5

Recently, I've had a lot of plates spinning. The result is what you'd expect: some drop and break, others then get more of my attention, and every once in a while another pole with a plate on top comes into place and splits my attention again. Still a capacity issue, but that's part of the show in this metaphor -- the ability to scale a difficult task many times over.

Some might think this the typical balance of project portfolio management and business development. It's actually kind of a hideous way to live. There are some plates in motion for me right now that might have fallen long ago, but have not and probably won't because I'm directly handling them. Basically, when you hire a Lovely Assistant (metaphor, I assure you) to "give this one a turn every so often", eventually you need to get your hands on it again no matter the state and may find it more than a bit wobbly. My hands get pretty tired sometimes.
I'm pretty busy with a couple of really interesting startups right now. We're executing on their evolving product vision, and I'm quite pleased with the net results. I hope to have long, healthy relationships with them. I could do that through Fending Group (my firm) with limited scaling capacity except for contractors, or bring more people into the circle and market a totally different company. Starting soon, I'm going to do the latter.
There will of course be announcements and such about that when it happens. The exciting thing for me is that my partners and I share recent experience in a few of the same verticals, and tend to be drawn to and shy away from the same kinds of projects.
There are three areas that summarize our direction for this new company.
Strategy
The word Strategy is overused. By a lot. I'm not not about implementation planning when I say Strategy, though that is a tangible work product based on it. Identifying risks and opportunities, then having a plan for addressing them, is of high value. I've been giving away strategy consulting -- and even implementation planning -- to get engagements. We're not going to do that.
Products
We excel at product invention and execution. To this end, we need to eat a little of our own dog food and execute on a couple of our own ideas once in a while. And if "project work" comes our way that does not define a company or its product, we pass it on to other firms that focus on traditional "client" work. We are not a Bodies For Hire shop, and never will be. Our referral network will be a strong one.
Services and Engagements
Services differ from termed engagements. My preference is to have multiple long-term relationships with clients that help to not only maintain but continually define their product when an initial product buildout engagement concludes. This may in fact involve bringing in more Partners (not Lovely Assistants) over time. It also means firm partnerships to better serve clients.
So that's the next chapter in my life. Fewer plates, more hands, and no more Lovely Assistants.