On consulting and being paid like a plumber...
Today's a concise post to share an amazing business pitch that reminds you what opposability means when talking about added value. It's not about AirBnB or the usual startup suspects but from a rock-star sound engineer named Steve Albini. We were in 1992, and it's a letter explaining his work philosophy to Nirvana and why they should or shouldn't hire him.
I would like to be paid like a plumber
Pitching Nirvana
Shaun Usher
Many things resonate with me here:
- Putting yourself in a position where you're working enough so as not to behave to take any job;
- Being to tell a potential customer why they should or should not work with you;
- Not being paid a percentage fee on future success as you are only "fixing the plumbing" but still have a reasonable portion of the value you will help create;
- Understanding that what you deliver is mostly your brand value and you're only as good as the last success you delivered (or not);
- Having a network of other professionals who are experts at what you don't know but need regularly.
- Etc.
Could you write yourself a manifesto about your business? What would it look like?
