Fake It…Till You Make It!
I had a good friend of mine, and a very successful vendor at QVC who makes about $50 million a year successful….tell me sister, fake it till you make it! Boy, take her advice.
I am all about making it…BIG…but what happens if you’re not quite there yet? Well you know FAKE IT!
Everyone to some degree has faked it, until they made it. A little exaggeration here or there never hurt anyone. You have to look big sometimes to get a big account, or snag that client. Hell, we all do some faking it until…well whenever.
A true entrepreneur never really makes it anyway; they just reach goals, then get board and start all over. So, they fake it until they get to a certain point…we all do it. I know some of the best big fakers around!
Be very careful when you’re faking it however, you never want to mislead others or make yourself out to be what you cannot someday become. Just a light dusting of events is totally acceptable.
To this I say…Fake it till you make it!
December 1st, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Good post..but you are so right you must be careful when faking it!
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I am not going to argue the point that some fake it to make it. I just question the point or necessity of becoming a fake when our society really needs truth and honesty. I believe that when you are untruthful, either to yourself or to a customer, it’s a very slippery slope and in the end you will lose more than you could ever possibly gain in the process. My experience is that a business built on honesty and fairness will develop a reputation that will deliver a firm customer or client base and the respect of your competitors.
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
What a great post i had to laugh when reading this post because i have had to fake it on more then one occassion and when you do fake it and pull it off and make the sale of the big contract a succes wow what a great reward then you thingk back on what you had to do to pull it off and it brings a big smile to your face. What a great post.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I agree. There is so much negativity from close friends and family when your doing your own thing. You don’t want to lie when the road is ruff. You also can’t get down in the dumps either. Sometimes you have to fake it.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I completely agree! I define faking it as not misrepresenting your capabilities but adopting a bigger mindset and practices. I may be small but I never approach clients in that way. In my mind I am already where I want to be. Cheers to faking it!
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I do not disagree with the comment above about being honest….I ALWAYS advocate honesty and integrity. Faking it, to make it does not mean you have to be dishonest and not have integrity. You sew what you reap, so if you sew lies and deceit, you get that in return. I secured the deal of a life time, not because I lied, I just made myself appear to be big enough to tackle the project… and I did an awesome job to prove myself. Then I was big enough moving forward.
Always have integrity in everything you do, sell, and always honor your commitments.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I love what you said about entrepreneurs…
[Entrepreneurs never really make it; they just reach goals, get bored and start all over."]
Very TRUE! Good post!
~Paige
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I believe that the point to be made here is the development of a positive ‘can do’ attitude when meeting a challenge or presenting a difficult proposal to a client. It’s not being a fake; it’s having the personal confidence to putting yourself in a demanding situation, delivering what’s needed to make things happen, and not exaggerating your abilities.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
[screws in devil horns] It’s “sow” and like the difference between an “o” and an “e”, one is right and the other is wrong. There is no place for being dishonest, telling white lies or equivocation when honesty is expected.
Lie if you want, but don’t expect for me to give you a wink and nod about it being cool. If someone is trusting your word and you need to lie to close a deal, that it works in the end, or you make millions, still does not wash away how it was all predicated by a lie. [un-screws horns]
Just saying, doesn’t it feel so much better when you can look in the mirror and know you have done good by doing good, and win or lose, you have stood for something besides doing whatever it takes to make a buck?
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I would add that SUCCESSFUL “Entrepreneurs never really make it; they just reach goals, get bored and start all over.” There are so many entrepreneurs/business owners who are not goal setters and are so busy working in their businesses that they miss the opportunity to truly succeed by setting goals and accomplishing them.
In difficult economic times it is vital that businesses re-evaluate everything they have assumed about their businesses in the past. Sometimes this takes an outsider to give a fresh perspective.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Well said Chris Miller! “Fake it till you make it” simply leads to a career of overcoming your own stupidity. If you truly feel that a little exaggeration is not going to bite you later “YOU ARE WRONG”. Just remember what happened when you were a kid and you told a “little white lie” and had to continuously keep it going until you were in more trouble for the “little white lie” than you would have been if you had just been honest to begin with.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
This is awesome!!! I think that sometimes when this happens, you really start to believe just how awesome the dream is and that you CAN DO IT!!!! GREAT ARTICLE!
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
In reading some of the posts here…..I don’t think this is lying at all. JMO.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
The women seem to be all for faking it and the men not so much. Hmmm.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Great advice Kim.Especially in these trying times,we need to have faith and believe in ourselves and dreams when things don’t go as we would like.Believe in your ability until you make it.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Fake it til you make it. Isn’t that pretty much what the mortgage banking industry and a large part of the executive and legislative branches of government have been doing for the past nine years or so?
Does this philosophy apply only to entrepreneurs, or we extending it to everyone - surgeons, airline pilots, engineers, school teachers? (Perhaps, we’ve already extended it . . .)
As a business owner, I’m either capable of doing a job (in which case I don’t need to fake anything) - or I’m not, in which case I need to DEVELOP the capability if I want the opportunity to do that work.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I fake strength when I really feel weak. (It makes me stronger)
I fake encouragement when I really feel discouraged. (It boosts my morale)
I fake preseverance when I really feel like quitting. (It makes me achieve my goals)
I fake ambition when I really feel lazy. (It makes me take initiative)
I fake confidence when my knees are shaking and quaking. (It makes me realize that I am achieving what I thought was impossible)
I fake a smile when I really feel like crying. (It cheers up those around me)
So yes my dear I fake it…and it helps me to make it…
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 pm
I am sure we have all not this just to get by. I have done this both at work and in my every day life.
Kim I do have something to run by you. What is the best way to reach out to you?
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:52 am
You misspelled “bored”
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 am
Well, whatever business you are in, I certainly won’t do business with you if I needed your services, because I will not be able to trust you. Since this post is on the internet, it is searchable, and future clients who may want to research your business will be able to find this post. This shows lack of judgment. You have publicly admitted your lack of honesty. That may be hard to overcome, at the very least you are going to have to explain yourself to someone who may be researching you. They may want to know if you are faking it or not with them, or more likely they won’t bother asking.
I do not agree that faking it is the way to go. I am not wildly successful at this point, maybe because I try to be honest in my dealings with others, but people understand what I provide and are confident I can provide what I offer. However, I don’t have to worry about what lie I told which client.
This economic crisis that we are in, arguably can be shown to be caused by several players faking it for a very long time, with no consequences up to this point. Eventually you will be found out if you fake it, and you will be known as a dishonest business person. I do not believe it is worth the risk to go down that path. Anyone who was in the mortgage business knew that giving loans to anyone with a pulse would eventually backfire, after a short run of wild profits, but while it was going on, people were singing the praises of doing this crazy thing until it collapsed.
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
There is NO question that to advance one’s goals they must travel through unknown territory. At this time, humility and a strong willingness to learn goes a long way and can alone earn much respect.
George Washington stated openly to men that bestowed the honor of the Presidency upon him that he felt himself–
“without that competency of political skill, abilities & inclination which is necessary to manage the helm”– “Integrity & firmness is all I can promise; these be the voyage long or short, never shall forsake me although I may be deserted by all men.
It should be noted that George Washington carried himself in such a way that his mere presence drew great admiration and respect without a word spoken.
This reminds us that faking it is not just glossing over inexperience, but can also be our outward appearance; dress, posture, our listening and speaking abilities, these are all elements of our character that lend to our credibility and strength. Opportunity follows.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
btw I wasn’t slamming Kim (who I know and like; and I don’t like many people!~) but the concept (which has also been floated around in the forum) … it was easier for me to chew on her words to make my point, but I wouldn’t give it a second thought when/if it comes to working with Kim (any more than I’d base anything serious on what’s written here; we do own what we say/publish, but most things are not so bad as to preclude a relationship — at least I hope not as I’d still like to get married at least once more!~)
December 6th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I like that, I do that, I am a one man operation, but on my card I put I am a sales rep, I wear a suit to meetings or to meet with clients, I use words like we, as what my company is going to do for you, I use an 800 number etc
Fake to you make it baby
December 7th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Journal Junky and Eric, I really liked what you had to say. There is not a clear definition of faking it in business. In no way do I think it’s about lying. Sometimes to appear to be more professional and a “not so new” company, you need to give your customers the confidence to let them know you can get the job done! If you are the only one that is providing the great service, filling orders, giving them excellent customer service, no one needs to know that,… unless you want them to. If you can do it all till you make it, instilling that confidence in your customers is a great accomplishment. It doesn’t mean you have to do business that way, but I don’t think it’s a bad way to go about it. Instill confidence, walk tall, think big. Those goals in your business plan, are not fake.
December 11th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Journal said it best…..
March 6th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Note: I realize this is a very old post but I just had to comment - David you don’t get it - Journal nailed it -
Closer to the point: Kim when I originally presented my idea to QVC, the bottle I held in my hand that day was the only one on planet earth - I survided the QA process and landed on air with Dave King chuckling as I reflected back on that first day - I faked it but knew I could produce the goods - Nough said, great post!!