In my case, it's to get my children ready for school and walk the dogs.
Once again, this post shows the variety of consulting businesses. None of my current clients or prospects are local, so morning coffee would have to be over teleconference.
But the lesson to make the most of your time is valuable. It's all too easy when you're freelance to let other things eat into your time.
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a) you only need to do it if your client-base is facilitated by it.
b) this has been happening at Denny's and donut shops and cafes for decades.
I used to go have a donut and coffee before I went to high school and talk to the donut shop owner, a seat upholstery shop owner, a printer, and my buddy (his dad was the upholsterer).
We'd talk about business, sports, etc.
But, you really don't wanna go pushing the 7:00AM meeting on a client. If you need to do it, then by all means.
But, no reason killing yourself over a need or want that doesn't exist amongst your clients..current or perspective.
b) this has been happening at Denny's and donut shops and cafes for decades.
I used to go have a donut and coffee before I went to high school and talk to the donut shop owner, a seat upholstery shop owner, a printer, and my buddy (his dad was the upholsterer).
We'd talk about business, sports, etc.
But, you really don't wanna go pushing the 7:00AM meeting on a client. If you need to do it, then by all means.
But, no reason killing yourself over a need or want that doesn't exist amongst your clients..current or perspective.
Even though I am not in IT consulting anymore, the early meeting is always a benefit. In my line of work, my clients are onsite and working by 7:30-8AM and its a real drag bothering them at a jobsite when they are managing their crews.
I have always found, in this industry and all others I've worked in, that early morning meetings are the most productive of all. People are sharper, keener to have a coffee and shoot the breeze and it helps you get your own day off to a good start too.
NOTE: all industries except one, music. If you try to contact a musician or promoter before noon-2PM, you are really going to get an earful!
I have always found, in this industry and all others I've worked in, that early morning meetings are the most productive of all. People are sharper, keener to have a coffee and shoot the breeze and it helps you get your own day off to a good start too.
NOTE: all industries except one, music. If you try to contact a musician or promoter before noon-2PM, you are really going to get an earful!
I have also been out of IT (as in Information Technology) since, uhhhhhhhhh, about 2006/2007'ish, I think.
Early morning meetings are a good reason to get up early. I used to attend a weekly breakfast meeting (BNI) for a number of years. Several benefits including limiting the impact on billings.
It works wonders for non-billable hours.
But there's a much better use for early mornings. Working on your company.... that may include planning (your day amongst other things), marketing, and any number of other items.
Glen Ford, PMP
http://www.TrainingNOW.ca
http://www.LearningCreators.com
http://www.LearningCreators.com/blog
It works wonders for non-billable hours.
But there's a much better use for early mornings. Working on your company.... that may include planning (your day amongst other things), marketing, and any number of other items.
Glen Ford, PMP
http://www.TrainingNOW.ca
http://www.LearningCreators.com
http://www.LearningCreators.com/blog
Of course, the argument isn't all one sided.
First, lots of people are not up or available at that time. So your breakfast meeting may not be thought of well. You may also not be able to contact necessary resources (i.e. people).
Second, we all have internal rythms. Sometimes, we just don't function well in the morning. Some people don't function well at night. Rather than force a particular schedule generally we're better off determining our rythm and scheduling to it.
Third, there's a limit to how long we can work. Let's face it -- running a business involves long, hard hours. If you're already working late at night, burning the candle at the other end isn't a wise thing to do!
Okay, back to my coffee....*Yawn* |-O ... Guess I grab myself some breakfast soon ....
Glen Ford, PMP
http://www.TrainingNOW.ca
http://www.LearningCreators.com
http://www.LearningCreators.com/blog
First, lots of people are not up or available at that time. So your breakfast meeting may not be thought of well. You may also not be able to contact necessary resources (i.e. people).
Second, we all have internal rythms. Sometimes, we just don't function well in the morning. Some people don't function well at night. Rather than force a particular schedule generally we're better off determining our rythm and scheduling to it.
Third, there's a limit to how long we can work. Let's face it -- running a business involves long, hard hours. If you're already working late at night, burning the candle at the other end isn't a wise thing to do!
Okay, back to my coffee....*Yawn* |-O ... Guess I grab myself some breakfast soon ....
Glen Ford, PMP
http://www.TrainingNOW.ca
http://www.LearningCreators.com
http://www.LearningCreators.com/blog
this depends on the location of your meetings and the general acceptance of the populace and your target clients. It would be different in other parts of the world.
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