Blogs are a business’s best friend

Starting a company takes lots of time and effort. Building a business requires building bridges, not burning them. Developing an organization requires listening, not talking. I know all this to be true – so why on Earth Why would I make myself a blog now, with daily entries, brutal opinions, and one-sided communication?!

Right off the bat, let’s dismiss the idea of one-sided communication. If you ever seen a slightly successful blog, then you’ve seen tons of comments, and probably how easy it is to post to them. An intelligent business man will both read and respond to those comments, and take most things to heart, as far as improving communication and business concepts. Blogs can elicit negative feedback sometimes, but read on to see how that’s not bad for business.

I pointed my brother, Gary, to yesterday’s post, and he e-mailed me back (why not blog comments?) with the following:

I worry that you are taking a strong political (really religious) stance and business professionals might be put off by that. So while they may be very interested in the service they may shy away from it given its founders strong PUBLICIZED political views. You can have those views, and you need not be shy about them, but to publicize them in your very first blog entry. Worries me a little.

I’d like to argue the complete opposite point, and say that not disclosing my political/religious views is more damaging to business. The reason for this is TRUST. Good business is all about establishing a trusting relationship with your clients. About 92% of people (made-up statistic) prefer to hire someone they personally know and trust over someone unknown with alleged higher credentials. What good are those credentials if they might be fabricated.

Many of these ideas are "borrowed" from other blogs, such as this one, including this amazing quote:

“Big idea: People want to know that you are real. That you are decent, kind and trustworthy. They want to feel you and sense you and look into your eyes to see what you are made of. They want to know your passion for whatever it is you stand for. And when they sense that you are the real deal, they will open up to you. When they see that you have their best interests in mind, they will trust you–and keep your best interests in mind. Once they get that you are good, they’ll be good to you. And your career (along with your life) will get to a place called world class based on those trust connections.”

~ Robin Sharma

OK, so we can understand trust, but we trust strangers sometimes also, but we’d still hire a friend before we hire a stranger. The reason for that is ACCOUNTABILITY. The better you know someone, the more likely it is that they won’t disappear on you when you need them. If you knew my home address in Modi’in, even if I tried to screw you and take your money without finishing a job, or not give you the follow-up service you demand, you could just come knocking on my door and insist that you get what you paid for. Even if you don’t know my address, the more you know about me, the better you can track me down in other ways (I found out my wife’s last name before we dated by Googling "Meira Jerusalem football" and there it was!)

So writing a blog, putting your personality out there, creating relationships and communication, are all forms of "paying yourself first". That is, it’s a way of investing your time in your future, maximizing that time for yourself and your business, and then doing what has to be done to take care of the routine.

Be honest about your views, have a purpose in your writing, and don’t focus on self promotion: "the audience reading your blog have well developed crap detectors". Expressing yourself is important, but with blogs out there, people won’t read your unless there’s a value that you’re providing them. My purpose in writing this article is to promote the blog feature which will be intrinsic in the JobShuk system, and to convince users what to write and why. Getting to know me is a bonus.

I’ve been listening to a comedy talk show, almost consistently for 10 years now. They’re not always funny, but I still listen, sometimes waiting for the funny part, but sometimes it feels like I have a bond with these guys, and the voyeuristic part of me wants to know more. I come for the laughs, but I stay for the connection. They’re real, and that’s why there are so many devoted listeners.

Here’s a few more reasons why business blogs are good:

1. Search engines love blogs, so you’ll attract more clients.
2. If you post your goals and deadlines on your blog, your readership will expect you to make the deadline, so you’ll work harder not to disappoint.
3. Converting your thought to words helps you crystallize those ideas.

You don’t have to be a writer to keep a blog, clearly I’m not, but I’m sure my skills will get better over time, and I’m sure you will forgive my lack of skill once you get to know me better.