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The process has…","fields":{"github":"https://github.com/joelhooks/joelhooks-com/tree/master/content/legacy_blog/2017-10-26-why-we-hire-consultants-to-help-build-egghead-dot-io.markdown"},"body":"var _excluded = [\"components\"];\n\nfunction _extends() { _extends = Object.assign || function (target) { for (var i = 1; i < arguments.length; i++) { var source = arguments[i]; for (var key in source) { if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(source, key)) { target[key] = source[key]; } } } return target; }; return _extends.apply(this, arguments); }\n\nfunction _objectWithoutProperties(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded); var key, i; if (Object.getOwnPropertySymbols) { var sourceSymbolKeys = Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(source); for (i = 0; i < sourceSymbolKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceSymbolKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; if (!Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable.call(source, key)) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } } return target; }\n\nfunction _objectWithoutPropertiesLoose(source, excluded) { if (source == null) return {}; var target = {}; var sourceKeys = Object.keys(source); var key, i; for (i = 0; i < sourceKeys.length; i++) { key = sourceKeys[i]; if (excluded.indexOf(key) >= 0) continue; target[key] = source[key]; } return target; }\n\n/* @jsxRuntime classic */\n\n/* @jsx mdx */\nvar _frontmatter = {\n  \"layout\": \"post\",\n  \"title\": \"Why we hire consultants to help build egghead.io\",\n  \"date\": \"2017-10-26T00:00:00.000Z\"\n};\nvar layoutProps = {\n  _frontmatter: _frontmatter\n};\nvar MDXLayout = \"wrapper\";\nreturn function MDXContent(_ref) {\n  var components = _ref.components,\n      props = _objectWithoutProperties(_ref, _excluded);\n\n  return mdx(MDXLayout, _extends({}, layoutProps, props, {\n    components: components,\n    mdxType: \"MDXLayout\"\n  }), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Over the past few years we have built egghead.io from a relatively simple \\u201Cvideo blog\\u201D and into a full blown platform for developers to publish their knowledge about software development as screencasts and get paid for it. The process has been intense! Every step of the way was a new road block labeled \\u201CNOW LEARN THIS\\u201D. Often with multiple new skills to learn at the same time. If you stop for a minute and consider what it takes to build an online business from scratch, your list would be similar to:\"), mdx(\"ul\", null, mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Serverside Development\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Frontend (UI) Development\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Internet Marketing\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Business\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Accounting\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Design\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"User Experience\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Support\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Analytics\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Communications\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"Copywriting\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ul\"\n  }, \"\\u2026?\")), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"It\\u2019s really fucking daunting\"), \". As a \\u201Cmild\\u201D perfectionist and planner with symptoms of OCD to proceed without first fully understanding the problem \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"and\"), \" knowing the proper, best-we-can-manage solution to the problem. To solve this, especially in the beginning when it is just you and the wide open internet is to:\"), mdx(\"ol\", null, mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ol\"\n  }, \"Buy all the books.\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ol\"\n  }, \"Read all the books.\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ol\"\n  }, \"Search for answers and opinions on the internet.\"), mdx(\"li\", {\n    parentName: \"ol\"\n  }, \"Combine all of the above into a composite solution for your specific problem.\")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"This takes a \", mdx(\"em\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"long\"), \" time, depending on the scope and difficulty of what you want to build. It is required though, and as somebody that is trying to solve a non-trivial problem using software deployed to the internet you will need to be an expert in many things.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Wikipedia, Amazon, Kahn Academy, Safari Online\\u2026\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"It\\u2019s seriously amazing to be alive in this time of deep deep wealth of available information.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"There are definitely other options. You can even take college courses, but that is dreadfully slow and it will delay making The Thing for sure, maybe forever. They don\\u2019t offer a degree that combines the list above, and it is very expensive.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Another option can be to take on a partner or partners. This is tricky, but you\\u2019ll often hear the story of a technically oriented person teaming up with a business savvy person to create a thing. Partnerships can be amazing and work out wonderfully, but they can also be horribly tragic and painful. Choose your partners well, and understand that (maybe most?) partnerships can end badly if expectations don\\u2019t meet reality.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Some combination of the above is going to be how you \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"get started\"), \" building your business. You\\u2019ll understand the principles of getting an audience built. Once you\\u2019ve got a group of people that appreciate your help and knowledge, you\\u2019ll sell them something small. Now, you\\u2019ve started to develop an income somewhere in the \\u201Chey, this pays the rent!\\u201D range, and you\\u2019ll have had interaction with your audience and understand their pain and suffering even more. Now it\\u2019s time to alleviate the pain, and build The Thing.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"What\\u2019s The Thing? Who knows. If you start with an idea of the solution, you\\u2019ve basically tainted the whole process and will most likely become another sad case of \\u201C9 out of 10 small businesses fail\\u201D giving the rest of us a bad name. Right now what it is doesn\\u2019t matter, but the process remains the same.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Learning all of the skills needed to build a Platform of Audience Pain Relief at an expert level is an admirable goal. For a lifetime. That\\u2019s too long, so how can we speed that process up and serve our audience in more profound ways sooner?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Expert consultants. Individuals that bring years of experience, intelligent insight, and high level focus on the specific problems that your business craves. Consultants, \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"good\"), \" consultants, are highly paid to give you their undivided attention. The amazing world-class experts in their fields that would take you a decade of sad failures to fully understand what they can accomplish in a matter of weeks.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"A good consultant will cost you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"per week\"), \", and when you see the proposal\\u2019s last page, it can be a bit of a gut shot. A good consultant can ultimately \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"save you years\"), \" and increase your earnings exponentially.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"If you want to maximize the value you get out of your consultant engagement, it\\u2019s important to have a conversational knowledge of the area of expertise you are hiring a consultant for. 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Or\\u2026\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"L\", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"ook at your world-class consulting engagement as an opportunity to receive a condensed practical education from somebody in the top of their field in the context of your business.\")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"This approach can multiply your investment in hiring experts so much.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"When you are paying a consultant $25-50k a week (sounds crazy, right?) and they are doing their work, you should be taking notes and asking questions.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Have you ever seen the show Kitchen Nightmares? You\\u2019ll notice one type of restaurant owner that always bickers with Gordon \\u201Cfucking\\u201D Ramsay. You\\u2019ve got a world class chef and restauranteur standing in your kitchen giving you tips and techniques to lift your business and better serve your customer\\u2026 and you\\u2019re gonna bicker with him?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"src\": \"https://d2mxuefqeaa7sj.cloudfront.net/s_CE6FF3FC65E6A9460D730679A5296DFBBBD421B6C4D79EE26DC7661337FBF459_1506020006881_image.png\",\n    \"alt\": null\n  })), mdx(\"p\", null, \"If you own a restaurant and Chef Ramsay is in your kitchen, you should be standing at attention, notepad poised, asking questions, and scribbling down the answers to study that night to ask more questions.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Don\\u2019t annoy the Chef, but learn, observe, and communicate where you want clarity. Take notes. Summarize in written documents. Ask questions async (email). Ask the expert to review your summaries. Use this time to your advantage.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"If you consider your consultant as a prized guest lecturer there to demonstrate and teach you how to improve your business, they are money well spent.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"Building a team\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"If things go as planned, you can start hiring experts to work with you full time. That can be an amazing experience, though you\\u2019ve also added \\u201CHR\\u201D to the list of skills you need to know and understand. You might fuck that up a few times too, as you learn about hiring and working with humans the hard way through trial and error.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Consultants are often hired to \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"fix problems caused by poor early choices\"), \", which is fine and sometimes required. 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The team wins, the customers win, the consultant wins, and ultimately \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"you\"), \" win too.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"What if it goes bad?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"It\\u2019s not all roses. Engagements can go wrong. You might end up feeling a little sad or disappointed if your expectations don\\u2019t reflect the outcomes. At that point, it\\u2019s time for some reflection and understanding. Was it a total loss? Are the gains not apparent yet? Were we attacking the wrong problems at the wrong time?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"It\\u2019s a learning experience. Don\\u2019t bet the farm on a consulting engagement! 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My partner lived her entire life in Fort Worth…","fields":{"title":"Living and learning in 2017","slug":"blog/2018/01/01/what-i-learned-and-did-in-2017","date":"2018-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"}},"next":{"id":"3a3c1e47-cdcd-5f38-85b3-c7af2e313167","parent":{"name":"2017-01-02-2016-was-amazing-best-year-yet","sourceInstanceName":"legacy"},"excerpt":"2016 as a year took a lot of criticism as a year. Beloved celebrities died in a seemingly endless parade of \"noooooooo\". We were subjected to a painful and divisive US federal election cycle, which resulted in another shameless ass-clown getting…","fields":{"title":"2016 was amazing. Best year yet.","slug":"blog/2017/01/02/2016-was-amazing-best-year-yet","date":"2017-01-02T00:00:00.000Z"}}}},
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