Good for you! Being responsible with your expenditure is one of the biggest steps you can take to leaving work behind. Making bearable sacrifices can be the difference between quitting your job next month, or in six months.
But there is a dark side to frugality too – one that I have been guilty of courting in the past. And perhaps counterintuitively, it can make your goals far harder to reach.
Building a DIY Business
The problem is that you want to do it all yourself.
You’re totally at ease with the idea of being self-taught. You ignore premium resources on the basis that there is so much free information already available on the internet. And when it comes to making a purchasing decision on a product that can aid your business, you are extremely reticent to part ways with your hard-earned cash.
After all, aren’t we living in the age of the $100 startup? Isn’t bootstrapping the business model of the future? It’s certainly my model of choice, but bootstrapping is about self-sustainability – not the avoidance of well-considered investment.
Having More “Ooooh!” Moments
An “Ooooh!” moment is quite simply when you make a discovery that improves a process, strategy, or habit you have. Like when someone suggests you hit Control + C / V to copy and paste, rather than go through all that pesky clicking. Or when you’re told that you need to be a selfish blogger (thank you again Farnoosh!). Or even when a simple article changes your outlook on life.
We’ve all had “Ooooh!” moments. They are wonderful experiences – however big or small they may be. They can be big though – huge even.
I strongly believe that one of the keys to improving your life (both professionally and personally) is having more “Ooooh!” moments. The more jumps forward you are taking via these magical moments, the quicker you will advance.
Are you having enough “Ooooh!” moments? (tweet this)
And that is why the more frugal amongst us should learn to relax our pursestrings when it comes to investing in a quality service or product that can boost our business. Because seeking out the qualified advice of people more experienced than you will always lead to more “Ooooh!” moments.
Frugality, with Added-Value Exceptions
I am absolutely not saying that you should start buying every single course and product you lay your eyes on. But I am saying that you should not be afraid to make wise investments in your business’ future.
I’ll give you an example. In the run up to this blog’s relaunch, I had to make a decision regarding my logo. The DIY solution that had served me for the past 11 months looked pretty amateurish – it didn’t offer the kind of impression I wanted to make. So I made the decision to invest a relatively considerable sum in a logo.
The end result was above and beyond what I was hoping for – I couldn’t be happier with it. It was a big “Ooooh!” moment for me, and one that I could not have created on my own. Furthermore, people have got in touch with me specifically to say how much they like the logo. I am confident that the amount invested will be returned to me multiple times over the course of the logo’s life. It cost money, but it added value.
Don’t be Afraid to Invest!
The initial idea for this post came about as a result of two particular courses that I read through over the last 4-6 weeks. They have taught me more in that time than I have perhaps learnt in the previous 4-6 months. I am confident that their value will far outweigh their cost in the long run.
I am reticent to mention them directly (for fear of being accused that this entire post is some elaborate ruse to get people to spend money via affiliate links), but please feel free to email me for more information, or check out my Resources page.
So please – spend your money wisely. And by that, I mean save money when it is right to do so, but also spend it when the investment can advance your business. Give yourself more “Ooooh!” moments, and see how much faster your business develops as a result.
Now tell us – what was your last “Ooooh!” moment?
Creative Commons photo courtesy of linh.ngan