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.