Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
It’s Saturday morning and I’ve been working for a few hours. Trying to write up new proposals, review legal and make sure I have a solid shot list for my shoots next week. And it doesn’t bother me. In all of my career, work ethic has never been a problem. I sort of get a high from knowing that I have maximized every hour of the week. The problem is that when you own your own business, you discover really quickly: Working does NOT always equal Winning.
This is perhaps the hardest part of being a CEO and business owner. When you have a normal job, the relationship between working hard and feeling a sense of achieving wins are connected:
You work extra hours for your company, maybe you get paid overtime.
You finish a project early, you celebrate with your team.
You land a new piece of business, you get an incentive or a bonus.
You put in extra efforts to improve a system or project, you get a promotion.
You make a great hire, you get kudos from HR or the boss.
When you own your business, working extra hours is part of the job description. You finish a project early and all that means is you have to go onto the next project. When you land a new piece of business, you are just doing the job you’ve decided to take. You put in extra efforts because you know that it’s the point of deciding to go on this adventure. And when you put in the extra time, it’s because you absolutely have to put in the time if you have hope of finishing all the projects you’ve got on your to do list.
So what do you do? You start wishing for wins. Wins that come out of the clear blue sky. Little bits of luck and serendipity that swoop in at a random moment to remind you that your business has a little bit of life of it’s own. A moment when the clouds break at just the right moment so you can get that lens flare on the shot that will make it really special. A client referring you to a perfect piece of business. A thank you gesture from a client to brighten up your day and your office so you can keep going.
But you know what’s crazy?
Most entrepreneurs I know aren’t wishers and waiters. They’re logical strategists. Always making connections and seeing lines where other people only see air. So those wins? They aren’t luck at all.
They are seeds that you’ve planted just finally reaching the topsoil after years of growing below the surface. You thought they’d bloom seasons ago, but in fact, they just needed a little more patience. And that’s not luck. And I hope you don’t need to be a gardener to understand this metaphor.
So instead, I’m trying to change my frame of mind on wishing and winning. Instead, I’m trying to think about planting. Planting more. Planting often. And being more patient.
Less wishing on wins.
And more patience on plantings.
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