Unless You Want to Support a Good Cause, Don't Work for Free
“Men live by intervals of reasons under the sovereignty of humor and passion.”
- Sir Thomas Browne
Along the way, I was not only blogging to showcase my writing skill, but also volunteering to do the research work for the Hong Kong Startup Guide 2014. I interviewed investors, authors, anyone who could bring insights for the book. I told everyone who could possibly contribute to my hero’s cause that I was doing volunteer work to support it.
At the beginning of September, I promised myself I would email Derek again with my contribution to his vision. If he finds my volunteer research work valuable, he may hire me as a writer; that would be great. If he thinks my work is useless and dumps it, I will still be grateful. It's because even though he wouldn't give me the job, he has already given me a dream by inspiration. I thought this is exactly what role model means - a person regarded by others, especially young people, as an example to follow.
Another lesson I had learned from other role models was time management: kill the obsolete notion of time management, once and for all. Time management used to teach us how to maximize every second we spend in the galaxy, at the same time, neglecting the fact that prioritization is more important. Running faster at the spinning treadmill doesn’t make you fly to the promised land - where your own dream castle is located.
Putting my head down 60+ hours per week and adding one more volunteer job on the side, money became a trivial factor. Instead of asking how much monetary value I could get out of the volunteer project, I asked myself “Am I supporting a good cause or gaining experience from a specific person?”
The answer turned out to be YES to both of them. Not even an either-or answer.
Why was it important to answer this question before rolling the ball? Because money alone was not the source of personal power to wake you up before dawn and work near midnight, on top of 60+ hours treadmill work. It was not sustainable, unless you have a good cause to support. Only passion, instead of money or any other thing, could take the role to fuel your Ferrari engine up and running all day long.
So I dug my question and soul even deeper. “Am I willing to work for free for my hero and his company?” The answer was a very obvious Hell Yeah! which came before my analysis. I listened to my heart. The analysis later on turned out to be just a weapon to persuade people to give me a hand on the volunteer work. I convinced the entrepreneurs, investors, government officials, authors, etc. by saying:
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Hi my friend -
I am volunteering to do the research work for my hero - Derek Sivers. He was the founder of CDBaby and sold this company in 2008 for 22 US million dollars. After 10 years of building a legend, he didn’t become a millionaire. Because he gave away his company to charity.
Lately, he started another startup - Wood Egg. This is an e-book and on-going project which helps foreign entrepreneurs to establish new businesses in 16 countries. Hong Kong, 1 of those 16 countries, is where my research is focusing on. I am utterly happy to have a chance to work for this project.
One of my tasks is to interview a government official who works with small business or economic development. Ask about incentives, current developments, departments to know, and any advice.
Is it OK if I have an informal interview with you which takes no longer than an hour?
- Nobody
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Read the next chapter: Back to the Stage
Or table of contents: Brick by Brick