Yesterday, I received a “security notice” for a piece of software I use. Some vulnerability existed that would allow someone to upload malicious code…yada, yada, yada.

So I dutifully clicked the link to get the update. As I read the details, I realized that the chances of harm to the site from this “vulnerability” were ridiculously small — so small that the time I would spend downloading the update and installing it was likely to be a complete waste of time. How many other times have I wasted hours, even days, putting various measures in place to prevent something from happening, when the likelihood of any loss was very small?

I believe part of this proclivity toward prevention comes from my formerly corporate life. As a project manager I was taught to “manage risk”, aka contingency planning. What could go wrong? And how could I prevent it?

This thinking spills over into small business planning. Should I incorporate so as to reduce my personal liability in case someone sues me? Should I have a legal contract with clients in case of disputes? On and on…

What was I thinking?? Am I going to do business with people likely to sue me?? I’ve met many solo and small business owners over the past five years, and I’ve never met one that was ever sued. I’ve met lots who maxxed out credit cards, flirted with (or even declared) bankruptcy, etc. (Now, that’s not to say that incorporating or having a contract are not good things — incorporation has tax advantages, for instance, and a contract serves other purposes such as setting expectations.)

Other prevention advice I’ve received over the years: “How do we make sure people don’t take advantage of the free stuff?” “Don’t use PayPal, it has a reputation for problems.” “You should scan the search engines periodically to make sure no one is ripping off your content” In hindsight, none of these problems ever came to pass. What a waste of precious time!

So, I’m going to be bold. I’m not going to download that “security update”. Certainly there is a risk — but I believe much more in the good in people.

Last 5 posts by Terri Zwierzynski

• The Grateful Life of a Solo Entrepreneur - November 17th, 2008
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This entry was posted on Monday, May 1st, 2006 at 2:54 pm and is filed under Solo Entrepreneur Work Habits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.