and keeping your promises.

I’ve seen my name dragged through the mud in forum posts and email threads where customers were simply looking to hear that I was working on their issue. I’ve been accused of fraud, being a thief, and all manner of foolishness—even on projects that ended with glowing reviews and feedback.

I’ve even had customers badmouth me publicly without knowing that I was aware of their post(s), still engaging with me as I tried to solve their problem. Awful.

But how can I blame someone else for their actions (unreasonable as they may be) when the bottom line is that keeping my promises and delivering enthusiastic excellence makes a world of difference?

A friend shared a new business idea yesterday.

It was essentially a logistics business specializing (at least at first) in…milk. What I liked about the idea—in addition to the fact that it seemed to be a worthwhile pursuit for the parties it will serve—is the fact that the business is not glamorous.

Sexy businesses are filled with distractions.

It’s easy to get sucked into the idea of a business or to envision ourselves as the owner of a business that does some interesting thing because of how it will position us socially.

You know what’s really sexy, though?

Profit.

Shad Khan (billionaire owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars) made his fortune in the auto parts industry. Craig Newmark (creator of Craigslist) built his business doing work so tedious that I would be reduced to tears taking over those responsibilities just for a day. Insurance sales are not exciting by any stretch of the imagination, but fortunes are being made.

What I like about unsexy businesses is that they force you to be honest and to work on the things that make sound business sense. I imagine it’s a bit challenging focusing on the fundamentals when your VC-backed startup opens beautiful new offices in Palo Alto and you spend your days deciding how to more efficiently burn through allocate money you didn’t earn investor dollars.

It’s tempting to justify our desires for the things we want (a new computer, the latest iPhone, a nicer car) with noble, business-related reasoning.

We surround ourselves with people who inspire us and to whom we feel accountable, so it’s natural to want to present our best selves.

I’ll be so much more productive with that phone!

The latest version of iOS ships with [some whiz-bang feature]!

It doesn’t even use gas!

Gimme a break 🙂

It’s ok to want things just because you want them.

“Because it’s cool and brings me joy” is a perfectly acceptable justification, and intellectual dishonesty (or worse still, lying to yourself) is never worth it.

Consider this your liberation and permission slip, redeemable at any time.

Hustling is the aggressive and sustained pursuit of a goal or end whose attainment would not be possible without a relentless focus on the desired outcome.

I’ve never really been big on hero worship, though I was quite nervous the first time I met two of my heroes. Something my dad always said when I was growing up is that [other people] put their pants on one leg at a time just like [him].

It’s kind of funny to imagine Elon Musk fumbling with the buckle of a poorly engineered belt (smile).

Anyway, it’s important to recognize the difference between someone whose achievements represent a lifelong commitment to work that matters…and someone who just happens to have done a bunch of seemingly interesting things.

Have heroes. Have mentors. Recognize greatness. Emulate the habits of successful people.

But don’t lose yourself. You’re great, too.