I'll Read Your Blog - A Cautionary Tale

As a journalist, I do research before heading out on a scheduled interview. Yes, it's true! I may read a company's financial statements if it's relevant, I may research previous businesses an entrepreneur has started, I may find out other people they've worked with.

When I profile a small business or entrepreneur, one of the first things I do is read the company blog, which is often written by the company's owner. It gives me a good feel of how the small business leader communicates and what is on his or her mind.

Recently, I interviewed a firm for a business magazine for a profile piece and had done my prep work. I was all set to talk to the owner in-depth about it's first government contract it had scored with an agency of the Defense Department. The company owner had blogged several times about the firm's excitement in scoring its first role as a subcontractor.

We had a great interview - until I asked about its government contract. The two firm executives had exuded confidence, talked graciously, eloquently and with passion about their firm - until my question about its entrance into the field of government contracting. (I wrote a primer for the New York Times on how small firms can get into the game, if you're interested.)

Suddenly, the interviewees looked panicked, they exchanged glances, they lost their air of cool.

They said they couldn't talk about that. Their client didn't want them to. They weren't ready. They pleaded with me not to mention it. The contract was not the focus of my piece and ultimately I decided not to call it out in the profile.

But if the company owner is going to blab in a blog about scoring a contract, that's public info. However, I didn't want to be a jerk, per their request, and I respect the fragility of a nascent firm.

They are not alone. A year ago I was prepped to interview two company founders of what I thought was a really innovative, altruistic firm. I read the owners' blogs. One of them wrote at length of how he felt he was "descending into hell," among other things because of all the difficulties of starting the firm. That's probably something any entrepreneur has felt in some degree at some time or another.

During our interview, I asked him if he had any concerns or difficulties about getting the firm off the ground. "None whatsoever," he said. "It was go go go all the way."

I asked him the same question a couple of different ways, but he stuck with the optimistic attitude - one of my favorite traits of entrepreneurs.

Finally I said: "On one of your first blog entries you said you felt like you were descending into the "7th level of hell" because it was so hard to get the company going.

Silence.

Finally, he opened up and talked a little bit about his challenges. There's nothing wrong with challenges; I actually think talking about them is very helpful to fellow entrepreneurs and can be very helpful as lessons learned. Just be sure you want other people to know about them or don't put them on a web diary.

Pay attention to what you put in your blog. It's public material. As a blogger myself, I take that to heart too.