It takes a lot of work to build, grow, and sustain a great business.
I know this well because I have watched my husband do that for 17 years. Here is what I have learned watching him.
It takes mentors and friends who share their wisdom, their contacts, and their hard-fought business acumen.
It takes integrity. When you start, you just have your name. Your reputation is so important because it is all you have. You own your mistakes (because we all make some, but we minimize and correct them as much as possible). You do great work. You build your business' reputation into one people know and trust.
It takes creativity and fortitude to do more than just the job that you enjoy. When you start a business, you are the book-keeper, accountant, HR department, business development, tax strategist, risk manager, and more...and you do the work you love. At first you do it all because there is no one else. When you can hire people who are talented in different ways, you appreciate them for what they bring and welcome them to the team.
It takes great colleagues. People see what you are doing and the way you are doing it and want to join in. You value them because you have learned you can't do it all by yourself. You know that you all can, in fact, do many things better together. You care for them. You make sure they are paid first. You consider what they need to do their great work. You appreciate their talent. You consider how to make it easy for them to stay. You consider how best to help those people who need to move on to a better fit for them.
You need great clients. Let's be honest, not everyone is a great client. You move from having to take every job with every client to getting to work with people who have a common vision for how to work together. When you get great clients, you appreciate them because you haven't always had that. You want to give them your best and consider how to make it easy for them to stay with you. You get to where you can work with the people that you enjoy working with and put boundaries in place with those who are difficult. You know that your clients are people trying to do their best and you want to make something great together. You are the talent they need to do their work that they enjoy.
And you need a support system. Work isn't everything. You are more than your bad days. You are more than your good days. At the end of a work day, you need people that remind you why it is worth it to get up and do it again tomorrow.
It’s hard to believe that it was 17 years ago when I decided to leave the steadiness of a good engineering firm to try something different and start my own company. It’s been an adventure that has allowed me to interact with some incredible people. Thanks to all who have worked with me over the years, especially those who chose to mentor me. I have learned from many mentors, but I would especially like to thank Cheryl Baylie, michael green, Kurt Penner, Bonnie McInnish, and Dennis Hergenrether, whose fingerprints are all over the way I operate my company to this day. Here’s to another great 17 years!
Great Work! Congrats to your team!