Why hard work is fun

This is what hard work looks like. I have to write a blog. I can’t think of anything to say. I read one of my regular feeds, and it reveals some research:

• 46% of consumers say they read the blogs of their favourite brands.
• 48% feel that it's important for a brand to include brand content on their blog to assure most up-to-date information.
• 40% believe there are negative effects if brands do not provide up-to-date content on their blogs.

The imperative is clear. And then I think about the number of companies that I look at that have two blog entries, the first one breathless with enthusiasm and commitment, the second a little less so, and then nothing since (and that was two years ago). Honouring a commitment is hard work.

Then I think about the websites I look at. If I’m thinking about transacting with a company, I look at their “about us” page. If they don’t have one I move on. If it’s people-less I move on. If it’s got the owners’ story and some sense of personality, I read. Being vulnerable is hard work.

Today I will continue to deal with things that do not relate directly to sales or delivery. New premises, a new person starting (yea!), and a radical product expansion. I am deep in the detail, and that does not feel like working on. But in fact they are the very platform of our business future, and the bloody annoying premises change is turning into a major opportunity. The detail of transformation is hard work.

The hard work lies in making a start, and then the engagement takes over and we end up with a blog that says something useful and a business that is shifting into a higher gear. Which is why hard work is fun.