Well, I picked up client number four last week. How cool is that?! Just when I think I'm perfectly content, I get another good client. Now, I know that one of my clients has hired me to help them get a contract with the state (an executive branch contract), so if they don't get that, then I assume they'll discontinue our contract, but I think they've got a shot, so I hope they'll continue a contract after it is awarded.
Revenue is good and is a good balance between the clients. I think I probably need another one or two to have a better fiscal balance (not being overly dependent on any one contract), but I'm really looking forward to this year's session of the Indiana General Assembly (partly because it's probably only going to be two months long)!
I do want to pursue slow growth with my client list. I think going into this year's session with four clients is probably a perfect number. I don't want to over-promise to my clients. So, if things go well enough this year with four, I can see how much capacity I have for the 2011 session.
Anyway, things are awesome!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
How to become a lobbyist pt. 2
Well, apparently, there are many who are much more effective at finding things on the web than I am. Somehow, I'm getting about one or two emails a week from young folks considering government affairs/lobbying as a possible career option.
I absolutely love these inquiries. To find younger folks interested in politics is really quite refreshing. I answer alot of the basic questions for them (what should I study, where should I look for internships, etc.), but one thing I always try and point out is to speak to lobbyists near them.
I'm a state lobbyist in Indiana. So if there is a student at Purdue, ISU, Ball State, etc., I am probably a perfect resource, but in the last week, I've gotten inquiries from California and North Carolina. I make it a point to offer the students some local lobbyists with whom to speak since I don't have a clue what it's like to lobby in those states.
I guess the purpose of this posting is to simply say: keep the inquiries coming. I love answering questions, and I love finding local lobbyists for young folks to speak with. Getting your foot in the door in politics isn't easy unless your family has a recognizable name in your state/community. If you don't have a recognizable name (I didn't), you have to work that much harder to prove yourself. Most young people aren't issue experts, so they get ahead early in politics by knowing the right people. Start internships and relationship building as soon and as as often as possible.
Sorry, kind of a rambling post, but I mostly just wanted to encourage young people looking into this career to start talking with folks locally asap.
I absolutely love these inquiries. To find younger folks interested in politics is really quite refreshing. I answer alot of the basic questions for them (what should I study, where should I look for internships, etc.), but one thing I always try and point out is to speak to lobbyists near them.
I'm a state lobbyist in Indiana. So if there is a student at Purdue, ISU, Ball State, etc., I am probably a perfect resource, but in the last week, I've gotten inquiries from California and North Carolina. I make it a point to offer the students some local lobbyists with whom to speak since I don't have a clue what it's like to lobby in those states.
I guess the purpose of this posting is to simply say: keep the inquiries coming. I love answering questions, and I love finding local lobbyists for young folks to speak with. Getting your foot in the door in politics isn't easy unless your family has a recognizable name in your state/community. If you don't have a recognizable name (I didn't), you have to work that much harder to prove yourself. Most young people aren't issue experts, so they get ahead early in politics by knowing the right people. Start internships and relationship building as soon and as as often as possible.
Sorry, kind of a rambling post, but I mostly just wanted to encourage young people looking into this career to start talking with folks locally asap.
Friday, September 18, 2009
New Client National Convention
So my newest client asked me to attend their national conference in Orlando this past weekend. Sounds pretty sweet, right? This was the second worst event I've ever been to. The first was a National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) event in the Florida Keys.
They had this big bank of windows along the east wall of the conference hall where the meetings took place. About every five minutes or so, a big fishing boat (or pleasure boat) would sail by, and I'd hear someone in the background droning on about some insurance issue....pure hell.
This time, I was within 10 minutes of the happiest place on earth (unless you were to get stuck on whatever that ride is with the song "it's a small world"...like what happened to us the last time the missuz and I went. That's another kind of pure hell. I digress...
So this meeting was in this massive hotel in Orlando, and it went from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Don't get me wrong, there were some great speakers and agenda items, I'm just saying: Don't hold something like this in Florida. Hold it in Iowa or something (no offense to anyone in Iowa).
They had this big bank of windows along the east wall of the conference hall where the meetings took place. About every five minutes or so, a big fishing boat (or pleasure boat) would sail by, and I'd hear someone in the background droning on about some insurance issue....pure hell.
This time, I was within 10 minutes of the happiest place on earth (unless you were to get stuck on whatever that ride is with the song "it's a small world"...like what happened to us the last time the missuz and I went. That's another kind of pure hell. I digress...
So this meeting was in this massive hotel in Orlando, and it went from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Don't get me wrong, there were some great speakers and agenda items, I'm just saying: Don't hold something like this in Florida. Hold it in Iowa or something (no offense to anyone in Iowa).
Friday, September 4, 2009
Hey...who's running this show?!
Next week a client is coming in town and has asked me to set up various meetings. One of the meetings they asked me to set up was with a powerful legislator from the opposite party. I don't believe in trying to pretend I'm something that I'm not, so when the client asked me to work on setting up the meeting, I said I'd be happy to do so, but it's a difficult meeting to arrange for even those who are this legislator's friends, and I'm not one who falls in that category.
I just feel like I need to be honest and up-front with the client, even if it ultimately means they go to another firm. I'm not going to promise anything I can't deliver or pretend I'm someone with every important relationship in the Statehouse. I suppose that could be one advantage of having a larger firm, but I continue to believe there are trade-offs for big firm versus little firm.
In any event, apparently my client called someone else and got the meeting set up. I feel kind of awkward about the whole thing, but it's not that I don't have relationships on the other side of the aisle, it's just that I didn't have this one. So here they are, this out-of-state company who has relationships in our fair state and can get meetings done that I can't. Well, I think I could've eventually gotten the meeting, but I probably would've needed more lead time.
Oh, and I don't think I mentioned it previously, but I picked up another client last week. I'm not up to three clients. Woo-hoo! Sure was not fun at the beginning of the year, since there were a couple of companies who said they wanted to hire me, but then backed out once I actually made the leap on my own.
In fact, one of those companies still calls me to help them with stuff, but I believe those days of free lunches are officially over. I could probably hold a grudge at a few folks, but why bother. My business is growing and I couldn't be happier...until I pick up another client!
I just feel like I need to be honest and up-front with the client, even if it ultimately means they go to another firm. I'm not going to promise anything I can't deliver or pretend I'm someone with every important relationship in the Statehouse. I suppose that could be one advantage of having a larger firm, but I continue to believe there are trade-offs for big firm versus little firm.
In any event, apparently my client called someone else and got the meeting set up. I feel kind of awkward about the whole thing, but it's not that I don't have relationships on the other side of the aisle, it's just that I didn't have this one. So here they are, this out-of-state company who has relationships in our fair state and can get meetings done that I can't. Well, I think I could've eventually gotten the meeting, but I probably would've needed more lead time.
Oh, and I don't think I mentioned it previously, but I picked up another client last week. I'm not up to three clients. Woo-hoo! Sure was not fun at the beginning of the year, since there were a couple of companies who said they wanted to hire me, but then backed out once I actually made the leap on my own.
In fact, one of those companies still calls me to help them with stuff, but I believe those days of free lunches are officially over. I could probably hold a grudge at a few folks, but why bother. My business is growing and I couldn't be happier...until I pick up another client!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
in-house versus hired guns
I had dinner with a friend last night who mentioned an acquaintance that is leaving his private practice to join a corporate government affairs shop. Maybe it's just what I've seen in the insurance government affairs world, but it seems like corporate government affairs would be my last choice of employment options.
When corporate leadership changes, the government affairs folks may not be as necessary to the new leadership. The new leaders may want to bring in their own folks, or there may just be compatibility issues. I've also seen mergers and acquisitions where the new owner already has a government affairs shop which then leads to job cuts.
I suppose there are benefits (literally and figuratively) why folks would want to work in a corporate shop, but my personal opinion that is if you can do well enough financially, that should be a last option.
Just my opinion.
When corporate leadership changes, the government affairs folks may not be as necessary to the new leadership. The new leaders may want to bring in their own folks, or there may just be compatibility issues. I've also seen mergers and acquisitions where the new owner already has a government affairs shop which then leads to job cuts.
I suppose there are benefits (literally and figuratively) why folks would want to work in a corporate shop, but my personal opinion that is if you can do well enough financially, that should be a last option.
Just my opinion.
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