Stop Waiting for the Perfect Moment: and Just Write Your Business Book.
At least twice a month, I meet smart, successful leaders with the same secret: they’ve got a book idea in their back pocket. They’ll bring it up over coffee, or when a meeting runs long.
“Someday I’m going to write it,” they say. But then the excuses come tumbling out—I don’t have time… it’ll never hit the bestseller list… what if nobody buys it?
Here’s the thing—It’s not the writing that scares people. It’s the fear of not being big. Highly driven people are used to winning. They don’t want to risk putting something out there that doesn’t instantly take off.
Byt books don’t need to be instant blockbusters to make an impact.
Take Hollywood. James Cameron’s Avatar shattered box office records, raking in billions. But if you stopped ten people on the street, how many could tell you the main character’s name, or even what happened in the story? For all its spectacle, it left little pop culture footprint…it’s just the 90’s cartoon Fern Gully with blue aliens or something…the ultimate fast food movie. You’re full for a couple of hours, but then the mental sugar crash happens after you leave the theater, and don’t remember what you even watched.
Now contrast that with three films the studios practically buried: Empire Records, Office Space, and The Boondock Saints. All three opened to tiny audiences. Empire Records made just $150,000 opening weekend. The only reason it survived at all was its soundtrack, which went double platinum and kept the movie alive thanks to a big hit song from The Gin Blossoms. Office Space was considered a flop until Comedy Central reruns and DVDs turned it into one of the most quoted movies in business culture. And The Boondock Saints was pulled from wide release entirely, yet built a rabid cult following on VHS (later, DVD and streaming).
The lesson? First-week numbers don’t determine long-term influence.
If you’re in business, you don’t need a million readers. You need the right twelve. Imagine a dozen of your best potential clients reading your ideas cover to cover. Not a LinkedIn post skimmed on a phone. Not a podcast played in the background. Hours of dedicated attention inside their heads. How many competitors get that kind of access?
A book is a long game. It keeps paying dividends: establishing authority, creating speaking opportunities, giving you credibility in every meeting. It’s the best business card you’ll ever hand someone.
So if you’ve got an idea, stop waiting for the perfect moment. Start with an outline. Write badly at first. Hire help if you need it. The only way it makes zero impact is if it never leaves your head.
Need help? Click the button below to get in touch.
