Parallels Between Ghostwriting and Notion Development
Sometimes people can't immediately size me up, and I can't blame them. After all, I wear a few different hats. That's not to say, however, that each one gets equal use. Far from it. Over the last four years, I have worn two caps more than the others combined. Together, they have paid my bills.
In today's post, I'll explain how my most important lines of business today—writing authors' books and building Notion tools—aren't all that dissimilar.
Phil Simon
A Product at the End of the Project
I am not an executive coach or an occupational therapist. My Notion and ghostwriting clients hire me to help them accomplish a defined task. The new CRMs, bespoke event management systems, and physical books all had to meet some definition of done.
Admittedly, that simple, four-letter word can become squishy and contentious, especially on amorphous and flat-rate projects. To minimize confusion and conflict, I bill hourly. The benefits of doing so (avoiding scope creep) more than justify its minor administrative burden. (It's easy to automate time tracking in Notion.)
We Followed Agile Methods
Working on ERP systems for more than a decade taught me the profound limitations of Waterfall development. Of course, I could wait until the very end of the project to show a client a new dashboard, system, or manuscript. The odds that I'll stick the landing are remote, though.
Clients see alpha versions of Notion systems and rough tables of contents. (Ah, the beauty of Scrum.) By definition, they're not perfect. These prototypes provide invaluable directional feedback and minimize the risk of forthcoming surprises, frustration, and wasted time and money. If we're on the wrong track, we quickly find out, make necessary adjustments, and get on the same page.
Mutual Learning
The projects have varied considerably in many ways, but two things have happened on each one:
- I've learned a great deal about my clients' needs and areas of expertise.
- They've learned a considerable amount from me.
It's fair to call the transfer of knowledge symbiotic. My clients wouldn't have been able to complete their projects without their input and vice versa.
Unanticipated Delays
Never has even a medium-term engagement gone off without a hitch. At one extreme, a client vowed to follow up with me next week. I finally heard back from him a few weeks later. At the other, a ghostwriting client needed to pause her project for three months.
A New Respect for the Importance of Process
At the beginning of each project, I explain that no decision is irrevocable. Some bells, though, are harder than others to unring. Case in point: changing database structures and reorganizing book sections involves a great deal of rework. Intellectually, that statement is facile, but I make that key point several times before we sign anything. To use a housing metaphor, I ask them to triple-check if we're building a Colonial.
In a few cases, a client and I have reached the point of no return and the former has inexplicably reversed course. (“Yeah, I want a duplex now.”) Demolishing the foundation is expensive, and the burnt hand teaches best.
If we're on the wrong track, we quickly find out and make necessary adjustments.
Brass tacks: each of my clients has walked away with a heightened appreciation for our process.
Phil Simon
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Do you see parallels between different lines of your business? What say you?
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