i just released my january newsletter and had been thinking most of the month about mixing business with pleasure and whether i should be doing more of that. after weeks of pondering, i reached my conclusion and wrote the following for my newsletter;
i am so excited for 2010! not for just me, but my family as well. oops, i mentioned my family, am i supposed to do that? it seems i’m mixing business with pleasure. uh-oh.
i’ve always tried to keep business and pleasure as separate parts of my life. i occassionaly would share family stories but for the most part, i was very conscious of the business/pleasure line and being careful to not cross it too much. today, i’m throwing that concern out the window!
i’ve been training for the los angeles marathon the last few months and with only less than two months to go, i’ve been doing some long runs on sundays to the tune of 15 miles so far (twice) in preparation. it’s given me a lot of self reflection time lately and i’ve had more than a few A-HA moments. my biggest moment came as a result of my podcast, the approachable architect, and wanting to share more of me with my listeners. i want my listeners to know about me, know my passions, know what makes me tick. i want them to get to know me personally. AND i also want to get to know them, i mean YOU.
i’ve also been reflecting on my career and my decision to expand my services to the real estate market. i specialize in working with homeowners both as an architect and as a real estate broker. i’m in a customer service business. people hire me because they connect with me, they like me. they hire me for the extensive knowledge and outstanding service i provide. working with homeowners is a very intimate and personal relationship. BUT i think i’ve always kept clients at a distance a little bit, always conscious of the “business relationship”. as a result, i found myself not being as social as i used to be.
that’s all changing. i want you, my clients, my readers, and my listeners to get to know me personally. i want you to know about my wife, wendy and my two boys jake and remy. i want you to know that our two boys are currently eating us out of house and home starting with 2 breakfasts per day. did i say they were only 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 years old?
this is going to be the year i’m going to be putting myself out there. i’m already attending more social events and will be creating a podcasting network to allow more of a connection with my audience, and that means YOU. you will learn more about me and my family over the coming months, and hopefully years. i believe by opening myself up more and putting myself out there (and not worrying about what other people think as much), i’ll build stronger relationships that will hopefully last a lifetime.
so, are we supposed to mix business with pleasure? who knows, but for me, i’m no longer going to be asking myself that question. i’m going to trust my gut and share myself openly and honestly with whoever wants to listen.
best wishes for 2010!
