The Value of Making Mistakes — And Owning Up to Them

I sent out my newsletter this week with two major typos — one of which was in the email subject line.

When someone called me to tell me about it, I was mortified. UGH.

Another good friend, Debra Helwig (who writes a FABULOUS blog), also called to nicely point out my typos, and as we talked about our other numerous errors in the past, Debra said, “Typos are like spinach on your teeth: Only your good friends will point it out.” Indeed!

I immediately sent out a “Typo Mea Culpa” email that said yes, my newsletter had two huge typos and explained how it had happened (bad habit: I edit while proofing). I also included this wonderful quote from Ben Franklin:

Whoever accustoms himself to pass over in silence the faults of his neighbors shall meet with much better quarter from the world when he happens to fall into a mistake himself.

I then went about my work . . . and continued to silently kick myself for being less than perfect (which I really do think is a woman-only thing).

But a funny thing happened after sending my “mea culpa.”

I started receiving wonderful emails from people telling me about their own typo mishaps. And even better, people that I didn’t even know except as names on my subscriber list told me they loved my content, that I have helped them with my own hard-earned advice, and to keep the newsletter coming.

Wow! The emails, and the sentiments they contained, brought tears to my eyes.

I started The Profitable Consultant because I wanted to help people like me. I know what it’s like to have to get up every morning and confront the fact that as an independent consultant, you’re responsible for bringing in the dough — which means you have to get out there and market yourself.

And for many people, marketing one’s self is just plain hard (even for me — and I’m a marketer!).

I’ve learned quite a bit being in business for myself for 11 years now — and I want to share what I’ve learned with others. If I can help people bring in more business and find marketing fun, then I’ve done my job.

So, the moral of my typo story is this: Don’t be afraid to try new things. If you make a mistake, own up to it and carry on. As the saying goes, the mistake isn’t in making a mistake. The mistake is in not trying something new.

And, to avoid typos in your own work, download my free typo report, “12 Tips for Avoiding Expensive (and Embarrassing) Typos.” Obviously I need to re-read it. D’oh!