With a Little Help From My Friends

As many of you intelligent and oh-so-good-looking readers already know, in addition to this monthly column, I also produce periodic brain droppings in the form of my own blog, found on mikeschenker.com.  There you will find many of the same type of ramblings, in shorter form, with the occasional gratuitous four-letter word thrown in for shock value.  It’s still me…one of the best compliments I ever received about my writing was from someone who said she could hear my voice as though I was speaking to her instead of her reading my words.  I’ve always meant to ask her if she heard my words in one of my pretentious accents. At any rate…

So you get me…in a condensed form.  Just add water for the full effect.  If nothing else I’m consistent.

Another constant about my blog is that no sooner does it get circulated, the Trophy Wife notifies me about the typos she’s found.  My answer…every time…is that I’m a writer, not an editor. That’s not entirely true…if I’m reading anyone else’s work, errors just jump off the page/screen at me.  They’re blatant. My own work? It’s perfect…until read by someone else.

Sure, I suppose I could let her read my work before it gets circulated, but what’s the fun in that?  Besides, there’s a lot to be said for this tradition…at least in our home (full disclosure: I really don’t like anyone reading my stuff before it’s published.  Just another of my adorable quirks.).

When she finds the errors, I don’t feel insulted or get upset.  They are what they are. And yes….I do proofread my work after it’s finished, but the problem is that I’m re-reading what I’ve already written, and possibly even re-re-reading.  To me, the words make perfect sense just as they appear.

I know I need editing, but I don’t ask for it.  That’s on me…I acknowledge that. So instead, let’s make this about you.  You need editing. You need support. You need a team.

Nobody’s perfect.  I’m certainly living proof of that (and by that, I’m only referring to my writing/editing skills.  Aside from those, I’m an absolute prize).

Here’s a perfect example of imperfection.  My wife was recently working with a potential partner on a new project.  As part of her research, she studied this other person’s website and spotted a few glaring mistakes.  The worst? The woman’s company’s name was spelled wrong. At least twice.

My wife politely pointed out these errors.  The other party essentially said “thanks” and nothing further.  From there, the opportunity on which they were working seemed to be less of an issue.  Instead, a wall between them seemed to take its place. I was not privy to the entire episode (beyond having viewed the offending website).  Suffice to say, they moved no further on this project.

I honestly don’t remember the nature of the other woman’s business…nor her business model.  Whether she’s got a team or she’s a sole proprietor, she needs more help than she’s getting.  Nobody should need to go it alone all the time.

And this holds true for all of us.  There is so much help available out there if you know where to look.

When I was working on the business model for my speaking projects, I reached out to several people…both within my immediate universe and out.  Overall, people were very forthcoming with advice, guidance, and even topics. One person who shall remain nameless (but whose name rhymes with Phil Metrie) went so far as to give me access to his topics…knowing full well that we could speak on the same exact subjects but come at them from completely different points of view.  His: coherent. Mine: rambling. Remember what I wrote back in the first paragraph: that woman hears my voice when she reads my work. Imagine what my speaking gigs are like.

I also reached out to SCORE, an organization with which I’ve worked before.  It’s a free service, offering assistance in a variety of areas, including starting and building a business.  I’m a fan and recommend them whenever I can. Maybe I’ve been lucky…I know it can also be a crapshoot, depending on what the makeup of their volunteers might be.  However, if there’s no one near you to assist with your specific industry or subject, there has to be someone within their nationwide network available to help.

As I have now been building a new internationally-based business, I’ve been lucky to call on many experts in areas with which I am not that familiar.  There are several things in which we’re involved that I have had little to no experience, so I have reached out to my network of associates and experts for input on this and that.  

There is neither shame nor disgrace in this.  It’s not about admitting a fault. It’s about seeking assistance and improvement.  None of us is so perfect that some outside input couldn’t help.

Except when it comes to editing my writing.  Flawless, I tell you!

Mike Schenker, MAS, is “all that” at Mike Schenker, Consulting, where he assists businesses entering the promotional products industry, mentors professionals, and offers association management.  He is a promotional industry veteran and member of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Hall of Fame. He can be reached at mike@mikeschenker.com.