Oops! You goofed. BIG time. What can an entrepreneur do about it and still stay profitable?
A recent client of mine decided, after I had written a full eBook for them, that the content was too specific for their needs. After several weeks of back-and-forth, stressful deliberations, we jointly decided to pitch the whole thing. She went elsewhere, I wasn't paid, and now I've got an essentially useless 60 page document sitting on my laptop.
Normally it takes me four weeks to write an eBook (while still working on other projects). My lost wages? Approximately $700 USD.
Needless to say, this is a larger sum for writers such as myself. How on earth could I profit from this error in judgement AND keep my sanity?
My first tactic was: get down on the floor and breathe. I needed to cleanse myself of this icky energy, and fast. So instead of getting upset and talking to whoever would listen, I practised some newfound breathing techniques from pranayama, an ancient yogic technique for controlling Prana (life force or energy).
I felt more serene and able to think clearly afterwards, so I peeked around the 'Net for what other entrepreneurs had done in similar situations for guidance. To my surprise, both the New York Times and Business Week have written recent stories on the subject. MIS Magazine even discusses how to make "deliberate mistakes that pay off".
After perusing these pieces, I felt a lot better about my predicament. Sure, I was out some money I counted on for bill-paying purposes. But I could still use the eBook and either sell it on my own or use it for another client, since the copyright was never purchased by the intially-intended end user.
Hm. I think I have some writing to do. Stay tuned for my eBook on taking your Local Business online!
