Me.Inc

As I was thinking about what I wanted to say in this post I stumbled upon a book by Gene Simmons (of Kiss) who, to no surprise, talks about this very topic. While I am a Kiss fan and musician - Gene Simmons is an interesting cat who is apparently someone who lives by the Me.Inc thought process. He's a great businessman and built an empire based on a vision and a plan. Sometimes it's a bit too much but you get the idea ..

While this topic is nothing new, it's something that I have adopted and found more important through the years of my career in both business and personal life. Especially in a world where the relationships between employers and employees have began to tilt this is a concept that more and more people should adopt sooner rather than later.

Growing up we were all taught the same thing - "go to school, get a job, work hard and you will be rewarded for your commitment and dedication to a firm". The powerhouse companies such as IBM, GE and many others did in fact create platforms for employees to proposer and the balance of give and get was even. It worked. Employees stayed at companies sometimes their entire careers and even got pensions to retire. It was a one chapter book and an easy read.

I've worked at all levels of companies from large powerhouses, early stage startups and medium sized firms. Specifically working in early stage startups you adopt the Me.Inc concept through necessity both for the firm and your personal management. For every decision you make in a company's growth - you should also use the same determination chain for your own career.

• How you market yourself / your brand.
• Where you spend your time / how long.
• Are you growing / where are you heading / why.
• Build your partner & customer base / your network.
• Set your goals and continually track your progress.
• Make changes before they are made for you.
• What drives you everyday.
• Understand your resources / what you are good at / not good at.
• Be accountable for yourself / drive to perfection / learn.
• Don't tree-hug ideas / don't waste time.
• Always know what is more important / the priority.
• Keep your emotions in check / it's business.
• Understand what you can only influence and what you truly control.

The reality is that - the only thing you can truly control is ... you.

Think about yourself as your own business even if you are working in a large, med or small firm. For that fact, do this in everything you do in your life.

On the flip-side, there are many camps out there that take this a bit far - so don't get too caught up in yourself and becomes selfish. A (very successful) friend of mine once gave me a set of CD's from Tony Robbins (Personal Power). I started to listen to these on my hour drive home from work and began to practice some of what I had perceived from his messages .. and it backfired. You don't have to go as far as evaluating every step, penny and breath to align it back to your own growth and success. However, you need to find the right balance and more important collectively look at everything you do as your personal business growth. It's healthy and over time it helps you make fast and hard decisions because you have a plan to weigh against. You'll work smarter, faster and get better results. You'll grow.

If everyone used this mentality in a firm - I assert that clear decision and thinking could be expedited because everyone will be at par to come to the best outcome for both the company and themselves.

The good news is that we all already have our own company in each of us. Just remember to manage it because nobody will do it for you.