Time Is Money: Are You, As An Entrepreneur, Burning Through A Modern Currency? In the modern economy, time really is money. How are you spending it?
By Aby Sam Thomas •
You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
As someone who often feels there aren't enough hours in the day to finish all of the tasks on my plate, I am always befuddled by those who seem to have time to spare for meetings with me on a work day, with the agenda primarily being "just to catch up." In the modern economy, time really is money. How are you spending it? Is there an ROI? "Catch up" requests, especially when they come from entrepreneurs, often set off warning bells in my head.
If your aim with a meeting is to apparently only exchange pleasantries with me, rest assured that I am already skeptical about you and your intentions, and I definitely do not appreciate the seeming disregard for my time as well. Sure, there may be something you actually want to discuss in person with me- but if that is indeed the case, wouldn't it be better if you simply laid that out in your first email requesting the meetup? For one, that'd help me see if we can get things done over email itself (or maybe a call), and if not, we'd now be clear about the main points of discussion when we do meet with each other- surely, that'd be a better use of time, be it yours or mine!
One important note here though: if you are going to set an agenda for a meeting, make sure it is specific and to the point. For instance, requesting me for a meeting "to explore collaboration opportunities" doesn't mean anything to me- I'd much rather have you do some research of your own, and then come to me with potential action items that could work for the both of us. For one, this shows me that you have seriously looked through our work, and found out ways to perhaps add value to what we do, while satisfying your own priorities- a win-win situation, if you will, and that is often enough for me to want to invest my time with you. As entrepreneurs, you don't have the luxury of wasting your time- and you sure as heck cannot expect anyone else to set aside their time for you for no reason. Keep it real, people.
Related: How To Reach Out To (And Get Noticed By) Busy People
