13 x 7 = 28

I admit defeat. I admit abject, miserable, wretched failure. A failure to practice what I preach. And ghastly consequences.

Starting a business is always perilous. In my early Casual Uncluttering LLC days, I constantly juggled coinage, allocating every leaden penny as carefully as possible to those operations for which I couldn’t tread water if I clung to the weight of the money. I still do all my own filing, make all my own appointments. I market myself.

For several years I built and maintained my website entirely on my own. When it (1) became apparent that my lack of genuine expertise was hurting my visibility, and (2) my website host changed its operations yet again and the new format left me pixilated, I hired David Innes of RealBasics. Saw my public presence improve overnight. I kept those operations I like – updating facts or appearances as needed, added the blog-posting. In other words, I strengthened my marketing efforts, compensated for my programming deficits, and even improved my passion for the tasks. Penny-wise.

Pound-foolish. I’ve finally hired a bookkeeper. I make no secret of the fact that I LOATHE bookkeeping. Numbers swamp me. All sink, no swim. Knew that decades ago, when I took a basic accounting course for the MBA. But yikes, gulp, gurgle, SPEND MONEY on a BOOKKEEPER???? Guess what. My already-long-suffering bookkeeper has me correcting errors from the day I incorporated.

Time is a form of currency. Mistakes are costly. And it’s critical to acknowledge weakness, to compensate with someone else’s strength, and to maximize your capabilities.

Please follow this link for an explanation of “13 x 7 = 28.” Some of you may already know the reference.