The High-Five Effect by Matt Ward is a ground-breaking business book that will be especially appreciated by seasoned business owners who are still thinking like startups.
The stages of a business owner’s existence that Matt first discusses are the stages of survival, security, discovery, and respect. He explains how to identify whatever stage you are in and how to advance to the following one. He is intimately familiar with these phases having owned multiple firms himself over the past few decades. He is aware that when we initially start a business, we are so anxious for business that we will accept any client and go to any lengths to retain them. He is aware of how this commitment causes us to work long hours, sacrifice time with friends and family, lose sleep, and ultimately see our love and excitement for our business wane.
Instead, Matt believes that working in business should bring happiness. The title of the book expresses his biggest goal to be so happy in his work and connections with others that he will want to high-five his customers. But in order to get there, a business owner must move from the stage of survival to the respect stage, when they develop self-respect. They must reach the same understanding that Jason Cutter, a business owner and the foreword’s author, did. Jason explains:
Instead, Matt believes that working in business should bring happiness. The title of the book expresses his biggest goal to be so happy in his work and connections with others that he will want to high-five his customers. But in order to get there, a business owner must move from the stage of survival to the respect stage, when they develop self-respect. They must reach the same understanding that Jason Cutter, a business owner and the foreword’s author, did. Jason explains:
“Two things have become clear to me over the past two years: 1) I can provide a great deal of value to my client’s business, and when I perform my duties properly, I should be fairly compensated for it; and 2) Life is too short to spend doing things you despise. And if you have to conduct business with individuals you don’t get along with, life will seem incredibly tedious and painful.”
Matt wrote this book to assist small business owners in coming to such realizations and then transitioning from an anxious and controlling business to a more rewarding one that contains more joy.
Working through these five stages is necessary to find that delight. Each phase, including assess, value, identify, strengthen, and engage, is given its own part in Matt’s book. I won’t go over every single one of them here, but they all start with evaluating where your company is right now so you can decide where you want to go. We can find more time and flexibility, make more money doing what we do best, feel joy in what we are doing, and develop relationships with the types of clients we like doing business with by moving through these phases.
Personally, I thought the section on selecting the correct clients was worth the time I spent reading the book. The various client types, warning signs of problematic clients, the value of listening to your gut instinct and intuition, how to have difficult conversations with clients that can make them change, and how to value yourself and your services so that others will value you and you will follow your joy rather than just the money are all covered by Matt.
In addition to learning to value ourselves, this process also entails learning to do more than just what is necessary to earn money. When we learn to value who we are and get rid of the imposter syndrome, which makes us doubt our value, particularly when irrational customers complain, we can become assured business owners who don’t let anyone take advantage of us.
In addition to learning to value ourselves, this process also entails learning to do more than just what is necessary to earn money. When we learn to value who we are and get rid of the imposter syndrome, which makes us doubt our value, particularly when irrational customers complain, we can become assured business owners who don’t let anyone take advantage of us.
Among all the business books that all too frequently teach us how to hustle to make a living but not how to be true to ourselves and what we really need in life, The High-Five Effect is a welcome voice. In the end, running a business is about more than just making sales and satisfying clients; it’s about creating a lifestyle that will make us happy. As our businesses expand and take over our lives, it’s simple to lose sight of that original objective. However, Matt Ward takes us back to the beginning and demonstrates how to achieve balance by reminding us that our personal satisfaction comes first. The High-Five Effect is the ideal place to begin if you want to discover or rekindle the enthusiasm and passion that initially motivated you to start your own business.