I’m consistently amazed by the number of people who are determined to build a business online and resort to flinging ideas in the hopes that something will catch on. It’s like tossing shit on a wall. Yeah, eventually some of it sticks – but what kind of business is that?
Ah, yes. It’s the type of business that tries rapid-fire strategies in the hopes of suddenly hitting a miracle income source. It’s the type of business only concerned with one rocket-ship ride to fame. It’s the type of business built on a loose pile of sand instead of one built with architectural structure and a solid foundation.
It’s the type of business that won’t be around in a few years.
I’ve shoveled enough shit in my life to know that all you get from it are tendinitis issues, a mound of manure that you have to haul away and a deft ability with a barn rake that rivals the best knighted swordsman of yore.
There are no lasting effects to flinging shit for a living beyond a lingering fragrance that multiple showers just won’t cure.
And when all your horses age and die and there’s no more shit to fling? You have a damned empty barn that echoes with a bunch of nothing.
Think back on some hot 80s fads. Remember Michael Jackson and his hip little glove? Damn, he had it goin’ on, didn’t he? Or leg warmers! All the girls sported them à la Flashdance. How about neon clothing? A veritable assault to the eyes but what discerning taste in style, n’est pas?
Those fads lasted a couple of years before dying down to a passé trickle. A true success!
True, true, once people lose interest and move on, there’s always the next fad to chase, the next crazy bandwagon to hop on. Why bother with long-term goals and carefully laid business plans? Who needs ration and logic or the E-Myth Revisited?
There’s money to be made online! Fast! Launch the forum! Write the ebook!! DO SOMETHING! There’s a river of potential out there; let’s ride!!! Who the hell stands there thinking about business?
Well, we do. There are very, very few strategies, tactics and decisions that we carry out based on impulsive snap ideas. We build our business carefully, thinking about what works, not just what works for now.
We break some rules, sure. We think damned long and hard before doing so. We don’t recommend rule breaking as a strategy for longevity, and we certainly don’t recommend wild abandon as a stable foundation.
We make sure that what we work on today will help us grow and still be working for us in 10 years or more. We’re not just here for a good time; we’re here for a long time.
Where is this all going? Does this post have a purpose? Yes, yes it does. I want to share three valuable thoughts I believe in to keep in mind when you’re thinking about your online business:
- If you want your business to last, build it with your brains, not with your ass.
- If you want to end up with nothing but shit, stand near those who fling shit for advice.
- If you don’t give a damn what your life will be like in 5, 10 or 15 years, go fling some shit around.
