Mike Seidle ...notes from the road

I'm in the middle of a business transformation from an internet marketing agency to a full service blogging agency.  I can't believe how powerful the process has been.  So far in order to get the new business right, we've had to look at everything, and one thing has really stuck with me:

For most of my career, I've been one of those people who believes in the two rules of marketing:

1. Do Something.
2. Do it Better Next Time.

And the maxim that when it comes to a start up, that it's OK not to be perfect. This time out, with ProBlogService.com the situation has almost necesitated a totally different approach:

1. Expecting Excellence - We have hired and built with the expectation that the company will be excellent at what it does.  We even are guaranteeing our work (this is totally new ground for a software executive).

2. Focus is on Knowledge Workers - We're using a lot of Covey's 8th Habit as the basis for our hiring strategy. Out with focusing so much on a process that forces workers into doing the job management's way.  In with focusing on the abilities, experience and knowledge people bring in the door.  The best part is that "What do you know about _____? Great. Can you take care of ______ for me?"  actually works!  It's amazing.  These people that we all try to box in to doing their work actually are a lot more useful if you set them free to use all their talent to get things done.
3. We're starting with a great billing system and setting up for avoiding cash flow stupidity.  Cash flow problems divert energy from growth and place it on backfilling work that should have been completed in the past.

The results so far have been specatacular:

• ProBlogService has already passed up IndyAssociates in billing.
• Customer are 100% happy.  And I know the second they aren't.
• Our people are a joy to work with.  I don't have to do nearly as much micromanagement and people are solving problems instead of putting them on my desk where they will languish and die a miserable death of neglect.