In the popular AMC TV series, Breaking Bad, Walter White goes from nervous newbie to hardcore artist. Walter White starts out as a high school chemistry teacher and (after a series of unfortunate events) finds himself desperate enough to cook and sell meth. Ignoring the fact that a meth cooking career is highly illegal and dangerous, the basic principle of Walter White’s work is easily translatable to any business: leading the industry with excellence.
“Among gangsters,
The gringo’s fame is inflated
‘Cause of the new drug they created.
They say the color is blue
And the quality pure.”
Fourteen episodes into the show, it is already quite clear that Walter (under the street name Heisenberg) is becoming a master at his trade. The chemistry teacher focuses his criminal endeavors on two things: an unbeatably high standard and building a business empire. Throughout the entire show, Heisenberg is constantly worried about business strategy and product quality.
Walter: “Are you familiar with my product?”
Gus: “I’ve been told it’s excellent.”
Walter: “It is impeccable. It is the purest, most chemically sound product on the market, anywhere.”
What business lesson can be learned from this story of illegal substances and criminal intent? Though Breaking Bad is a fictitious drama, Walter White built his success on consistently offering the highest quality—something his competitors couldn’t compete against. In the first episode, Walt is willing to throw out their first batch of expensive product and start over when the final result of his cook does not meet his high expectations. It is this pride in his artistry that gains him an infamous reputation.
Small businesses need to take on this mindset of excellence in order to compete with other companies in their industry. Most businesses focus on their products or services—which is good—but they fail to keep the same expectations when it comes to the quality of the content used in their marketing materials, social media interactions and web pages.
Web writers can be hired as freelance content producers—part of your team, but paid on a project-by-project basis and not on a full-time (or even part-time) payroll. Your writers can help you focus on producing the face of your business and emitting the same feeling of excellence to your customers that you work to offer in person.
- Choose the professionals you want writing for you
- Create an order and let a professional choose you
- Specify directions, give examples and request revisions if needed
- Choose the content option that fits within your budget
The web is a large place—it’s just too easy to get lost in the constant chaos of content production. A freelance blog writer can help you maintain a consistent presence of authority and excellence in your industry. Your web page content, services and product descriptions can be written (or rewritten) by a professional experienced in SEO wording or marketing.
No matter how big or small the project, keep your sights set on excellence so your customers are able to see the value of your company. Hire writers who can help you keep pace with the essence of Heisenberg law: Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.
Alethea M is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
