i have been consulting several clients in branding. my relationship with these clients is very different from what my relationship is when i work with more established kind of clients: agencies and corporates. these clients are start-ups and depend on the emotional state of the entrepreneur. many times this can be a disaster.

my function in the business process is very clear to me. i get some information, process it, shape it, and give my deliverable to someone else. in an ideal world people who give me information and people to whom i give my deliverable all know how to do their work and will implement the results of my work according to my instructions. all this is meant to preserve the energy and get maximum results with minimal investments.

enter the uneducated and unmotivated entrepreneur!

reality is that one has to work with people and this is unavoidable. every project usually depends on the ambitions of one person who gives energy and direction to everyone else. many times these people are very creative and have a vision but it is also not uncommon that after a certain point their vision and starting momentum are hardly enough to get the machine going. this is when the chaos starts and when higher management skills are required.

i hate to list the usual big companies as examples but they are always good examples (everyone knows them) – seems several dot-coms had the exactly same problem: both ebay and google had to hire matured manager to manage the growth.

however, not everyone can afford such higher management so entrepreneurs sometimes have to learn themselves how to get things moving in the proper direction. sometimes this is a complete shock. google founders have been offering huge resistance to this move and they only did it when they were blackmailed by the investor. some entrepreneurs do not wish to accept that they lack ability to manage their companies and continue to linger in a fantasy world of “i know what i am doing” until the plane crashes into a mountain.

another big factor in this situation is motivation. i have been thinking a lot about it: what really is motivation. i am not a psychologist or anything but i do notice some people work a lot yet do all the wrong things, while some people think carefully and are able to make proper choices that do not require too much work but get the results.

are the results only proof of motivation? can you say someone is motivated if they work hard but do not get any real results? what is the element that does not transform all that hard work into results? these are the questions i can not answer in this post.

it is important to me to really clarify what i can and can not do, what i am good and not good at, and how can i really help others. the older i am (not related to age but practical experience) the clearer it is what it is that is my function, my karma, my purpose as they say in matrix. to do things outside my purpose is more of a damage than support although at some moments it might seem otherwise.

specialization is not a harmful thing as long as we specialize in many different things.

let me know what you think.