PEOPLE SMARTS: My Hero the Entrepreneur

There’s something about the period between Independence Day and Labor Day that always causes me to reflect on the things for which we should all be thankful. My thoughts were crystallized this year by comments a green industry business associate of mine made recently. We were talking about small businesses in particular. In the course of the discussion, she said, “You know, the real heroes in this country are small business owners.” The more I thought about that comment, the more I agreed.
 
People become business owners for a variety of reasons and circumstances. Some inherit the family business while others take a great idea and make it happen. These days many victims of corporate cutbacks are finding alternative careers starting and managing their own businesses, many of which are landscape-related. Regardless, nothing prepares you for the reality of owning, managing and growing your own business.
 
There’s a romantic notion about owning your own business. Words and phrases like “independence,” “doing things my way” and “being my own boss” all come to mind when we identify reasons why business ownership appears so desirable. But these romantic notions quickly  disappear and reality takes charge once the loan is approved, the equipment is purchased and you must generate sales and pay bills.
 
Remember how you felt the first morning you woke up fully in charge of your destiny? If for some reason you decided not to go to work that morning, nothing would have happened. It was then that the magnitude of your decision really hit home – it was all up to you now.
 
Remember how hard it was to generate enough business so that after the bills were paid there was a little left over for you? Remember how you felt when you were finally able to write a paycheck to yourself? It wasn’t much, but it was all yours and you had earned it.
 
People who own businesses are a special breed. Words like “confidence,” “ambition,” “willingness to take risks” and “driven” all define these folks. But they are not the sole determinants of whether or not their companies will survive. Long-term survivability depends on how well owners handle success and plan for succession.
 
Handling success is like bench pressing weights. Everyone has a limit and sooner or later needs help. Handling success means you now have an expanding base of both customers and employees who depend upon you. Seat-of-your-pants management is not going to cut it any more.
 
For many small business owners, success is measured in small improvements. It’s that piece of equipment you could finally afford to buy. It’s your name stenciled on a vehicle. It’s having letterhead stationary with your logo on it. It’s being able to hire one more person to help you out. It’s getting that first referral from a satisfied customer.
 
But there’s a downside, too. It’s about cash flow worries, competition and whether you will ever be able to find and keep people who care as much about your business as you do. It’s coming to grips with your own shortcomings as a businessperson. It’s the fear of failure.
 
The ownership of a small business has taken its toll on many the entrepreneur who has  tried it. On the other hand, every large company in existence at one time was a small business. For many businesses, the difference between success and failure is a combination of timing, money, market conditions, planning, ability and luck.
 
But the most important and often overlooked is heart. And heart is what makes heroes.

Larry Fish is president of GreenSearch, a human resource consulting organization. He can be reached at 888/375-7787, larry@greensearch.com, or via www.greensearch.com. PeopleSmarts® is a registered trademark of GreenSearch.