SOXexchange

Puzzled Me

I was putting a puzzle together with my kids when it dawned on me that building a company is like putting a puzzle together.  It helps to see what the big picture is suppose to look like first.  But in life, how do you know what the bigger picture is suppose look like??? Isn't it a work-in-progress? It's not like someone put the picture of my company in front of me and 'see this, put it together'.  Or maybe they did and I haven't been paying attention. 

Back to my puzzle...First, I started finding all the border pieces to put together the frame.  I noticed that sometimes, when I wasn't actively looking for them, certain pieces came together.  Other times, as hard as I would look, I couldn't find THE piece I needed.  Once I moved on, then I would randomly find the missing piece.  As the picture emerged, I got a sense of accomplishment and the more pieces I found, the faster the picture came together.

Growing a business was like putting a puzzle together.  I could imagine the outlines and sketches of where the business would be five or ten years from now.  The harder part was I needed to find the pieces that fit into my puzzle.  Unlike a box of puzzle where all the pieces had a place and fit nicely together, life handed me lots of random and not so random pieces.  There were seemingly extra pieces or missing pieces.

The first years of the business were spent trying to find the borders.  My husband and I invested a lot of time in making mistakes.  Trial and error.  More trials and errors.  The thing was that my husband didn't mind the mistakes.  He expected them and moved on.  He considers mistakes the price of doing business.  I have a harder time accepting mistakes.  I always want a clear roadmap.  Problem is, the vision is clear, but the roadmap has detours.   

So, on that Sunday as I was putting a puzzle together with my kids,it dawned on me.  The picture came together because of trial and error.  It's ok to make mistakes in the business. (To be clear, there can be no mistakes in client service though).  We aren't performing brain surgery here.  Things can be undone and redone.

Juggling Clients Needs

We got a new client recently, and my mind and time have been engrossed on how to solve the client's problems better, faster, cheaper.  As a result, I admit I have neglected this blog.  I do think of things I should write, such as the free training on AS5 and the latest white papers published on the topic.  I'm sure other people must have this struggle too. 

Clear Blogging

I told you that before February 2007, I had no inclination to read a blog; I had so many other things to read like my fasinating monthly Journal of Accountancy (that was a joke) and IIA Insight.  In addition to my monthly magazines, I had the weekly accounting literature updates to keep up with.

And truth be told, I was a bit intimidated by the blogging thing.  It seemed to take so much time.  What would I blog about?  Who else besides me was interested in auditing and SOX? 

That was before I read Clear Blogging: How People Blogging Are Changing the World and How You Can Join Them by Bob Walsh.  Highly recommended!!!  The book is easy to read and at the end of each chapter, there is a To Do list that summarizes the key things you should do to get started.

That's how I started this blog.  Page by page, I read it.  Then, I went back to the To Do lists and completed the easiest tasks.  Clearly, there's more I could do for my blog, but just getting started was liberating.  Blogging was no longer this mysterious thing that techies do.  Heck, if I could do it, anyone can.

Seth Godin Live in Silicon Valley

I heard Seth Godin speak live in Silicon Valley on Wednesday.  Very engaging story teller!  He reminded me that I need to build that skill to connect with clients or in presentations.  Just listening to him gave me ideas for marketing material that is alive and dynamic. 

If he comes to your city, it's well worth the $50.

All It Took Was a Quirky Quote

It's interesting how one path leads to another...

I was reading Sam Horn's POP! book when I came across a quirky quote from a Seth Godin.  The quote had me intrigued.  I had no idea who this Seth Godin was and was dying to find out.  While waiting for my flight from Washington DC to San Francisco, I parked myself at the airport bookstore and found Seth Godin.  Actually, I found Small is the New Big by Seth.  Highly recommended!  I read that book cover-to-cover while sitting at the airport and almost missed my flight.  Amazing observations that we take for granted or do not notice in every day life.

That was my first introduction to the blogger and since then, his blog is the only one I follow religiously.  Ok, to be honest, it was the first blog I ever read.  Up until February 2007, I knew about blogs, bloggers, and all sorts of publicity and media attention they were attracting and that they could be money-makers (after all, one of my clients is CNET), but I did not have the inclination to read any of them.  I changed my mind and all it took was a quirky quote.

Sam Horn Pops Out

A notable speaker at the February Invent Your Future conference that I went to was Sam Horn.  She is an engaging speaker and spoke about 'how to stand out'.  Something as simple as the way we introduce ourselves can make us memorable or at least interesting enough to hook the 'tell me more' response.  I bought Sam's POP! book and read it cover-to-cover within 24 hours (it was a good weekend date).  I started thinking about all the ways that I unknowingly hid myself... the website that looks like any other professional services firm, the business card that does not stand out.   Since meeting Sam for a private session, I have relaunched our website and updated our marketing material to reflect more of me in the business.

Regardless of your speciality, it is important to stand out and be authentic (more on that tomorrow).

Tribute to My Husband

I have to thank my husband for sending me on the path to reading my first blog ever, reading my first book about how to blog, and starting this blog. 

Back in February 2007, I asked him to find me some conferences to attend that would broaden my business knowledge and how I think about business.  The next day, he sends me a link to Invent Your Future.  This organization was holding its first conference that was targeted at nurturing women entrepreneurs.  The conference was fantastic because it had insightful sessions on 'you can do it and here are the ways'.