Are You Prepared for Success?

Do you know what you would do if your freelance writing business tanked tomorrow? Chances are you’ve thought about it. Every small business owner, somewhere in the back of their mind, has a Plan B. Maybe you figure you’ll go back to school and finish your degree. Maybe you figure you’ll take a job in your former career (if you have one).

Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of this, of course. But there’s another kind of contingency planning that’s worth thinking about:

What will you do if you succeed?

I’ve written many times before about the fact that this business can have its ups and downs, and that you’ve got to refuse as best you can to participate in the downs. That’s essential if you’re going to stay in business. But this other aspect – the up times – deserves some attention, too.

Strike While the Iron is Hot

Here’s a good example of what I’m talking about. Maybe August was a slow month for you. Then, BOOM! September 1st hits and you land a gig that will carry you the rest of the way through the month, and make up for August’s leanness. You jump into the project, fat and happy.

Something happens, though. Plugging away at this new gig, you back off on your marketing efforts. You slack off on follow-up sales emails, or you leave off checking the freelance web sites for a week. Human nature is such that success brings contentment, and contentment can, unfortunately, sap your motivation.

Being prepared for success means not being lulled into complacency by your success. It means working just as hard every day at growing your business, whether you’ve made gangbusters that day or whether you’ve made bupkus.Take advantage of your success and keep the momentum going.

Today’s Success is Tomorrow’s Seed

There’s another aspect to this idea of planning for success, one that’s much more concrete. The fact is this: a successful business knows where it wants to go. Whether you want to be the Queen of Long-Form Sales Pages, Bloggerman or CEO of Web Writers Inc., you’ve got some idea of what ultimate success is going to look like.

If you’re going to hit the big time and really reach those goals, however, you need to have a pretty good idea of how to get there, and it should involve being successful today. Today’s successes are the seeds from which those goals will ultimately grow. Leverage today’s success to make tomorrow even bigger.

You can do this in many different ways. Maybe you can actually shave a little bit of money off the top of a payment to do some advertising. Maybe it’s as simple as adding a particularly good piece to your portfolio. Whatever it is, you need to be always thinking about “how can I use this success to power the growth of my business?”

The Inner Monologue

There are enough other folks out there writing about the power of positive thinking, the dangers of negative self-talk, and how you can’t let fear hold you back. These things are all true, and you’ve heard them before; I don’t need to rehash it here.

I will say, though, that you need to let success increase your confidence. Just as much as losing a sale is an ego blow, making a big sale can pump you right up. When you experience some success, be OK with it. Accept it. Let it work against all of that self-doubt you’ve got going on. Don’t get cocky or arrogant, but allow yourself to take credit for your success.

Related Thoughts on the Writing Life

• Getting What You Pay For
• Freelance Writing the Michelangelo Way
• Egg Timers Aren’t Just for Fiction Writers
• Business Tips for Writers