Many people dream about starting their own business, yet for whatever reason, they never get out of the starting blocks and do it. I have heard that actually taking the leap into starting a small business is half the battle in and of itself.
You’ve heard the story of the five frogs on a log, right? No? Well, five frogs are sitting on a log and three decide to jump off. How many are left sitting on the log? The answer is five. That is because there’s a difference between deciding to do something and actually doing it!
My partners and I decided to take this leap (and actually jumped!) after working for, and having great success, at several medium-to-large sized companies. During this time, we developed proven systems and techniques for building tremendously synergistic and successful teams.
We came to the realization that the experience and skills we had amassed and the services we provided were highly valued and sought after in the marketplace. There was definitely a market for our services.
Another factor that led to this decision was what we perceived as a gap in the market when it came to competent consulting firms that could be trusted to do what was best for the customer. We had firsthand experience engaging other consulting firms to augment our capacity and assist with our strategic initiatives.
Unfortunately, we were underwhelmed and disappointed by many firms that lacked the integrity and willingness to admit when they were in over their heads and come forward with a recommendation that was best for their customer (to either walk away or reduce the statement of work to align with their area of expertise).
Just think of the trust that could have been established by that level of honesty and commitment to customer service. Sitting on the other side of the table and working with several different consulting firms over the years has given us great insight into what the customer values and expects from their consulting partners.
We had the competence, saw an opportunity in the market for our services, and were confident that we could build a reputation of trust with our customers so it was time to take action. We did our homework and found that the most successful small businesses and small business start-ups that were most likely to succeed had one thing in common. They began with the end in mind.
These companies developed the systems and processes necessary to franchise or sell their business, even if they had no intention of doing so at the time. We learned about this and many other helpful concepts in the book ‘The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It’ by Michael E. Gerber.
http://www.e-myth.com/We also spent several weeks collaborating on our vision for the company. We had an amazing breakthrough when we each shared the one thing we were most passionate about.
Our passions are: helping our customers achieve their strategic objectives; cultivating a culture of trust, innovation and fun; and building a company that systematically produces predictable, consistent and measurable results.
As a result, we finalized our vision statement for the company.
Vision: “To build a predictable, effortless and profitable global franchise business model that transforms the way companies deliver projects, while protecting and preserving our unique company culture.” There are many good small business start-up resources out there in addition to the one I mentioned above.
Coming soon: a list of the resources that were most helpful to us during our first year of business!
