[tweetmeme source=”cbyndas” only_single=false]You might be asking how do high dollar projects (big bucks), bubble baths, and balance all relate to each other? It might not seem obvious until you take a closer look at the world of work from the eyes of someone caught in the swirl.
A fellow business owner friend of mine runs a very successful Michigan based business, started six years ago and is now a multi state operation. Two of his key goals when he launched his business was to have more control over his time, and the amount of time he traveled. A common set of goals for entrepreneurs, but what does this have to do with big bucks…bubble baths…and balance?
First let us look at the big bucks, this small business got what it was hoping for, a large project with millions in revenue on the line. Cha-ching! What could be better than this you ask? Well the project is out of state, not ideal, but the owner of this firm recruits a few good people to work off site and the deal is under way. At least that is what he thought. Several months into it, the project is blowing up and the only solution is for the business owner to join his team on site, out of state to work the project himself…now on to the bubble baths…
It is easy to talk about businesses as things but actually businesses are people and in this case this business is run by a guy who loves hanging out with his young kids. He loves his job, but joy in a day comes getting his kids ready for bed, he is the bubble bath king! Bubble baths are what is important, but big bucks are calling…and off to work on site he goes..ah the challenge of a growing business
As I mentor small business owners across the country I am often told the “big bucks” vs the “bubble bath” stories. I empathize with their internal conflict when the world is “out of balance”. But it is interesting to watch how these times of conflict often signal the small business reaching a whole new level, one that often provides even greater levels of balance. The truth is this, it is virtually impossible to be growing a business that does not get out of balance at some point in the process. The upside to all of this is that once things are back in balance it is at a level much greater than ever working for a company.
My friend and I, both owning our businesses work very hard. But we drop our kids off at school, attend their functions in the middle of the day, take extra weeks of vacations, serve our communities, all because owning our own businesses gives us the personal balance to do so.
Oh, and in case you are interested, this story does have a happy ending, the out of state client is now a part of history and my friends company has been successful landing new clients closer to home. Once again he is the Bubble Bath King!
