As over-used and perhaps misconstrued as it may be, the phrase “fake it ‘till you make it” is almost like a rite of passage in the business world, in that astute partners you go on to work with and even savvy customers who patronise your business are actually aware of the fact that you’re “faking it,” to a certain extent of course. While you proudly hand over your business card which bears an address featuring the best virtual office in Beverly Hills though, remember that “faking it” in this way should be backed up with some real action behind the scenes.
Cause and Effect
As mentioned, there is absolutely nothing wrong with polishing certain aspects of the appearance of your business so that you can attract some eyes which you otherwise wouldn’t have attracted and if anything, some of your partners who are aware of your efforts to shine in this way appreciate the lengths you go to in order to grab their attention. For business partners in particular it demonstrates some willpower alongside the entrepreneurial spirit they probably have themselves, but as mentioned, all of these efforts to stand out so as to attract clients and partners need to be backed up with some genuine value that is to be delivered to the end-clients.
You need to have a cause-and-effect system in place, through which every action you take to “fake it” results in a consequence that leads to you “making it.” If you’re hosting a meeting between yourself and a prospective, huge client for example, it would make perfect sense for you to present a progressive front which suggests to them that they’re entrusting their business into the right hands, so getting that luxury conference room rental in Beverly Hills to hold that meeting is the cause, while the effect of that is landing this big client.
The application of the cause-and-effect law should be turned right on its head when you’re dealing with potential investors or maybe even some partners however. This is because on this other side of the coin the “fake it ‘till you make it” operational methodology is a demonstration of some great business acumen, something which will be admired by potential investors and partners so this type of information should not go unshared.
If a hedge fund manager catches wind of the fact that you don’t really own your own physical office space and you rather make use of the virtual office services of the likes of Global Business Center, in their eyes you’re doing nothing more than minimising unnecessary overheads while your implied focus is firmly placed on delivering a high-quality product or service offering. So they’d admire that decision.
Otherwise to the rest of the world, beyond your investors and some of your partners, while you’re justifiably faking it ‘till you make it, remember to maintain quality in the output and delivery of your final product and service. That’s the main area of importance which you should never lose sight of, no matter how far you go to “fake it ‘till you make it.”
