I realize that’s a post title straight out of Penelope Trunk’s playbook – a provocative pull-disparate-things-out-of-your-ass-and-tie-together-tenuously – but every time I watch “Flipping Out” I find something new to admire about the way Jeff Lewis organizes his life and business. Not because he’s on TV but because for all his neuroses, he’s in reality uncommonly clear-minded about what he believes and what he needs to do to succeed.
One of the biggest things Jeff Lewis has going for him is the luxury of focus. Without kids, we could all get a lot done, couldn’t we? It goes a lot deeper than that, though. Everything about Jeff’s routine and habits are related to his business and that’s why he’s successful. It’s not by luck or chance but by deliberate planning.
I think Jeff makes it look easy, but his real secret is that once you figure out what you need to do, you need to do it. Do it while also expecting that there will be people who will get in your way or ridicule your commitment. When your habits make others uncomfortable and vaguely envious, you’ll know you’re on the right path.
Don’t let the opinions of others compromise your standards. Much hay is made on the show about Jeff’s OCD – his constant straightening, fixing, rearranging and cleaning. And it is funny, when he harangues an assistant who buys wine glasses a few millimeters shorter than glasses he owned. Who doesn’t love it when Zoila says, “Shattup, Jeffrey,” when he points out dust in the house in the same voice you’d use to point out dog crap on the sidewalk? Or when he and Jenni ransack one of his Mercedes Benzes looking for mints in every cubby and compartment because you can’t meet a client if you don’t have mints?
The tack the show is taking is that this behavior interferes with and damages his personal relationships, but it’s a business godsend. Jeff’s constantly editing his environment, making it perfectly conducive to productivity.
If you’re more productive when your workspace is free of framed pictures, plants and rubber band balls, you’ll have to be ready to take some shit from others. (Like from Jenni, who would like to put a picture of her dogs on her desk. Which isn’t even her own desk but one she shares with Jeff. Nor does she have her own computer. HOW and why has this poor woman stayed with him so long?) The question is, is it important enough to your business? Yes? Then it’s worth doing.
Decide how professional you want to be. I personally wouldn’t hire anyone – friends included – without some sort of background check, especially if this person will be working in my home. And I wouldn’t hire anyone who had been in prison. That doesn’t intrigue me, like it did Jeff when it came to Shawn. (He eventually fired Shawn McFarland for some sort of shady dealings with Chaz Dean.) But Jeff apparently feels comfortable taking some personnel chances. He has yet to connect his lack of professionalism to his office’s high turnover rate, but his casualness suits him. He likes having an entertaining cast of characters around him. He could be more careful but he himself likes to be inappropriate – threatening to call call the INS when Zoila asks for time off, mocking Trace’s gayer than gay short shorts, telling employees how long they can take in the bathroom for No. 1s and No. 2s – so the result is a more laidback office. Works for him, I guess.
It’s more important to be likable than perfect. On one of her first days on the job, assistant Sarah spills an entire latte all over the interior of Jeff’s car, even getting it on his sweater. He doesn’t trust her with anything related to money, numbers or measurements. But he likes her. She’s always cheerful, well-dressed (in that California-specific “assistant chic” way) and eager to do whatever Jeff asks. He acknowledges that she’s not very smart but that he likes her because she reminds him of a cartoon character.
Sarah’s a comical example, but look at any office. There’s always someone who makes up in enthusiasm what he or she lacks in skill. An employee with a chipper attitude is more valuable than a pain in the ass who knows his stuff. One makes the workplace pleasant; the other saps everyone’s patience.
Take time to eat a real lunch, every day. There’s no medal to be had for forgoing lunch. Upper management will never gather ’round to remark how much they admire your ability to be a martyr. Taking a real break, with a decent meal, preferably from Baja Fresh or El Pollo Loco, refreshes and refuels. Treat yourself as well as you treat your business. Even if it’s just from a taco truck.
Life and work aren’t separate, so don’t treat them that way. Jeff’s difficulty with his weasly ex-boyfriend and business partner Ryan stems from the fact that Ryan believes there are separate rules for dealing with business and dealing with friends, and Jeff doesn’t make that distinction.
Jeff actually gets himself into trouble for expecting honesty and transparency in business relationships. Look at his disappointment at how things with Ryan has disintegrated. But because he practices this policy, it buys him a lot of cred because he’s as hard on himself as he is on his colleagues and friends.
Jeff doesn’t punch a clock when it comes to his business. Work happens when it happens. Of course everyone needs down time, but Jeff knows that working hard will enable him to play hard later.
Reward loyalty. As much as Jeff complains that Jenni is more dedicated to launching her acting career than she is to serving him, he knows the value of retaining good people. He obviously pays her well, as she’s stayed with him for more than seven years. He’s even been generous enough to let her have a producer credit on the show. And we all know that the star of a reality show CAN dictate who else gets a paycheck.
If it’s not fun, why do it? Jeff likes to be entertained and doesn’t see anything wrong with hiring people for that purpose. Since he’s almost always working, it’s important to have a good time. Jeff appreciates funny and gets a steady dose of it from Jenni, whether’s she’s putting on a dance party or making calls as her alter ego Deb. When your work is your life, it better be fun now and then.
It’s OK to be motivated by money. Money gives you the freedom to take jobs and decline others, to break up with passive-aggressive clients, to grow your business the way you want. You can be generous with the people who work for you. You can take care of the people important to you. (He might pretend to abuse Zoila, but she looks pretty well-set-up, no?) And you can spend it, on luxury SUVs and multimillion dollar homes with amazing views and Lacoste sportswear and daily Starbucks. I can think of worse things to do with my money.
KNOW that no one can do it as well as you would. Really know this principle. When it’s your business, there is only so much you can delegate. When the brand you’re building is YOU, you better be involved in every aspect of the operation. Your fingerprints should be on everything.
This is the grotty, unglamorous side of things. Jeff knows there is no contractor who can supervise a job the way he would. He might huff and puff, but he knows his business requires him to be on site, asking questions, ticking off things on yet another punch list.
And know that this won’t change, as long as it’s your name on the business. There’s no substitute for putting in the hours.
But since it’s your business, you won’t mind.
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