on September 1, 2016
8 LESSONS IN 8 YEARS
Earlier this year, we celebrated our 8th anniversary in business. As I reflect on how far our small-but-spunky firm has come since opening our doors in 2008, I think about how I’ve been shoved out of my comfort zone so many times that not only do I have permanent bruises on my ass, but now I’m uncomfortable if I’m comfortable.
Every day I’m learning, and I’m regularly making mistakes and correcting course. In fact, I’ll tell you a little secret … half the time, I have no idea what I’m doing. I rely on past successes and failures, tweak processes, and wing it a little just to see if “it” will work (whatever “it” is … a new marketing campaign, an upgraded CRM system, a new sales process…). But, in the past eight years, a few important lessons have stuck with me and still serve me well.
1. Outside your comfort zone really is where the magic happens.
The only way things are going to happen is if I constantly push my own limits, redraw my internal boundaries, and force myself to try things that would scare most others. Will I fall on my rear-end sometimes? Of course I will. It would be weird if I didn’t. But, it’s those times that I don’t fall over that make it all worth it and result in pushing things to the next level.
2. Finding your way to success isn’t sexy.
Having success is sexy. Actually getting there is not. Not even a little bit. In order to reach success in business, it requires digging deep and staying disciplined to do all the un-sexy stuff … stressing over cash flow, staying on deadline, bootstrapping like crazy (then bootstrapping some more), sacrificing sleep and free time, building and following boring systems and processes, managing the people around you. It requires a crazy amount of stick-to-it-iveness to do things that are less fun than nailing your toes to the floor.
3. Lifelong friendships will be developed and, in most cases, will save you.
When I launched Rescue Desk, the toughest part was getting over my fear of … well … people. But, because I learned to give my introverted self a rest, the coolest thing happened. I’ve created lifelong friendships with some of the coolest, most interesting, most supportive people I’ve ever met in my life.
Being a business owner is lonely sometimes, and it’s tough to find people who truly “get it.” But, when I’m struggling or need someone to listen to my crazy ideas, I have a list of trusted friends and colleagues I can call to encourage me. Or, in some cases, tell me to get my head out of my butt.
4. You hit a point when owning a business has more security than working for someone else.
This goes a bit against conventional wisdom, but I’ve discovered that you hit a point when you realize you have more control over your own destiny than you thought you did. Sure, our firm as slow months and we have to deal with the peaks and valleys like any professional services firm. But, we also know exactly what needs to happen to pull ourselves out of whatever funk we may be up against. We’ve done it time and time again, and even though it’s still wildly uncomfortable to be in a position that forces us to re-introduce our noses to grindstone, it’s a much more predictable process than you’d think.
5. If you have the attention span of a fruit fly, owning a business is the perfect career choice.
Throughout my career, I never lasted more than a few years in a job before I was jumping out of my skin with boredom, itching to try something new. As we crossed the 8-year-mark, those days of itching to try or learn something new are loooooong gone. Every day is an adventure, filled with nutty ideas and crazy lessons that need learning.
6. To take it to the next level, you have to be next level
Every January, I give the year a theme. The challenge is to attempt to be true to that theme for the next 12 months. This year, the theme is “Next Level.” Granted, I’m not exactly sure what next level means, but I trust that I’ll know it when I see it. I know I want everything across the board to be next level, so before I make any significant decision, I ask myself, “Is this next level?” As a result, it’s forcing me to make some difficult decisions that would’ve been no-brainers just a few short years ago.
Does this client match who we want to be working with as a “next level” company? Is this networking event going to lead to “next level” business? Is eating this giant pile of candy going to lead to a “next level” workout at the gym?
7. “No” isn’t a dirty word.
As any small business owner can attest, we’re constantly making decisions. Every minute of every day is determined solely by the decisions made by the owner of the company. When we first start out, the default answer to everything is yes. Yes, we’ll take on that crappy client. Yes, we’ll join every business group in town. Yes, we’ll give up sleep to work.
But, at some point, it’s important to learn the power beyond a resounding and unapologetic no. This is a tough lesson to learn, and is undeniably uncomfortable. But, with practice, we all prove to ourselves that by saying “No,” to one thing means saying “Yes!” to a lot more.
8. Sometimes, you just have to STOP.
This is probably one of the toughest, most challenging lessons to learn. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself (and your team) is to just STOP. Take a minute to enjoy some occasional downtime, don’t panic if you have a little bit of a lull in your schedule, and be OK with taking some time away to recharge. I know the fear is that things will crumble forever without you. But, let me ask you this: How many times have you heard someone say, “Everything totally fell apart and my life completely sucks now because I took a vacation.”
We’re pretty proud of everything we’ve accomplished her in the last eight years, and I’m excited to see what lessons are coming down the pipeline next.