Here is another edition of Maisha’s Lemonade Stand’s Sours. It’s my chance to vent at the never ending frustration of running a business, managing people or being part of a team.  I am known as an optimist so I always hope for the best but even if we all have good intentions, BUT the following sours drive me nuts.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Because really, how can anyone be a healthy, wealthy, and wise entrepreneur if you don’t let out a little frustration? 

#4- If You Don’t Like It, No One Else Will

I just found out one of my clients didn’t like its own company Facebook page. That’s crazy. How can you ask folks to like, share, support anything if you don’t like, share or support it first? The least you can do is like the page. The most you can do is to like and share it on your timeline.  Once the client started doing that, engagement rose 100%. 

#5 Reinventing the Wheel Over and Over and Over or Are We All Insane?

While I  understand new CEOs want to put their stamp on projects. I don’t understand trying to reinvent the wheel everytime. I am a BIG proponent on creating business processes at the beginning and updating these processes as the business grows. I want to leave a project better than I started and so that the next person is better positioned for success.

This past week, I started working on two websites only to find out there was another version of the site already there.  Why didn’t the past president let the current president know? Why waste time and resources building something new when we can just build on what we currently have?

Dr. Albert Einstein said it best,” The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

#6 Those Wonderful and Crazy “We Should Do This” People

I am the oldest child. According to my birth order, I am bossy, responsible and ambitious. I also have a tendancy to take over. When you couple these traits with my marketing acumen, I get asked to be on a lot of committees AND to head them. Once I say “yes”, I get my to-do list grows exponentially. That’s not the problem because I have perfected the art of saying, “NO”.

My sour is that when folks are on a team inevitably the ideas start flowing. I call these the ” We Should Do This” ideas. This happens at every startup I worked with, non-profit, or the launch of anything. Next, the enthusiasm for the idea takes over and before we know it we have added another 100 things to-do that may or may not be crucial to the success of the project and no one wants to own. Or worse, we have added 100 more line items to the budget and no one has any idea of how to pay for it.

I’d Love to Hire A Plane

It’s the enthusiasm that gets me. Yes, I would love to hire a plane and tell the world that the next best thingamajig is here. But, as I have yet to work on a million-dollar marketing budget, I have to ask these questions when the “We Should Do This” team starts:

• How much does it cost?
• Can you find out how much it cost?
• What are the steps to make it happen?
• Can you find out the steps to make it happen?

Somewhere before the last two questions, the mumbles start. And the idea that was so great starts to become a cloud of hmmmmms and well thens. But as the responsible one, I make sure I keep a list of the ideas so just in case we do raise a $1,000,000 we can hire that plane.

I just want everyone to know that every idea is good but unless you have:

• A team of volunteers that are willing to give up more hours of their time ( the freshest ones are the best for this),
• An unlimited budget
• A great pool of resources and employees
• The opportuity to take care of it yourself ( my suggestion always)

Then please be careful with the “We Should Do This”! These ideas can really be hazardous to your business and mine.