Unbelievable…4 years old! (or 28 years old for all you dog lovers) :) Time flies…
At this moment in our company, I thought I’d write a little about my experience in starting and owning a small business over the past 4 years; hopefully it will be helpful to any of you that are thinking of or have just started your own business…but your mileage may vary!
Time
As I began planning Logic Speak with Jared, I knew that this endeavor would be time consuming. I knew there would be many, many late nights (some even sleepless). I _knew_ that there would be more to do than my allotted daily 24 hours would permit. I knew all of these things…but as many of you who have done it already will likely admit, I didn’t KNOW it. I couldn’t really know it until we did it.
My recommendation to you would be, go ahead and acknowledge up front that you will not be able to spend as much time as you’d like and resolve to maintain balance. Decide up front that there will be times and places where work will not exist (my personal recommendations: time with family, vacations, church functions, and oh yeah…one of the most important: dates) :)
The converse to this is...when you’re working, you’re really working! Let your loved ones know that while they may need to call you during your work day, you can’t always guarantee that you’ll be able to call them back until after work. Now, this won’t mean that there won’t be a time and season for working at night, working on the weekend, etc…but make it the exception, not the rule. Your friends and family will thank you for it; so will your sanity.
Planning vs. Doing
We’ve all heard it before, probably many of you verbatim: “You can’t work on the business if you’re working in the business!” I heard it at least a dozen times from a dozen really smart, really talented business people as we were starting Logic Speak. And I (at least subconsciously) must have decided they were all dead wrong. Little did I know that the joke was on me! Finally, a scant 4 years later, I can publicly admit, they were absolutely, 100% right! And here is the reason: If you’re busy doing the “work” of your business – the thing that brings in the $, you will inevitably lose sight of all the things you set out to accomplish and all the long rang goals in favor of the short term necessities and distractions.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking…you have to do the work at the beginning to survive. You can’t afford to bring in someone else. They might not do as good a job as you. They don’t know as much as you. How could you pay them? You’re right. There will inevitably be a period of time at the beginning of your business where you _have_ to do the work…but my advice (in addition to the sage advice I received) is: decide up front how long that period of time will be (no matter if it is 6 months, 1 year or 6 years), and strive every day to make it a reality. Then you can really get about the job of growing your business and doing things in an organized, efficient and effective way….almost as if you planned it!!! :)
Employees
One such business person told me when we started this business…enjoy not having employees while you can. Because when you hire your first employee, everything changes. Again, in my wisdom, I discarded this little nugget, right up until we actually did hire our first employee. Even though he was great (and is no longer with Logic Speak), I came to realize, this person was a genius!
When you get employees, everything gets harder. Yes, it is a required step, yes it will help you accomplish your goals…but man, does the game change! Now you have this other person (or people) who do things different than you. Why are they doing it _that_ way? Clearly, they should be thinking the way that you do! Now you have to be a good MANAGER (yes, that evil word).
Just because you’re good at your business, doesn’t automatically make you a good manager. My advice to you...before you’re ready to hire, begin to learn what it means to be a good manager. Think back on those traits of managers you’ve worked for that you really admire. Do something strange…write them down! Take a management skills class. Read a book…or two! Whatever your personal learning style, learn how to be a good manager. Trust me, your employees will thank you in the long run and will be more productive and have more “ownership” into your vision.
Now What?
If you’re still reading (unbelievable!), you’re probably wondering, given all the cautions above, is it still worth the hassle? How can this be fun? To answer your question in one word… ABSOLUTELY! In my 4 years, there has never been a day that I’ve regretted starting Logic Speak. Sure, I’ve had hard days, long days and stressful days…but the rewards (no, not always monetary ones) of helping your clients succeed by providing valuable services and providing a satisfying and rewarding place for your employees to work far outweighs the negatives! I wouldn’t change a thing! (ok, I wouldn’t change much…) :)
With four years under our belt, we are doing what we set out to do….helping Atlanta small businesses leverage technology to meet their goals. But (seems like there’s always a but) we always want to be better. That’s most likely a defining goal of entrepreneurs. Perhaps that’s why we’re never satisfied….we can always see something more which is what gives us passion and drive; onward and upward! Here’s looking forward to many more years to come. Happy Birthday Logic Speak!
-Jason