Trust your instincts
Boy, I sure do wish someone had passed on that little gem of wisdom years ago.
We are all born with an innate wisdom, a sense that can help guide us through life. It comes in really handy in business too.
I wish I’d trusted my intuition – big time – before I signed up with a partner years ago. I can say with my hand on my heart, I knew from the second I met her that it wasn’t going to work. She had some skills and experience she could bring to the business but most importantly for a start-up, she brought capital. She was going to be the ‘silent partner’, (you already get where I’m going with this, don’t you?) and her contribution to our equal partnership would be the funds she would contribute. Oh honey.
So, I signed on the dotted line. I probably don’t need to elaborate but it all went horribly wrong. Horribly. As the business chewed through big setup costs, the silent partner became more vocal and far more involved in the business operations, worried about not seeing a ROI as quickly as she’d hoped. She assumed more ownership of the business in return for her investment but eventually the financial burden proved too much for her and she pulled the pin. I was left unemployed, with useless shares in a company that was now worth nothing. Legal disputes, tense and costly correspondence through lawyers and emotional exhaustion ensued, leaving me broke – and broken. I really wish I’d done things differently, but I sure did learn that lesson and learn it good. Or so you would you think.
Fast forward ten years and again, I’m introduced to a client and instantly those internal warning bells are going off. The Universe is whispering, ‘trust your instincts‘. I’m reassured that she’s a lovely person, she has an incredible life story, needs some support and this could be a great opportunity. Funny how you can justify anything when you want to.
Over the course of the project I had a number of friends and colleagues tell me to be careful, they’d heard bad things. I took this advice on board but my client was still paying me and was fun to work with – I thought things were ok. Then the payments slowed until they stopped. I started to hear customer and employee complaints and then read about court appearances. Still I believed her (stop it, I know, I know!). Then she declared bankruptcy, citing personal and health issues – I still felt bad for her.
I was left with a debt, one I’d never recover.
Ok. I have seriously learnt that lesson now thanks Universe. No more tests with the old intuition. If you don’t pass the intuition test with me, I move on. No ifs, no buts, no questions. It’s nothing personal, some people just aren’t a good fit.
These are just a couple of examples of instances where I wish I had trusted my gut. I wouldn’t wish anything like that on anyone in business. It’s not pleasant, it makes life hard, it can be expensive and when it does happen it makes you question why you work for yourself. Let’s not ever let that happen to you, ok?
Contact us if you’ve got doubts about a project or would like a sounding board. Been there, done that.
We’d love to hear a time when you did – or didn’t – trust your instincts and the outcome. Please fill in the form below and share your story as it may just help others, which is what we’re all about!
Jane Cameron
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