A Common Startup Mistake & learning to say No

by Startacus Admin

Matt Turner (aka Turndog Millionaire) is writing a book based on his interviews with hundreds of entrepreneurs. He is documenting part of this journey here on Startacus and we start this feature by learning a valuable lesson in saying No!

If you own your own business, I'm sure you understand this pain. If you don't, and are thinking of crafting your own journey, this is something to look out for. One day you'll be offered a lot of money for a crummy job! On the surface this might sound like a fantastic position to be in, but it's fraught with danger, for you see, money should rarely dictate your decision.

Welcome To This Journey

My name is Matthew Turner (aka Turndog Millionaire) and I'm writing a book where I interview hundreds of entrepreneurs. I'll document part of this journey here on Startacus, and I hope to share some valuable insight with you...

Anyway, back to the issue at hand. You are given a lot of money for a job you don't want to do. This is a common problem for those starting out, after all, money is money, and saying no to it is rather hard. However, learning to say no is one of the best lessons you can have.

A Common Startup Mistake

I recently interviewed Christine Richmond and asked her about her biggest mistake. It was here where she took me on a journey from several years ago, during a time when her business was still in it's infancy.
"It's a mistake a lot of people make because you just want the money coming in." This is an issue most can relate to. Fear, responsibility, not knowing what the future holds…they all play a part in saying yes, even when the right answer might be no. This is what happened to Christine. A client came along with a fantastic offer, but to do something that didn't excite her. Not only that, it was time consuming, and pretty soon she had little time for anything else. "My business was taking off, with work I wanted to do, and this project just kept getting bigger and bigger and stopping me from doing the work I liked."
The obvious step here is to leave the client and move on. However, it isn't always that simple.

When Contracts Take Hold

Contracts are there to protect you, but they can also keep you locked into work longer than you want. This is what happened to Christine, and it put her in a dangerous position.
"I tried several times to get out of the contract, but because they were legal people, it made it rather difficult." All of a sudden this easy, well paying job was a nightmare that threatened to destroy her blossoming business. She had to say no to clients, her emotional state became strained, and the likelihood of escaping was slim. Yet she didn't give up. She managed to turn it around, like all successful people do.

Getting Back The Upper Hand

After months of getting nowhere, Christine decided to disregard protocol and speak to a director of the business. It was a bold move, but one of the best ones she has ever made.
"She was really understanding and said if you don't want to do it, you don't want to do it."
After months of trying, it turned out to be rather easy…in hindsight. But hindsight isn't something you're privy to, which makes the importance of your decisions all the more so.
But this was a mistake she had to make. It answered a lot go questions she wasn't even asking.

Don't Let Money Dictate Your World

Starting a business is scary. There's no way around this, but having faith in yourself, in what you're doing, and in those around you helps. I find it hard to say no, but I have to do it from time to time. There are only so many hours in the day, and if you're not careful, you'll soon find yourself turning down great opportunities. This is what happened to Christine, and if it wasn't for some bold thinking (and breaking a few rules) who knows what the end result would have been like. But it happens to us all. The temptation for a well paying, easy job is tough to turn down. But sometimes you have to do just that. For the good of your business, and your own mental well being, you simply need to say NO!

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Matthew Turner is a Writer & Strategic Marketer looking to connect with entrepreneurs and business people with amazing stories to share. Check out his site and we hope to hear more from Matt as his journey continues. Cheers Matt. 

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Published on: 6th November 2012