A few years ago, I approached my uncle for help in solving a desperate situation.

I had to make payroll in just a few days, and I wasn't sure how I was going to do it.

I needed $20,000, and I had...I don't know. Maybe half that? It was bad.

I was grateful to have him (and a select few other outstanding human beings) to turn to in this situation, but I felt so much shame at being in such a predicament in the first place. Why had I let things get to this point? I had been promising too much and charging too little. I was a failure as a business owner.

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I have a really hard time visualizing a room as it could be.

I can imagine rearranging furnishings in a different way, but it's difficult for me to imagine furnishings that aren't already there. I agonize over paint and textile colors. What's more, it's almost impossible for me to picture options for remodeling.

When it comes to interior design, I see only what is there. I would have to rely on someone like my friend Antonia to be able to see what could be done to create a more pleasant, attractive, and livable space.

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When I consider the common threads in the work I enjoy (and, for that matter, the pastimes I favor), it comes down to problem-solving.

It would be nice if I could enjoy the feeling of strolling down the corridor at the music school I created, listening to the sounds coming from each studio and cherishing its existence. "I made this happen." But no, actually. The magic of simply experiencing it is lost on me. It's not why I do what I do. I'm more interested in how to make it better.

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Would you like to know my pricing strategy for when I expanded my music school to multiple teachers?

I took the teacher’s rate of pay for a thirty-minute lesson and added $5.

There was no thought to my own costs or the market rate or anything. It was a random number.

These initial mistakes in pricing compounded over time as I expanded my business.

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It’s taken me many years to see the pattern, but I finally do:

A teacher comes along wanting to be part of my school. On the surface, they are going along with things. In every training meeting, they agree with my points and agree to implement my feedback.

But in reality, they are going their own way. Their underlying motivation for joining the staff at an alternative school is to push against the status quo, and they keep doing it even once they’re on the team. In other words, they are wary of me because I’m an administrator. I must be the enemy, part of the system they are pushing against. Therefore, they seek to subvert my authority and ingratiate themselves with the students — often without even realizing that they’re doing it.

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