Fun and money have long been the two reasons we go to work in the morning. If we are honest with ourselves we will admit that in the beginning it was mostly about the fun. We were doing the work we loved. Others validated our expertise by actually paying us for it. There were late nights of shared purpose with colleagues, everyone doing what needed to be done to wow the client.

We were kindred spirits all with the same passion for our craft. We celebrated our wins together and commiserated over the losses together. In those early days the studio was more college dorm room or rock ‘n’ roll tour bus than place of commercial enterprise.

Then suddenly, it wasn’t fun anymore. Those that once inspired us became a burden. Employees became overhead. The late nights were too much. Somehow the money and the respect we hoped for never followed. The money, especially. For a long time we were in denial about the money. We didn’t need it; we were having fun. Then, when we faced our reality and decided we did need money, we did so grudgingly. Now, we’re tired of having fun and we’re willing to admit we’re in this, at least in part, for the money.

There are greater causes by which to frame an enterprise, and there are nobler metrics by which to measure the value of effort. But we cannot escape the fact that money is both a necessity in life and the most basic scorecard of success in business. Even if it is not the validation we seek, it is the most basic of tests that we must pass: Is there a need for our efforts great enough to sustain and nurture them?

Courage

The good news is that there is no fun like making money, because financial strength affords us all kinds of options in our business and personal lives. The path to financial strength begins with facing The Difficult Business Decision. There are some exceptions to the proclamation that we must specialize, but it is unlikely that we are one of them. Until we make a brave decision, success will elude us and we will look at the market and complain about the economy or the clients, all the while knowing that it was us. The problem has always been us, and our struggle with focus. We are at the root of our free-pitching problem and we alone have the power to free ourselves from the pitch. The client will not free us. Our trade associations can do little to help us. Our competition will not cease to give their ideas away for free.

The revolution we must fight is within. There is no enemy. We are victims only of a creative mind that makes choosing a focus more difficult for us than most. A lucrative future where our enterprise sustains us and nourishes our creativity is within our control. We must simply choose to take control, first by specializing and shifting the power back from the client toward us, and then we can begin to shape our future.

~ wwp ~