A couple weeks ago, one of the coil packs that sparks the spark plugs in my van crapped out on me.
Broke down on the side of the road and everything.
Great fun.
So the guys at the shop were like… you can replace 1 for $400 or replace all 6 for $1500.
I asked the car people in my life and they all said to do just one of ’em, so that’s what I did.
And now, of course, a second one has blown.
Normally when my van is out of commission, the neighborhood grandma helps with transportation… but her car’s in the shop now,
too.
And thus began “the scramble.”
Thankfully there are more people I can call when I’m in a pinch, and there’s now a spare vehicle sitting in my driveway.
This was just another reminder to me of the need for community.
Local community, in this case, but there are other communities you need, too.
And if you primarily work online, then you need an online community to support you in your work.
You need people who are doing the same kinds of things as you — fellow copywriters, for example.
And you need people whose work is tangential to yours, too — web coders, graphic designers, integrators, ads people, stuff like
that.
And you need mentors — people who can show you things about marketing, teach you about business & money, help you keep your head
on straight when you’re working for yourself, and make you a better writer.
(I hope to be many of those things to you.)
Take every opportunity you can to develop your network.
Serve your clients, but also serve your friends and colleagues.
Give generously with your time and knowledge, and people will give generously to you, too.
Sure it’s being a good person… but it’s also good for business.
