You're the Boss, so Tell Me What to Do

We live in an amazing time – one where almost anyone can start a business based around a personally meaningful concept like I’m trying to do here at Riskology.co.

This is really great, but one misconception that I hear all the time about being self-employed is that you don’t have a boss and you answer to no one. That’s a nice idea in theory, but it’s not really true. In fact, if your business is at all successful, then you likely have a lot of bosses.

In my case, I have about 3,500, and if you’re reading this, you’re one of them. At work, if you don’t want to get fired, you need to do things that will make your boss happy. When you’re self-employed, the rule is still the same. The problem is that, when you have a lot of bosses, it’s hard to know exactly what will make them the happiest.

Of course, the best way to find out is to simply ask them. That’s what I’m doing today. Here’s my formal request:

Hey boss, I know you’re really busy, but I want to make sure I’m helping to make your life better. Can you spare two minutes to take this survey and make sure I’m doing that?

The survey is now closed. Thanks so much to everyone that responded.

I’m limiting the number of responses to 150 because I want to give careful consideration to everyone who takes the time to help make Riskology.co a better place. After that, I’ll close down the survey and disappear into the Riskology Lab to sort out the results.

More Than a Business

Riskology.co is much more than just a business, though, and the people who come here every day are much more than just readers. At the heart of this entire project is my belief that, together, we can create a movement that changes peoples’ lives for the better. Now, every movement needs a voice, but I don’t think it needs to come from just one person. I think the most successful movements have a voice constructed of thousands, speaking in unison.

That’s why, today, it’s time again to check in with riskologists around the world to find out how you feel about a few very important things. I press the buttons around here, but only because you tell me to. I want to make sure that Riskology.co stays on the right track to becoming the world’s best resource for risk-takers.

If you’re trying to create something that’s important to more people than just you, I recommend checking in occasionally to ask how you’re doing. I’ve learned it works much better than just guessing.

If you get an answer you don’t like, don’t take it personally. Look for an opportunity to take what makes you the happiest, and turnit into a message that helps others lead better lives. That’s how businesses thrive. That’s how movements grow.

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Also, I want to point you to a few other great movements that I’m a part of and I think you might like to be a part of as well:

The Free Thinkers Movement: Jonathan Mead leads a team of enlightened ninjas on a never-ending quest to leap over hurdles in all the ways your parents told you not to at Illuminated Mind.

The Simplicity Movement: The best solution to almost any problem is usually the simplest one. Tammy Strobel knows this and is spreading the word over at Rowdy Kittens.

The Location Independent Movement: What if you could go to work and go on a safari all in the same day? If that sounds good, Sean Ogle is leading the way at Location 180.

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Image by: What What