Did we pack the Open sign?
1.20.09:: Just a little over a year ago I started my first assignment as Moniker Creative out of my basement (no joke, I lived in a studio garden apartment at the time.) Now, three trips, one damaged door jamb and six pots of coffee later, we are happily installed in a four room office (complete with what is known as a lobby). Within that time, we have built a fine roster of clients, found some great people to work with us and purchased a ping-pong table to hold ’status’ meetings at. Can anyone argue that this is not a pretty charmed life?
So, as I sat down to my coffee warmer and Google reader articles today, and it occurred to me, “How did this happen?” Well, ask any baby boomer and they’ll reply, “hard work.” Yes, this is true, hard work and achieving goals are correlated. But hard work does not necessarily mandate individual achievement. Just think of every hardworking stereotype–the coal miner, the steel worker or the hurried office assistant. Now, while some derive a sense of achievement out of this (in the form of a pension or respect), in order to feel a sense of personal satisfaction as a business owener, you have to have to have two things: (1) passion for that thing you do and (2) a vision of how that thing is going to play out.
Looking back at every other business owner/entrepreneur I know, they knew how many people they were going to have work for them, what client or customers they would cater to and what color their office walls would be BEFORE they had made a penny. Needless to say, these ideas came from a mixture of excitement, foresight and a fair amount of OCD (i.e. I determined the exact position of my monitor in my office one year ago.) Once this is achieved, you simply get excited about the next big thing and visualize the next step. Isn’t this positive precognition what the esoteric book The Secret is all about?
Luke Sullivan, an award-winning advertising copywriter and author, had this to say about the ad biz: ” You should remember this. You’ll never have to do any heavy lifting [in this business]. Never have dirt under your fingernails or an aching back when you come home from work. All you have to do is think. You’re lucky to be talented. Lucky to get into the business. Stay humble.”
Well, Luke, maybe that’s what vision and passion are: luck we make.
P.S. In an attempt to limit this post to an acceptable size, (and to prevent the Oscar Commitee from blinking yellow lights), I’d personally like to thank all of our clients, friends and family for making this possible. [Cue exit music].
