Trudge love

As an entrepreneur, knowing when to hire and when to do something yourself is a skill. Some reduce it to simple economics — my time is worth at least $200, so I will never do something that I can hire for less than that.

I have yet to be able to apply this hard and fast rule, primarily because I love doing the trench work. It’s extremely satisfying to get messy and hack things out. And, there are ton of advantages of being on the front line.

First, it feels great to be challenged by new things regularly. New tools, special jargon, and particular techniques — it’s like unlocking new powers, opening doors in your brain.

From a creativity perspective, the more worlds you’re able to experience, the more ideas and solutions will surface. Breakthroughs come on the fringes of and overlaps of topics. Flipping and remixing what is conventional.

Having a little more than a pedestrian level knowledge about different subjects also means you’ll be able to relate that much closer, with that many different people.

I delight in building a chicken coop, styling websites, and doing minor repairs on trucks. While I won’t be a carpenter, a senior software engineer, or a mechanic, they’re not below my pay grade. Understanding these jobs, and folks who are very good at them, makes me a fuller and happier person.