The cost of doing business

As the year winds down, there is time for some reflection. This has been the most intense year. A material year (excuse the pun). It has been a year of learning and stretching. I have learnt so much about myself these past 12 months. The good and the bad. We never stop amazing ourselves. And we never stop finding new strength.

I read this compelling quote earlier this week and I can't get it out of my mind: "If you think it is expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur."

This is the point I would lot to touch on this fine festive evening. I have been working with and investing in a bunch of artists for many years now. And in the process we have all become friends. Often we push each other's buttons, and this gets things heated up. I believe all these artists I work with are professionals, but wow, do we sometimes all behave like amateurs (myself included).

This quote above is clear in its message, but I think there is more to it. If we become too close to the people we work with, sometimes things become unprofessional. And then, often, the only real solution is take a pause and hire an outsider, a professional, to try and get the mission done and dusted.

I guess this is the challenge that faces all of us, in all of our ventures. Doing business often results in people, leaders, being drained, and that is more expensive than money. Yes, the cost of business is something that is never a black and white thing.

Being a true professional is really a lot harder than it seems, especially when those people who you are leading start to forget how the world works.

Posted by Ronnie Apteker