More on asking

A few posts ago I'd written about how important it is for entrepreneurs (probably everyone, but entrepreneurs in particular) to get comfortable asking because in a startup you're going to be in ask-mode much of the time (read more here). Believe me, it gets easier with practice - it may still qualify as one of your least favorite activities, right down there with doing taxes, but you get it over it much quicker.

Recently I ran across this post on the Groundswell blogs (the book's by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li - more info here) on how to get help from people you don't know. In short, Josh suggests you send an email. He gives a lot more advice, ranging from how to word the subject line to your signature. This is a good 'how-to', informative and with examples. I personally like an email better than a phone call because you give people a chance to think about what you're asking without feeling pressured to respond right away (not to mention that most of the time when you call someone you don't know you end up in the dreaded voicemail zone). For sure you can't ask for help from someone you don't know on Facebook unless it's for a crowd-sourced thing, ditto for LinkedIn. If it is personal involvement you want your options are basically an email, a phone call - or a carefully plotted 'casual' encounter which is clearly entering sitcom territory.

Yes, Josh's suggestion email suggestion is a good one, but if you're an early stage entrepreneur you need to take some more steps. Don't go on and on about your startup - keep it close to the elevator pitch. Do mention common (and well respected) friends/acquaintances if any, preferably in the subject line if you can do a 'referral'. Most importantly don't include links or attachments - unless you want your email to end up slumming in the junk folder. Get a response first and then, when you're past the spam filters, you can send your exec overview or a link to your demo or both. Do ask, do tell, and hope you do get what you want!

Universal new year euphoria

On New Year's day I was with friends and family (watching the Rose Bowl was our purported goal) and we got into a discussion about how New Year celebrations were unnecessary and forced on everyone when it was just a day like any other. While I'm all for people not being compelled to do anything, least of all wear silly hats and drink copious amounts of faux champagne, I believe there's a lot to be said for marking and yes, celebrating, the beginning of a new year (emphasis on the new). Sure some might feel a perceived peer pressure to have 'epic' experiences on December 31, but that's like any other social expectation which most secure adults should be able to withstand comfortably. What excites me, and what I like to signify and celebrate, is the feeling of newness and the myriad possibilities starting January 1 - because even though it appears to be just a day like any other, it becomes special just by thinking it is so.

The best thing about an observed new year, regardless of the calendar you choose to follow, is the shared perception that it is open to change - of the good kind. Of course you can resolve to change your life starting September 23 or July 17, it is perfectly doable and people do it all the time, but unless that happens to be 'new year day' in your part of the world you'll be the only one doing it. January 1, on the other hand, is when billions around the world are clearing out cobwebs, literally and metaphorically, and gearing up for the good stuff in work, play, health, relationships, spirit, and all things important. There are the best-of and looking-ahead lists, the planning seminars, the health club discounts, the rejuvenation conferences for minds, bodies, careers, the how-to launch your business workshops, sermons, prayers and rituals of renewal - there's a 'fresh start' zeitgeist that generates a heightened sense of hope and determination that could last for weeks after the new year.

This universal euphoria pulls everyone along, and it's a good thing, particularly for entrepreneurs. It helps you reflect and plan, review and re-energize and often provides a convenient point to shake things up and create new goals and programs. And nobody questions the timing - changes are pretty much the norm for the new year and everyone, whether team member, advisor, investor or customer, is primed for it. Yes, the new year may be all in your head, but when it's in all our heads at the same time, it packs a pretty powerful punch and may be just what you need to make the changes you desire.