"Drilling Down" - Putting "Fun" Back in Your Business

If work isn't fun, you're not playing on the right team!
Frank Sonnenberg

by Skip Cohen

​I started the "Drilling Down" series as a way to share ideas to help you build a stronger business and increase brand awareness. Today is focused on "fun." Out of everything I've shared to date, "fun" might be the most important of all. "Fun" is one of those very special words too often lost under the stress of business today.

Having fun with what you're doing is as important as your skill set as an artist and business owner. In fact, it's at the very core of success. But fun doesn't just happen - it takes work! You've got to take the time to have fun. You've got to recognize burnout. You've got to use those Who Wants to Be a Millionaire lifelines and phone a friend.

When I look back on all my years in this industry, there are so many knuckleheads who have made it fun. For example, during his years at Kodak, Terry Deglau and I simply had fun, but we worked hard to make it happen. We often tagged on extra days at conventions - including driving Ansel Adams' Cadillac into Yosemite for three days with a trunk loaded with Hasselblad gear and Kodak film after PhotoWest in the 90s.

When you're hanging out with good friends and simply having fun, the process of laughing and enjoying each other's company brings new ideas bubbling to the surface. Great friends share so many common interests. It's not about fame, money, or your skills, but about being happy in whatever you're doing, and then sharing time with the right people.

I've written many times in the past, "You can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it!"  So, if stress is winning too much lately, here are some easy suggestions (in no particular order) to push it back where it belongs!
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• Take the time to step away from the business.
• Make time to get to know the people you interact with.
• Go to lunch with a friend.
• Don't answer your phone for a few hours on an afternoon when you need a little time to yourself.
• At upcoming conventions, take the time to meet new people.
• Get to know the team at the vendors you work with.
• Don't "doom-scroll" in social media. Ten minutes of scrolling often sours my mood, leaving me hours to snap out of it.
• Keep music playing throughout the day in your office. It's not for everybody, but with my home office there's always something playing on Alexa.
• Keep in touch with friends on social media.
• Follow birthdays and anniversaries - I love Facebook for that.
• On the personal health side: exercise, get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated and eat healthy.

Work to put "FUN" into your business life. And, don't let your business interrupt the time you need with family and friends. 

Have fun, work hard and money will come. Don't waste time - grab your chances.
Have a positive outlook on life. When it's not fun move on.

Richard Branson
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