Are Entrepreneurs Control Freaks?
March 7, 2008 - Written by Harry - 80 Comments
One of the most difficult and frustrating people to deal with are entrepreneurs.
You know the type. These people rarely let you get a word in edgewise. They seize and idea, and they steamroll over anything you say like an elephant on a rampage. They think you’re at their beck and call. Drop everything! The entrepreneur needs something!
Me, me, me. I want, I want, I want. That’s all you hear from the entrepreneur’s mouth. They know everything (or think they do). They hate to be corrected, and they don’t like people arguing with them. The rest of us lesser mortals feel we can never reach the standards an entrepreneur sets.
The Light in the Darkness
I’ve had my confidence shaken more than once when dealing with this type of person. I start to second-guess myself and doubt my abilities. I get to the point where I’ve been worn down so much that I give in and do what the person wants. I just want to get them the hell off my case and get their precious project off my desk.
I often ask myself why I put myself through this hell. I didn’t sign up for this.
But I put up with it because, in all honesty, an entrepreneur often has some kick-ass ideas. He’s not a bad person. That person has a vision, one often planned down to the smallest detail. Every step has been carefully considered and researched until there are no surprises left to anticipate.
Now, if only the entrepreneur would let go of that vision long enough to trust the rest of us to do our job.
How Do I Deal With This?
If you’re dealing with a entrepreneur, you could just give up and give in. Let that person take control. Just do what he wants.
Dominance leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Don’t be a doormat and don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself, either.
Remember that your insight has value. Point that out to the entrepreneur. Sometimes you’re right and the entrepreneur isn’t. A entrepreneur isn’t omniscient. His brilliant plans may have technical aspects that he doesn’t fully understand – and you’re the person who comprehends those aspects best.
Here’s a tip on dealing with entrepreneurs:
Entrepreneurs usually only want to get from point A to point B in the quickest and best way possible. They need you. They don’t care how you get there, as long you get there. Now.
So remind them that if they leave you alone to do the assigned job, it’ll get done faster without constant spot-checking over your shoulder.
It’s Not About You
Entrepreneurs often aren’t great in the area of social skills. They tend to treat people quite impersonally. They’re not trying to manipulate or control you – they’re trying to control a situation, a project, or a task.
You’re simply the person they need to get the job done. They don’t mean to hurt your feelings with blunt direction.
Detach yourself from the situation, get your personal feelings out of the way and focus on the goal. Remember, you’re both on the same side trying to achieve the same vision.
Tricks for Dealing with Entrepreneurs
Use a little mental sleight of hand. Divert attention long enough to make the entrepreneur feel like he or she is still in control. You can’t flat-out disagree with or correct an entrepreneur (they know everything, remember?), so you have to use lots of suggestions and gift-wrap your words.
Get the entrepreneur on your side by outsmarting him. Make the person think your suggestions are his ideas. Let him control the final decision. He often has a big ego. If you can set yours aside for the time being, you’ll come out ahead.
When you work with an entrepreneur, show; don’t tell. Don’t keep harping on that you can do the task. Actions, not words, prove to the entrepreneur that you’re capable of handling the job.
Give frequent updates. Send over progress reports. Offer the status of a task. Entrepreneurs love stats, so mention when you feel you’ll have the job completed or how many hours are left to work on the project.
All the Grace of a Bull
Entrepreneurs prefer straightforward interaction and they’re often direct. Very. If you find that your entrepreneur lacks social grace and you’d prefer to be spoken or dealt with more respectfully, try this trick:
When an entrepreneur gives an order, snaps out a reply or offers sharp criticism, look concerned, smile a bit and ask, “You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?”
It usually gives the person a small wake-up call about being too blunt.
Above all, be patient. Yes, it’s frustrating to deal with a entrepreneur. I know. But often, the ideas presented by the entrepreneur are good ones. They’re worth seeing through.
Lastly, before you get discouraged and feel you’re not up to the entrepreneur’s standard, remember that the person felt you were worthy of the task – he chose you to work on it to begin with.
Related posts you might also like:
- The Classic Entrepreneur: A Look at the Dark Side
- The Classic Entrepreneur: Exploring the Brighter Side
- Using Social Skills to Increase Business Revenue, Part 3 of 5
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First of all, love the picture! Um, won’t say anything else about that. Second, yes they are control freaks. All of them / us. Don’t you kind of have to be?
Michael’s last blog post..World Book Day
That looks like a tame version of the “relationship” between me and my old boss… ouch!
(Yes, my old boss was a lady…)
Good post, Harry. All of these points are right on the money for dealing with a typical mid- to high-level manager as well. That’s what I love about this series so far (and all of the work you guys do, actually) – there’s always something I can take away to help me “here”, until I’m able to get out “there”…
six weeks
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Michael: hehe, we like to throw pics like this in once in a while. And no, you don’t have to be a control freak. Nobody likes a control freak. The thing is to recognize that within yourself and do what you can to curb it. There’s a time and a place to take control, but if you use too heavy a hand, it’ll totally piss off your team and then you’re stuck with more problems.
Use your powers for good.
@Brett: You know, the Butterfly Effect was on last night and that was my first time seeing it. Very cool movie, I’ll have to get it now.
My old boss was like this. He also fit the Dark Side of the entrepreneur (I don’t think he had a Light Side at all). Until I began reading these posts I couldn’t understand how one guy could be such a jerk. It’s all so clear now, and had I known before I probably would have known how to deal with him better.
Totally piss off my team?
But that’s exactly why I don’t HAVE a team.
My motto: I’m doing this. You do whatever the hell you want.
I understand your point, but you also need to look at it from the other side: I cannot stand insecure, hesitant people. If you haven’t got enough sand to stand up to me and tell me why YOU are right this time, well, you won’t get far. Tell me “You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?” and I’d just laugh.. and dismiss you out of hand as someone with nothing to offer me.
Some of my best customers have been people just like me: opinionated, stubborn, very confident, very demanding.
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Tony: I don’t say this very often, but I don’t agree with you at all. Sounds pretty lonely on your side of the fence. One of these days you’re going to dismiss the wrong person and kick yourself in the ass for it.
Then again, maybe you won’t. People with the “my way or the highway” attitude rarely, if ever, believe they’re wrong about anything, so you wouldn’t even see the missed opportunity. I’d probably be one of those guys you dismiss, yet here you are, reading and participating.
@ Harry – yes, that was a pretty good movie actually.
I went on a conflict resolution course with my old boss, before she became my boss, and part of it included a personality evaluation of sorts. We turned out to be diametrically opposed, but it was good in a sense because we were aware of each other’s differences and could put them aside to work together.
@ Tony – your point is a very valid one in the business world. The trick to making it work, in my experience, is to ensure that your employees *understand* that you expect them to challenge you. So make sure that everyone knows your motto and what you expect from them.
The business world introduces a completely artificial power structure. In my experience it works something like this:
Pretend I work for you, hence I’m sort of “under your thumb”. You can say stuff to me that you wouldn’t say to me if we just met on the street with no prior relationship. But because I work for you, and need to pay the bills, unless I know that you expect me to challenge you (perhaps I’m very junior, or maybe you are very overbearing), I don’t do this.
Because I don’t feel I can stand up to you, it doesn’t work well between us.
I really do believe it works this way in the business world sometimes. The power structure is artificial. I have encountered all kinds of people in the various jobs I have had who are quite up front and aggressive like this.
I understand them and know how to work with them, so things are good.
But make no mistake: if any of them talked with me like that outside of work, without this artificial structure, they’d be in a lot of physical pain…
(hey, I’m a pretty strong guy…)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
It can be frustrating dealing with a control freak – the trick is to assert as much control as you want so you don’t let yourself be walked all over. As you said, sometimes this is by “leading” the entrepreneur … one of my favorite definitions goes like this:
“Diplomacy is the art of letting the other person have your way.”
Great pic. Except in the pic’s case, isn’t that guy getting exactly what he wants?
Dave Navarro – Freelance Smackdown!’s last blog post..Freelance Smackdown: Week 3 Update (?Once More, With Feeling?)
@ Dave,
That’s a great quote.
Dealing with these kinds of people requires “business Aikido” or something like that.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
I think that leading with an iron fist gets you exactly what you want in the method that achieves the poorest results and lowest quality possible. Control freaks control for different reasons, good and bad – but what control freaks need to realize and leverage is that effective control – which sometimes means controlling the level of control other people have – achieves the best results.
Twitter: @soniasimone
The one that works pretty well for me is, “Do you want me to be an ineffective yes-man, or do you want me to get in and do what you hired me to do?”
I far prefer the no-social-skills entrepreneur type (although it is true they are HIDEOUS pains in the ass) to the never-admit-a-mistake, CYA corporate success type. The second type freaks out pretty badly at the above statement (and may fire you), but a true entrepreneur appreciates it.
I tend to spend a lot of quality time with both types these days. Very challenging.
Sonia Simone’s last blog post..Free 115-Page Tutorial on Marketing to Women
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Dave: Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. He could have gotten swept up in the moment and ended up getting way more than he bargained for.
Some entrepreneurs will do that. The idea carries so much power and their enthusiasm is contagious, and before you know it, you’re in over your head wondering what the hell happened.
…right, James?
@Sonia: Very true. I’ve dealt with both types too, and both are exhausting to work with. I’d definitely take Mr. No Social Skills over Mr. CYA any day. I’ve noticed that once you tell the one with no social skills what they’re doing, they’re usually not aware of their behavior. Sometimes they try to be more aware, and other times, it lasts for all of two seconds before they revert.
I had a client once who was extremely lacking in the social skills department, and each time James would tell me “Oh, that’s just the way he is”, so I’d grit my teeth and ignore it.
But after a while, blatant rudeness cannot be excused. That’s when I say what you say, and let them know I’m not some doormat that’s going to yes him to death.
… *cough cough*… Um… yes. Right, Harry.
Love this post. I’ve never worked for an entrepreneur, but I have worked for many others with these traits. I’ve learned the fine line between Yes Man and Doormat (for me). There’s very little I take personally anymore, so that cuts a big part out of the reaction game. If someone is rude, I assume its the big stick up his you know what. If it crosses the line to abusive, I am out. I don’t make a good dominatrix; that pleather doesn’t breathe very well.
Amy Derby’s last blog post..Comments on Comments
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Amy: Count your lucky stars then, lol. Maybe you were working for entrepreneurs all along and didn’t realize it?
*shakes head at pleather* No, no, no…real leather is the only way to go.
Entrepreneurs definitely aren’t always right. You just have to let them think that they are right.
Want to impress them? Get the job done on time and under budget. That’s the language they speak.
They also can be good at social skills when they want to be. But when they are focused on a task that’s under pressure, those skill often times fly right out the window. Talented ones have this under control.
By the way, speaking about entrepreneurs, anyone watch that great episode of The Apprentice last night?
John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3): 7 Tips To Sharpening Your Persuasive Skills
By the way, speaking about entrepreneurs, anyone watch that great episode of The Apprentice last night?
No, I missed it. Too busy with the pleather.
JUST KIDDING
Dave Navarro – Freelance Smackdown!’s last blog post..Freelance Smackdown: Week 3 Update (?Once More, With Feeling?)
This made me think of another old boss of mine (going back 10 years now). I still think he was a cool guy – he totally fit this to a ‘T’, but he was also pretty honest.
He’d come in some days and say, “I’m in a really bad mood today!”
Hey, at least he was honest…
(mmm… pleather…)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
@Dave – Just as long as you don’t start wearing it
@Amy – I think a lot of bosses and managers out there have similar mindsets as entrepreneurs, especially the higher up they are. For example, I work on-call at the Hard Rock Hotel (why not, $75 room rates around the world) and the president and vice presidents all have similar mindsets to successful entrepreneurs.
John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3): 7 Tips To Sharpening Your Persuasive Skills
@Harry – I’ve only known one dominatrix personally. She wore pleather. Nice gal as long as she took her meds.
@John – I mostly write for lawyers. Before freelancing, I worked for a large high profile firm as a paralegal, and most folks there had the same mindset (which is why I got out — they’re easier to work for via email). I’ve stayed at a Hard Rock hotel. Good times.
Amy Derby’s last blog post..Web Content Writer? Surely You Jest!
@ Amy – yeah I bet your life became a lot easier by dealing with them through email.
Back in my college days I worked a lot more at the Hard Rock. I use to work graveyard room service. I don’t know any dominatrix personally, but boy I’ve seen a few there.
One time I entered a room and there was a guy in his boxers tied up on the bed and this BIG woman took the check from me. Her hands were the size of the surface of the sun! She/he scared me!
John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3): 7 Tips To Sharpening Your Persuasive Skills
Well, it’s not really “my way or the highway”. But if I hire you to do something, and you say “Well, I’m going to do x” and I think that’s wrong, I’m going to say so and you won’t win any points with a “haven’t had your coffee” crack. Remember, I’m paying you, so if you aren’t giving me what I think I want, you need to stand up on your hind legs and explain why your way IS what I want and I’d know it if I weren’t such a bull-headed jackass,
I don’t know why you think it’s lonely.. confident people have confident friends.
You are wrong in another area too: confidence doesn’t mean thinking you are always right. It means that if no one else around has the ability to explain a better way, I’m going to trust my judgment. I could be wrong, but so what? Being wrong is just another thing you get to learn.
I can’t stand people who stand around wringing their hands, waffling this way and that: make a decision and DO IT!
@John – I’d have probably been scarred for life. I’m still trying to shake some of the mental images from my law firm days. I do know a few freaks who frequent the Hard Rock here in Chicago. An odd lot, for sure.
@Harry – I just had another laugh, because I realized your line of “You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?” is similar to a line I use regularly on one of my guys: “No more coffee for you.” He gets hyper, in the calls-every-three-minutes kind of hyper. I’ve never met him in person, but I often picture him hooked up to a caffeine IV, dragging the drip behind him as he paces around the room. He does have a very entrepreneur-like mindset, but (in between phone calls) I enjoy working for him. Makes me feel better about my own OCD tendencies.
Amy Derby’s last blog post..Web Content Writer? Surely You Jest!
@ Dave – My mental image of you is scarred for life.
@ John – You too.
@ Amy – Problem is, Harry’s usually right. I *haven’t* had my coffee
@ Tony – A couple of things for you:
If I hire you to do something, and you say “Well, I’m going to do x” and I think that’s wrong, I’m going to say so and you won’t win any points with a “haven’t had your coffee” crack.
Agreed. But there is a difference between what you’re saying and what Harry is saying. Harry is referring to the entrepreneur that breezes down the hall and suddenly sweeps the world by storm with 1,000 ideas in 5 minutes flat, expecting it all right now. Yesterday in fact. And where is the results of the question asked two minutes ago? And why isn’t this done even though I just told you? And why are you sitting there looking like I have a gun in my hand?
“You haven’t had your coffee, have you?”
Um. Time to rethink. I may process info at warp speed. Other people don’t. “No, I haven’t. I’ll go have some now while you take a few minutes to consider what I’m asking… and I’ll leave you to it. You’re capable.”
I’m paying you, so if you aren’t giving me what I think I want, you need to stand up on your hind legs and explain why your way IS what I want
That works from the entrepreneur’s perspective. I think like that myself. But I’m wise enough to know that because I think like that does not make it right, feasible or nice for other people. There’s no reason to be an ass – it’s okay to use gentler words and let people stand up for themselves *in their own way*.
I don’t know why you think it’s lonely.. confident people have confident friends.
And they lose friends quickly. They shift gears often. I have good friends I haven’t seen in years just because I switched gears and moved onto different things. That isn’t right.
Also, I need balance. Fully confident people surrounding me isn’t always pleasant – mostly because I know better than them
You are wrong in another area too: confidence doesn’t mean thinking you are always right. It means that if no one else around has the ability to explain a better way, I’m going to trust my judgment.
Confidence means believing in yourself and being unafraid to show others you believe in yourself.
I could be wrong, but so what? Being wrong is just another thing you get to learn.
Absolutely and I agree with you. However, most people don’t see things this way and being wrong takes on a whole new meaning. I was just saying to Harry the other day that I’ve never experienced the feeling of thinking, “Stupid me. Why did I do that?” I have no idea what it feels like. I usually think, “Oh. I was wrong. Coolness. Alright, moving on. Next!”
I can’t stand people who stand around wringing their hands, waffling this way and that: make a decision and DO IT!
I’m also like this. My high school yearbook has my pet peeve listed as: People who can’t decide quickly. But what is easy to us because of lack of fear isn’t easy to others.
Cut people some slack
I’d rather have someone who waffles around, but ends up making the correct/smartest decision than have someone who makes snap (and stupid) decisions.
When it comes to jackassed bosses, I would rather shut up and take their ideas. Then, when the finished product is a horrible trainwreck, I can have a little laugh to myself. Because in the end, the stubborn one always looks like an ass.
RLD: Taekwondo Happiness’s last blog post..Update
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Dave & John: Nope, was getting my nightly fix of the Daily Show and Colbert Report, and then lost in Lost.
@Amy: *blinks* Um…can’t say I’ve known any dominatrix, but I’ve seen a few roll into town for the Fetish and Fantasy Ball every year at Halloween.
@Tony: James said it all.
@RLD: Sometimes people mistake waffling for careful consideration. I’m not quick to make a decision, I have to know the angles and what I’m up against before I give a yes or no to anything. In the past I’ve been quick to make a decision and regretted it. I’d rather take my time and tell someone I’ll get back to them, then make a snap decision and find out it’s more than I can handle.
And yes, nothing gives me more satisfaction than being able to say “I told you so”, although even that is a hollow victory and I never completely feel good about it.
@ Harry – Brings to mind the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. I lived on Folsom for a few brief weeks a couple years ago, and the site of old men in chaps was nothing like waking up to Folger’s.
@ No one in particular – I think a lot of it comes down to personality types and knowing which ones don’t blend well. Not everyone is suited to working for people with a thousand ideas who want everything yesterday. While Freelance A might tell this type of client to bug off, and Freelancer B might see this as Freelancer A throwing business down the drain, it might really be in the best interest of Freelancer A to ditch this type of client. I know which personality types I don’t work with well, and I try to avoid working for these types of people if I can help it.
The types of demanding folks talked about here don’t bother me enough not to work for them, but I’m turned off by other types — such as passive-aggressives who tell you they love everything and that you’re perfect all through the project, all the while harboring resentment that you’re not reading their minds and doing things their way. By now, I can usually spot these people in the initial consultation, and I generally turn them away. Loss of business? Yes. But I see it as time better spent on other clients who can communicate their needs and in the end give me a good recommendation or offer repeat work.
Amy Derby’s last blog post..Web Content Writer? Surely You Jest!
@James –
Don’t be scarred! I was just kidding! ROFL
Dave Navarro – Freelance Smackdown!’s last blog post..Freelance Smackdown: Week 3 Update (?Once More, With Feeling?)
Some days I feel like the entrepreneur and other days I feel the person who must figure out how to deal with this type of personality.
“When an entrepreneur gives an order, snaps out a reply or offers sharp criticism, look concerned, smile a bit and ask, “You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?”
This is a priceless tip. I use this tactic on my family members all the time! And they’re not even all entrepreneurs. What I love about this article is that it’s packed with advice that can be taken outside business and used in all types of social situations. Very nice.
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..A Reader’s Journal
Some of the chat here is about an entrepreneur’s ability to make quick decisions. This can also be applied traditional business management, where the talk is often of “action orientation”.
Let’s just say that different kinds of decision making apply to different situations. Where I work, the talk *is* always about action orientation. This works okay in the boardroom, but the in the facility I used to supervise (which houses the most radioactive hot cell on the entire planet), you’d better believe that careful consideration is paramount – if you make a wrong choice, someone could die.
Sometimes it is not easy to switch gears. It is one thing to make rapid fire decisions when all that is at stake is the loss of money (or whatever). But sometimes, a bit of waffling is in order.
How does this apply to working for an entrepreneur? Perhaps it comes down to this – for multiple people to work together effectively, all parties must have full understanding of the expectations.
So, if you are the entrepreneur boss, it is not enough for you to say “these idiots aren’t giving me what I think I want” – you have to tell them in a clear, concise manner.
And if you are the employee of the entrepreneur boss, it is your duty to understand what is required of you.
Communication people, that’s where it’s at.
Perhaps what we’re hearing is that entrepreneurs can sometimes suffer from poor communication skills, just like everyone else?
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
I don’t recognize control freaks. That is the key to the whole thing. Really, who is control? No one. Once you recognize that you are fine. If not, then you are probably having a problem with you own ego.
Remember your post about Water? Well, there you go. E
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..Time is Passing Me…Please Buy!
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Ellen: You know, you and James must be conspiring to use my own words against me. I have a post coming up tomorrow where he pointed something out to me and it sort of woke me up.
*bows to the master who is obviously far wiser than he*
(Harry, circle the wagons, I’ll get the snowballs and the Quebec liquor!)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
@ Brett – I’ll take that *swipes the bottle* Forget the snowballs. They’re announcing 40 cm.
Twitter: @vegaspenman
*shoves a handful of snow down the back of James’ shirt, grabs the bottle, and runs like hell*
@ James – apologies for mentioning the “s” word again…
That’s a 50 cent word in the “cuss jar” at my house. Well, in my mind anyway… the stuff looks really pretty in a picture or something.
Yeah, we’re gonna get hammered by the weather this weekend.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
Am I the only entrepreneur that watches The Apprentice?
I feel like an outcast
This last episode showed how when a sharp entrepreneur gets focused and takes something personal, boy you better watch out!
@Brett – snow? what the heck is that?
@Harry – I bet you have many attributes of an entrepreneur. What do you think?
John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3): 7 Tips To Sharpening Your Persuasive Skills
@ John – I used to watch it. That was before I had a toddler. Now, we watch Dora.
As for Harry… No. Definitely not entrepreneur. But that brings up the next question – what is Harry?
Twitter: @vegaspenman
I am the Voice Of Reason in a world of insane Entrepreneurs.
Yeah, I have a two year old (and a new one on the way, as you know) and my life revolves around Little Einsteins and Curious George.
About Harry? Hmmm, I dunno. Let me check Wikipedia
John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3): 7 Tips To Sharpening Your Persuasive Skills
Twitter: @sushiday
Goodness! *glances at picture, blushes, quickly scrolls down the page*
Good points though, although I’m hoping I wouldn’t be that bad as a boss! So far the only teams I have led have been for school projects where I inevitably get the idiots who don’t get anything done and when they do, it’s crappy work and I have to do the whole thing over again. I hate group projects. Who, me? A control freak? Is it really that obvious?
@ Tony – I agree with your point about not liking people who are insecure, but, well, I think James covered most everything else I have to say about the matter.
@ Amy – I knew a dominatrix once… we were friends in middle and high school. Needless to say, she wasn’t quite that way in middle school… a nice girl though!
@ Whoever – Waffles? Mmmmm. You’re making me hungry!
@ Dave – I had an experience like that with an old roommate… she was very intimidating but when I actually stood up to her and looked her in the eye and said, this is how things are, she backed down!
@ The Northerners – No snow here, in sunny Southern California!
*ducks a snowball and runs for her life*
Allison’s last blog post..Taste and Create 5
@ John – I did watch the first episode of it this year. It seemed sort of cool… (don’t say the “s” word, James might be reading this…
)
@ James – there is one character on Dora that scares me. The Grumpy Old Troll. I mean, the dude doesn’t have any pants, only a long-assed beard that hangs down to the ground… really weird. Well, at least all of my kids like classic Bugs Bunny & Road Runner (meep meep)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
@ Brett – Oh crap, I’m laughing my ass off now about the troll with no pants – too funny! I hate – and I mean friggin’ HATE 4 Square. Love the music they use on Treehouse, though. Rusted Root. Awesome.
@ Allison – I was sent on a course back in 2001 for a week in San Jose, at the end of January.
The first day I was there, I had a free day to tour about, so I went down to Monterey. A woman on the beach offered me a job (get your minds out of the gutter, people!) – had I not been married and my lovely wife pregnant at the time, my career as a nuclear engineer would have ended at that point… Brett, the short order cook at some B&B in Carmel!
It was just a really cool thing – the sunshine seems to have an effect on people down there, really friendly and outgoing.
(I just about cried when I landed back in Toronto at the end of that week.)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
@ Allison – Faker. You know you like our pics
We all do!
Dave Navarro – Freelance Smackdown!’s last blog post..Freelance Smackdown: Week 3 Update (?Once More, With Feeling?)
@ James – while I was writing that, I was humming the song that the troll sings… and I concur, 4 Square is bad. Really bad, in an H.P. Lovecraft “thing that should not be” way. Especially the ones in the tight blue suits that dance around – Captain Hup and so forth, “heppity hup, heppity hup, heppny heppny ho, ho, ho eh oh eh ho ho…”
Okay, I’m losing it here and I’m stone cold sober
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
I’m attracted to those blue suits like a bad train wreck. I mean, really. No man should wear something THAT skin tight on a kid’s show. Or in general. Seriously.
The worst part is, that show is considered one of the best in Canada.
Me, I’m all for the Koala Brothers. I mean, dude! The catchiest friggin’ tune anywhere, guys that FIX things, and a freaky funny girlthing that reminds me of Cindy Lauper!
I feel your pain. Just the thought of those blue suits… (shudder)
Yeah, the K Bros is a popular show at my house too (one of my kids hates that I call it the “K Bros” but I can’t help it…)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
Twitter: @sushiday
@ Brett – Bah! You should come down to LA or OC… much sunnier than Monterey! (Although I do love Monterey! SO beautiful up there!) I’m a SoCal girl… I freeze my tush off in San Francisco… I wouldn’t last a day up there in Canada!
@ James – !!! I’m much to innocent for this! Really! … why does nobody believe me?
Allison’s last blog post..Taste and Create 5
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Allison: If you like warm, you should try it here in Vegas in the middle of August.
@Allison – I’m from Huntington Beach originally so I feel ya.
John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3): 7 Tips To Sharpening Your Persuasive Skills
@John -Curious George rocks. And I don’t even have a toddler.
@Allison – My dominatrix friend was a psychologist by day and a dom by night. Interesting chick, for sure.
@Harry – The one time I was in Vegas (for work), it was 114 degrees. But the office I was in had blasting frigid air conditioning, so I actually had goose bumps most of the time. And I didn’t even get to gamble.
Amy Derby’s last blog post..Web Content Writer? Surely You Jest!
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Amy: You were probably better off, the house always wins no matter what anyway. If you know when to stop, you might come out ahead. But if you keep going, the casino will lull you into a false sense of security, and win it all back and then some. Tourists don’t stand a chance.
Talk about letting someone think they’re in charge, eh? (How’s that for getting back on topic?)
Hey, hey, hey, I never gave you the rights to my likeness!
(laughing)
I’m not blond.
Men like it when I dominate.
Jaden @ Screenwriting for Hollywood’s last blog post..Malicious Content: Gossipmongers and the Paparazzi
@ Allison – yeah, I guess I didn’t differentiate between SoCal and where I was – it’s all south to me! (dusts the “s” off his beard stubble… don’t want to say the “s” word out of respect for James!)
But you’d survive up here. We’d just build the biggest bonfire you’ve ever seen. Nothing like a wood fire to draw the chill out of the old bones…
@ Amy – that’s an interesting friend you had, I wonder if that isn’t more common than people might think. I’ve often heard that police and criminals have pretty similar personalities, just that one (presumably) knows right from wrong, or can at least keep certain tendencies under control…
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
Twitter: @sushiday
@ Harry – Never been to Vegas, but I’ve heard stories! Not a big fan of sweltering, but I don’t much like freezing either.
I like our more or less balmy weather year-round.
@ John – I’ve never lived there, but I drive past Huntington Beach all the time!
@ Amy – Yes, Curious George does rock. No kids here either. My boyfriend and I sometimes watch it on Saturday mornings.
Allison’s last blog post..Taste and Create 5
Harry, didn’t I give you that pic in confidence? Now the world knows my fetish! Oh my god *she says and throws her eyes up*
Interesting post. Did you by chance have James in mind when you wrote this? LOL
@ James: have you had your coffee yet?
Hahahaha……..
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..My Journey To The Land Downunder
@ Monika – I am the topic of more conversations between us than I’d like to be. And no, I haven’t. Piss off.
Coffee’s on at my house, James…
(and this one’s for you Monika, I learned how to make “flat whites” last year in New Zealand… my wife is addicted!)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
@ James: you can’t get rid of me that quickly. I’m an entrepreneur too , remember.
Plus do you ever sleep? Damn it’s like there is 10 of you in the blogosphere, no wonder you need copious amounts of coffee.
*cackles*
@ Brett: did you say flat white *she takes a sip and embrace Brett with delight*
wow, this tastes so yummy, I really luuuuv coffee (especially flat white’s) and hereby crown you as the coffee king!
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..My Journey To The Land Downunder
@ Allison & Amy – Of all them, I like Curious George the best. But understand, I watch it 4 to 5 times a day. That’s 1,825 times a year!
John Hoff’s last blog post..The Art of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3): 7 Tips To Sharpening Your Persuasive Skills
@ Monika, why yes, I did say flat white, what a lovely drink, isn’t it? (and thanks for the embrace!)
I shall wear my crown with pride, and be a wise and humble king.
For anyone who doesn’t know what a flat white is, here you go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_white
When on vacation last year, we became regulars at a cafe in the Auckland CBD (Southern Cafe, on Swanson Lane just off Queen for any Kiwis who may read this) and the owner showed us how to make flat whites. He even suggested we video tape it, so we did!
Highly recommended if you like coffee…
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
You people wake up very early!
*yawns*
*streches*
*smacks crankiness out her ear before someone gets the whip*
Please pass the Aussie coffee!!!
Amy Derby’s last blog post..Web Content Writer? Surely You Jest!
@ Amy Derby,
I can’t speak for everyone here – for me it is certainly a combination of Aussie coffee
and four young children – I have to get up early for “me” time!
Believe me, once the habit is formed, it really works for some people.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
@Brett – Although I’d love to be, I am not a morning person. I’m often still up at 3am or later working. The trade-off is, I have to fight with myself to get up the next morning. Four kids, eh? That would be hard to sleep through.
@ Amy, I totally understand, I used to be more of a night person myself. Luckily my kids are pretty consistent
so for me it is just more a case of them having to get up earlier to prepare for their day, and as they get older they don’t sleep as much.
I ended up switching my schedule around so that the most important work – *my* personal work – gets done first thing. I found that if I tried to do it at the end of the day, I was just too tired after working for “the man”, playing with the kids etc.
I still do personal stuff at night but a lot of it is reading, mind mapping etc., I try to leave the creative stuff for early mornings.
Whatever works for each individual, is usually the best approach.
“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.” — Marcus Aurelius
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Amy: Check out Dave Navarro’s e-book Early Riser Program. It worked for me, and I was a hard sell on the whole getting up early thing.
I’ve been looking at Dave’s stuff the last couple of days too. I think I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and pony up for it.
The early riser stuff I have licked, but I know he has a wealth of other material.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..butterfly effect.
@Harry – While I’m sure Dave is a genius, aside from a caffeine drip there’s nothing that could get me up early enough to function. I have too many late-night client emergencies to go to bed earlier than 1am my time. I actually like being a night owl.
Amy Derby’s last blog post..Web Content Writer? Surely You Jest!
Wow, I never thought my Google Alert for “Dave is a genius” would turn up anything!
:-p
Dave Navarro – Freelance Smackdown!’s last blog post..Freelance Smackdown: Week 3 Update (?Once More, With Feeling?)
Sorry I wasn’t around yesterday to defend Tony. If someone said to me, “You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?” I would take that as a passive-aggressive, highly smartass remark meant to do nothing but tick me off — unless it was someone who I regularly bantered back and forth with in that tone.
It sounds to me like Harry was describing a narrow-minded tyrant, not a visionary entrepreneur. I don’t think the two are necessarily synonymous.
And the photo? Pure genius — it certainly got everyone’s attention!
Cindy Dashnaw’s last blog post..Postal Service hides brochure under self-congratulatory cover letter
Twitter: @vegaspenman
@Cindy: The only time I pose the coffee question is if I know how it’s going to be taken. Usually, that’s just with James, because it’s a great way to get him to back off from a rant at me when I first wake up. I don’t drink coffee, so it takes me a considerable amount of time to start functioning coherently.
Honestly, I doubt that Tony needs defending. He’s going to speak his mind, and while it does rub me the wrong way at times, I realize that’s just how he is. I don’t take it personally. Everyone is at liberty to express their opinions. It takes a lot to get me to the point to tell someone to piss off, and I know that if and when I reached that point, Tony would probably appreciate it if I told him that flat out.
The descriptions and opinions expressed here by me are extremes, I realize that. I know there are a million shades of gray between the visionaries and the tyrants. It’s like that with any personality profile you run across. But often times, the more you go to an extreme, the more you become the opposite.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope you continue to come back to read more.
I think le mot juste in this case is not entrepreneur, but jerk.
John Lockwood’s last blog post..Selling Your Writing Online (Part II: The Right Way)
@ John – Hehehe… Go read this post.
I quote: What I discovered was that “entrepreneur” is pretty close to a four-letter word: Jerk.
(I’m assuming that you don’t speak French. Si je me trompe, milles pardons.)
[...] March 7th, “Men with Pens” ran this article suggesting that entrepreneurs are basically control freaks with a bad case of ego hyper-inflation. [...]
Wow, so funny. I’d have to say that my entrepeneur husband almost totally fits that description. He can take correction and advice, though. That’s one of his most valuable qualities. Very funny blog!
@ Jessie – I’m learning to take advice
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