Meeting outside of the box…
Photo by Iguanasan
Picture this: a lovely, sunny day at an outdoor restaurant by the river. A light bite and a long chat. Aren’t these what Wednesdays are for?!
Recently I had cause to meet my partner in the city for lunch. A nice way to break up the week, eh? Don’t be mistaken though; I don’t do this often. It’s a luxury (which is what makes it so nice). And what makes it acceptable is that we discussed my business. So in effect it was a working lunch – guilt not included.
Later that day I also met up with a recruiter friend of mine, and the night before I had dinner with a mate in sales and marketing. No longer is catching up with friends purely a social occasion, but now slightly business orientated too. If not tax deductible, it is at least productive.
Discussing possibilities and action plans over a drink or two is much more fun than sitting in a boardroom! Now I know why high-flying executives do this all the time, and why I love running my own business.
These are the perks they talk about when becoming your own boss. These are the little bonuses that make all the other added pressure worthwhile.
Board meetings by the pool, managerial discussions over coffee and staff chats in the supermarket.
Without letting the business completely take over my life, it’s lovely to have such flexibility and informality. It just goes to show that business does not have to be confined to a boardroom – a new concept to me. Having only really had pure office jobs in the past, I’ve previously missed out on this world of deals done over dinner and decisions made over drinks.
And hopefully one day I can take it a step further… all the way to the hammock.
