I don’t have a lot of time to post details, but here’s a quick look at what I’ve been up to the last few months.
I did the Pre-game show too… but I don’t have vid of that for now.
freelance
The pipeline
One of the blessings of being a small business owner is that you get your way. You can run the business how you want, and everything gets done the way you want it to.
One of the curses of being a small business owner is that you have to do everything.
Today, my curse is the pipeline.
The pipeline is that lineup of projects that you have coming up. It’s the list of clients that have signed the deal, but the kickoff date of their project hasn’t come up yet. Even though you’re not working on the project itself… there’s a lot of work to be done to fill and care for the pipeline.
I spend at least 30%-40% of my time trying to build and maintain my pipeline of projects. That may seem like a big number, but it’s what I’ve found necessary to keep a reasonably solid flow of work through the studio. That all includes prospecting for new projects, courting clients, bidding/estimating and, if things align just right, signing a deal.
Even after the deal is signed, I keep in regular contact with the client until the work actually begins. I’ve found that if I let things sit too long, even if the project is spec’d out to the letter, scope creep or changes can happen before we’ve even gotten underway.
So, why is the pipeline my curse today? Well, in addition to needing to divert attention for family, I made some compromises on my schedule that I shouldn’t have. I stole time that should have been spent on the pipeline for other projects, and now I’m feeling the hurt. It’s a lesson I’ve learned twice before… and I’m really hoping the third time is the charm.
As I wrap things up on this Friday afternoon, I can count 43 messages sent today. Some are attempts to set up appointments on existing business. Some are introductions, and some are final estimates in the hopes we’ll strike a deal. All of them are vital for the success of my little studio.
In my fantasy world, projects would be all lined up for me so I could just focus on the creative process. Until my fantasy world magically becomes real, I have to break out the hustle and make the deals happen.
What to say about what I do
I was smack in the middle of finally updating the ‘About’ page on this site when I realized there was a good post topic buried there. It’s all about that question so many adults ask…
What do you do?
This is always hard for me to answer.
My whole life I’ve presented different versions of myself to different people. Not really on purpose, it just seemed to be the path of least resistance when the only other option is to lay on a big story about all the things that interest me and, in later life, people pay me to do. It never seems right to shove my whole story on people
It really started back in high school when I split two schools for a few years. I traded off and spent alternating days at each school. At one I was a singer & actor. I was in the musical productions and choirs and never really let on that I did anything else. At the other school I was a drummer. I was captain of the drumline and played in percussion ensemble and symphonic orchestra. I never really had a reason to let people know that I was a singer.
I inadvertently separated two major interests that made me who I am. It was kind of like living two separate lives. I didn’t actively try to keep them separate. Nobody asked, and I didn’t bring it up.
Now that I’m older I find myself creating a very similar situation. Different groups of people know me for different things.
Some people know me as a creative type. To them I’m an idea guy, presenter & showman. Some people see me as a tech guy. They see me fidget with the computer for a while and, like magic, machines do my bidding.
I would venture a guess that a few of the people I associate with have a real idea of the breadth of my professional experience, but not many. It’s completely my fault that most don’t. I shoehorn myself into roles and neglect to present anything else.
But, what do you do? Why is it hard to answer?
It’s hard because I do what catches my interest. But even more than that, I get all bent out of shape when people try and file me into a little box that only has one label.
I love to create experiences. I like to take ideas or information and present them in new, interesting & elegant ways. I’ve had the great fortune to design & produce a wide range of things, both real and virtual. Events for many thousands of guests, web applications, websites, outdoor & print ads, brand/identity systems, environment theming, way-finding systems, ways to manage thousands of volunteers for stunts and performances, music, experimental performance, art and anything else that has presented an opportunity to learn or teach.
So, what do you do?
Yeah yeah, I know. I’m afraid this isn’t a post with a clear point, or even an clear answer to the question I posed. Just food for thought I guess.
I know I’m not the only one with this problem. I work with people who have wild jobs that defy any sort of description. How do you all handle it? Is it even an issue for you?
I never finished that update to my ‘About’ page.
Woo Hoo! It’s a birthday!
Well… not so much a birthday per se, but there is something that just turned a year old.
On August 15th, the little company that Janey and I started as a vehicle to chase some dreams, celebrated it’s 365th day in operation. To be fair, the actual company was formed a bit earlier, but we didn’t do any business until I had finished my employment obligation to everyone’s favorite entertainment company.
The year has been a rollercoaster ride of monumental proportions. I’ve learned so much, made many mistakes, hit a few home runs and met some wonderful people.
I have loved the independence to live life on my own terms (which usually means breaking out to hang with my wife and boy all too often). I love working with my pal Nanna (the dog) at my feet, in a studio I put together with my own two hands. I love that my desk is next to my wife’s, and I love that we do what we do together.
We’ve launched a fun new product, that is only the first of several we’re either working on or have thought through. The future is rife with fun and interesting projects that will be executed with passion and love.
All that said, I’ve missed Disney terribly. Well… I miss what I loved about it. I miss the magic. I miss my friends. I miss my mentors. I miss the work, that I did care deeply about. I’m very happy to be consulting on Disney projects, but it’s not the same as being a Cast Member… and even more so, not the same as living and working so close to Disneyland – which holds a place in my heart that I couldn’t possibly describe. Sometimes I miss it so bad that I physically hurt.
Of course there’s plenty that I don’t miss. The sterile corporate crap that happens at any company of that size. I don’t miss red tape or layers and layers of hierarchy. I do kind of miss being the guy who goes rogue to get things done and prove a point. Sometimes it flew, and sometimes it crashed and burned… but I tried new things and it was cool.
There are some people I don’t miss. Mostly the people who’s priorities put process before product, or themselves before their Guests. We didn’t get along and I made a habit of being pretty vocal about that.
In the end, the time seemed right to say goodbye to those people who were bringing me down, even if it meant leaving a company that I loved. We had some dreams that needed chasing.
We’ve only scratched the surface of what we set out to do. We’ll keep chasing and making cool things happen. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to provide for my family doing something I love. I’m so happy to know that we’re scheduled up with both client work and our own projects. I’m so happy that things have worked out so far, and I’m cautiously optimistic for the year to come.
So Happy Birthday, J. Blackbird. You’ve been our chariot through this new adventure. And I’m looking forward to what year two brings.
One month
Well, it’s been exactly one month since I bid farewell to my dear friends at the Walt Disney Company. It’s been a wonderful adventure, and I thought I’d jot down a few notes about the whole experience.
I can say out loud now, that I left the company a little earlier than originally planned. My wife and I had set a goal to have our affairs in order for me to give notice by the end of October. It’s a date we picked fairly arbitrarily, but it was our way of drawing a real line… an actual point in time to hold ourselves accountable. We had talked a lot about our next adventure in life, we made plans for the next step in our personal and professional lives, but it just never seemed to happen. The time never seemed just right, so we didn’t pull the rip cord.
There were a few times we were sure we’d be pushed into making the move. First it was when we decided to move several states away from Disneyland to start our family. We worked up plans and were ready to go, but I was given the opportunity to work remotely (which was truly a pleasant surprise). After that we had a nasty round of layoffs. I was sure, as the only remote employee in our entire global division, that I would be on the chopping block. So we dug up our plans, polished them off, and were ready to strike out on our own. By some miracle I was spared and I went on working for Disney from 700 miles away. Plans were shelved again in favor of a regular paycheck, and I went back to the grind.
Each time it felt like we were on the edge some something big. We prepared ourselves mentally & emotionally… and when things just stayed the same it was almost a let-down. We were ready to make a big jump, a big move. We got our ducks in a row to make something happen, and it kept fizzling out.
Finally, I reached a point that it was clearly time to move a different direction. Without bringing up topics that are entirely inappropriate for this blog, I will simply pull from a post I wrote exactly one month ago: I needed to take the chance to spread my creative wings a little more independently.
It was earlier than we planned, but there were a few big influencing factors that made us sure the time was right. …so we jumped.
So here we are, one month later. What have we learned?.
- Plan for the worst, but hope for the best.
This old saying has so much wisdom packed in it. Our own experience took us from plan A, to plan B, to plan C, back to plan A, some shuffling through several ad hoc plans, and finally finding some traction with plan J or K. Almost nothing has gone according to plan, but it’s all turned out damn fine. - Be ready to punt at any time.
I don’t make many sports references in life, but this one seems to fit. It’s one that I learned in my time planning and executing large events. Sometimes you watch the perfect plan turn to crap right in your hands. It might have been your fault, or it might have been factors totally out of your control. You just have to be real with yourself, and be comfortable when it’s time to kick the hell out of the old plan and come up with something new. - A deal ain’t a deal until somebody’s signed a contract.
We had several projects lined up. Big projects. The kind you spend months just planning. We had commitments, and had actually started some work. But those projects fell through, and I didn’t have a signed contract to back me up. I learned my lesson. Contract + deposit = a deal. - Make new friends, and make sure they know what you do.
I know, I know, it’s Networking 101, but that doesn’t make it any less important. I had some projects fall through, but happily I’ve been able to fill that gap in my schedule by letting some online friends know what I was looking for. A few messages on Twitter… and a great new client was in the door. - Stop and smell them roses
No matter how awesome you are, going out on your own is stressful. There’s a lot to think about. Make sure to take the time to appreciate what’s important and why you made the move. The world is one big beautiful place. Don’t let a day go by without appreciating it.
To wrap this up I will just offer one more little tid-bit. If you’re thinking of chasing a dream, DO IT ALREADY! Be smart, get your stuff together, and chase that damn dream. I chased a dream to Disneyland, and it was truly truly wonderful. Now, my loving wife and I are chasing a new dream. So far, it’s been truly truly wonderful.
To return soon
Perhaps it was a mistake to launch a new site (with a blog) just before leaving town for a little side project. I haven’t had many free moments to write a proper blog post.
Rest assured, new readers, I’ll be back to a normal schedule soon that’ll lend itself much better to writing about wonderful things both online and off.
Thanks for hanging in there.