Faking It In Business

During several recent road trips I’ve wandered to an airport (or food store) bookshelf to find an interesting read. I’m not a mystery thriller or a love story buff, so I typically look for the off-beat business or quirky stories and cool covers.

The last couple books I’ve purchased have been about women in business. #GIRLBOSS and You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost). I recommend both books, by the way.

These books are not about breaking through the glass ceiling, leaning in or playing in a man’s world. Instead, they are written about, and by, women, who despite themselves, have become successful. I love these books. I love these women. They are both women who stumbled into a job, a career, and a place in their business niche that they ever thought about.

And I like these books, and these women, because in reality, I’m one of them. I’m not saying I’m as business successful as #GIRLBOSS author Sophia Amoruso (founder of Nasty Gal), or as Internet savvy as You're Never Weird author Felicia Day. But like them, I just kept moving forward and despite the odds (and not really knowing what I was doing) was successful.

When Joe and I started our first business together back in 2008, neither of us really knew what we were doing – sorry, Joe, the truth is out.

Focus, Focus

BUT - we knew what we wanted to do. And then we faked it. We cobbled together solutions online, we self-taught ourselves ad serving platforms. Quickbooks? Yup, I can figure that out. IRS – hi there, this is Amy, what do I really need to pay you?

We didn’t know all that much. But we knew enough – enough to get started, enough to move forward, and amazingly, enough to be successful. Our first business journey together spanned 2008 to 2014. After a successful exit, we took some time off and reemerged with ChannelE2E in September 2015. And I’ve found through the process of our previous business, and this one, it’s more entertaining to wing it then to follow the rules.

Think of it this way: Being creative is more fun than following directions. Seriously, does anyone like to read the 30-page playbook that comes with your new digital camera? Yeah, I didn’t think so. It’s more fun to figure it out on your own – and ah, the success you feel when you find the panorama setting...

My point is this: If you have an idea but you don’t have the degree, the experience or the know how to follow through - WHO CARES? Be creative, be innovative. Try it anyway. You will make mistakes. Nothing is un-fixable.

Sophia Amoruso and Felicia Day found success not because they knew what they were doing, but because they committed: to a LOT of hard work, sleepless nights, mistakes, small victories and fearless forward movement. And so did I – you can too.