I spent 10 years “working for the man”.
But… Vance Morris spent 10 years “working for the mouse“.
He’s a former leader at Walt Disney World.
And — I tell you what — he can teach you and I a Godzilla-sized amount of service-delivery goodness.
Stuff that’s applicable from the Disney mega-corp… right down to the one-person freelancer.
Because…
Excellent customer care and creating amazing experiences are not just the domain of the Magic Kingdom
He’s got a lot to say about entrepreneurship. And running your own business.
In his book, Systematic Magic, Morris talks about “INIs”.
It’s in the context of why people fail at their business.
“INI” means: “Ignorant, Negative, Influences”.
Quoting him:
The more people you tell about your plan, the more people you’ll meet that will tell you why it won’t work.
Be careful about who you tell, because often people with the least experience in what you’re trying to accomplish will offer the most advice or criticism.
Get rid of these people as advisors and instead seek out people who’ve accomplished similar
goals – and have been where you have been – who will provide educated, positive insights.
This is the whole “never ask a poor man how to become rich” thing.
I know it’s not a problem for many freelancers… and they have good support. Or at least no one is knocking their “go-for-it-with-freelancing” plan.
But others of us might have a hard time. Because the people we most want to understand — and be supportive — just don’t get it.
I think Morris has sound advice for us here: “Get rid of these people as advisors”
No… it’s NOT: toss them out of your lives.
Simply: don’t take business advice from them.
It’s easier said than done. But it can be the thing that actually helps make headway.
I appreciate being able to listen to voices I respect. Of people who have made it… or are moving ahead successfully on the same path I’m on.
I’m thankful to have dodged listening to — or being tempted by — the “lambo crowd”. Where there’s so much puffery and fakery.
There’s some key voices I give particuar attention to.
I guess you could call them my “mentors”.
I’ve spent time seeing their results. And resonate with their approach to good business.
They might say hard things that hit me deeply. Because I need to make changes that are difficult.
But I’m so appreciative to have them. And they’re incredibly generous with their resources.
I intend to be helpful in this kind of way.
It’s why I want to give time and energy to helping freelancers.
To give assistance for those who may be starting out and feeling overwhelmed.
Or to those who are little further along the path. But would appreciate some guidance. Or just someone to bounce ideas off.
So, I’m not only here to write emails.
If you ever want some help with…
Accountability… running a freelancing business… mindset… working with clients…
And we need to give it more attention than is possible with a quick emailed-in question…
I’m now available for consultations.
This is exclusively for subscribers of one month or more.
If you want some extra help… reply and ask. Tell me what you’re looking for and give a little background.
Then I’ll let you know if I think I can help you.
I’ll not mention price here (email spam filters and all that).
But let’s just say… I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised 😄
Have a great week!
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Chris Milham