48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller: Chapter 10: Do You Have What It Takes?
48 Days to the Work you Love by Dan Miller: Book Review
This is a continuation of the in-depth review of the book: 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller. To read the Previous Chapter, follow this link: Chapter 9: Show Me the Money
Chapter 10: Do You Have What It Takes
This chapter offers a lot of tips on how you might be able to leave the regular 9 to 5 jobs and make it out on your own. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this chapter. On on hand, I really like some of the advice the author offers. On the other hand, I don’t know if I agree with how easy he makes it sound to go off on your own. Maybe it’s better to view this chapter as a good starting point, but more research would have to be conducted before making a major change.
The chapter starts off asking the reader if they are tired of looking for a regular job. If you’re tired of working in the corporate world, maybe it’s time to be the boss you always wanted to have. The author does point out that the main reason most people go into business for themselves is not for the money it brings in, but for the freedom their own job gives them. They can set their own hours and start their own business anytime out of a spare bedroom using minimal effort.
Questions and Answers
This chapter is also chock full of a questions list to see if one has what it takes. I’m not going to write out and answer all 18 of them, but here are a bunch I thought were important to me.
2. Do you get along well with different kinds of people? Every business, even small ones, require contact with a variety of people: customers, suppliers, bankers, printers, etc.
For the most part, I would say yes to this question. I enjoy speaking with customers at a service level. I don’t know if I would be able to sell products to strangers or even existing customers. In order for me to sell something, I have to completely believe in the product or service. But I can support customers. I always try to create win-win situations so the relationship is kept intact when issues arise.
3. Do you have a positive outlook? Optimism and a sense of humor are critical factors for success. You have to view setbacks and small failures as stepping stones to your eventual success.
I think I have a realistic view on life with an optimistic outlook. I always try to look for the best of situations. If I have a setback somewhere, I treat it as a learning experience. I currently am doing that with my investments…I realize I’m in a couple of funds with high fees and expenses, and am switching out of them. Rather than beating myself up for being in them in the first place, I treat it as an education cost.
7. Do you have willpower and self-discipline? Self-discipline is the one key characteristic that makes all these others work. Without it you will not succeed.
Self-discipline is one of my strong characteristics. I am very self-disciplined in my eating habits, my workout routines, and with money.
8. Do you plan ahead? Every successful businessperson develops a long-term perspective. Going into business with a detailed plan dramatically increases the likelihood of business success. If you are already a goal-setter, you are more likely to succeed on your own.
I always try to plan ahead. I like to plan expected outcomes for a given problem, and then plan multiple scenarios on how to reach the desired outcome, while also planning on how to handle scenarios for expected but undesired outcomes.
9. Can you take advice from others? Being in your own business does not mean you have all the answers. Being open to wisdom and experience of others is the hallmark of a leader. People who are willing to listen spend more time doing what works the first time, rather than having to experience every mistake.
This is probably one of my favorite questions in this section. I know I don’t have all the answers. I also know that sometimes I can be so focused on my idea that I think it’s perfect. Getting advice from others brings me back to reality. It also shows me that my idea might not be perfect, and it might even have some serious flaws in it. Additionally, someone may have done what I’m thinking already, and know that there is a better way to do it.
10. Are you adaptable to changing conditions? Change is constant in today’s marketplace. In every change there are the seeds of opportunity, thus successful people view change as an opportunity not as a threat.
Well one of the subheadings of my blog right now is ‘the only constant is change’. Change is going to happen whether you like it or not. You have to embrace it.
12. Do you have a high level of confidence and belief in what you are doing? This is no time for doubt or second thoughts. You must absolutely believe in what you are doing. If you don’t have total belief, you will not be able to sell the idea, product, or service to investors or customers. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you can do well something you don’t really believe in.
I could have wrote this question myself. One of the problems I had in a prior job was that I thought we overpromised and underperformed in what we told customers. Their expectations of us were high, and then we couldn’t deliver on our promises. It made me lose confidence in our product and ability to deliver quality to the customer. You have to believe in what you’re doing if you are to convince customers. If you don’t believe in something, they will see right through you.
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There are other questions I’m omitting that are more entreprenurial/self-business related that I do not think apply to me at this point in my life.
Are You a Candidate?
One part of this section I want to point out is the author mentions that the characteristics that make a person a good employee are often the exact opposite of those that make a successful self-employed individual. ”Being loyal, predictable, and doing what others expect may, in fact, sabotage your best entrepreneurial efforts.”
I thought of some of the crazy entrepreneurs in our time. I’m sure many weren’t loyal, they definitely weren’t predictable, and they went to the beat of their own drum. Moreover, you don’t have to be a genius to be an entrepreneur. Studies have shown that IQ determines 20% to the factors that determine life success, and the other 80% are other forces (attitude, enthusiasm, energy, etc.)
Multilevel Marketing
The author takes a section of this chapter noting that we should avoid multilevel marketing offers. I talk all about my own run-in to this scenario here. Basically, in my opinion, these should be avoided like the plague. There may be successful people in these jobs, but they are few and far between.
Result Driven Compensation
This is another good section. Basically, we’re transitioning to a payment system that rewards people based on performance, not on time. Think about it. We might pay $500 for a new TV. We don’t care whether or not it took the worker 2 hours to make our model, when it normally takes him 15 minutes. We know what the TV is worth to us, and aren’t willing to pay more just because someone put more time into producing the product, only to have the same output.
Ideas for Successful Nontraditional Businesses
Again, I’m not going to list all the ideas, just the ones that I found of interest.
Franchises
This may be the type of business I could see myself doing at some point. I don’t know if I’m creative enough to do something entirely on my own, but I think I have the willpower and charisma to run a franchise on my own. I like the fact that you can compare one ‘franchise’ to another, and I’d want to be the best.
Home-Based Businesses
There are plenty of things someone can do right out of their own home, or act as a consultant for. Just use your skill set to do some of the following:
-graphic designing
-house painting
-selling used cars
-wedding planning
-wedding photographing
-computer consulting
-newsletter writing
-nutrition counseling
-pet sitting
Continue to Chapter 11: Skunks, Rags, and Candy Bars
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