As a custom builder, you spend most of your time listening to clients in order to figure out what they want and the best way to deliver it to them. That’s what they pay you for. But how much time do you spend trying to figure out what you want? I would guess that your business claims at least as much of your life as any other facet, including your family. If you don’t know what you want out of your business, you will never realize the potential rewards that such a big investment of yourself should pay.
Bo Burlingham, who gave a wonderful presentation at CUSTOM HOME’s Directions 07 Conference last June, got me thinking about this question. Bo is editor-at-large of Inc. magazine and the author of Small Giants, Companies that Choose To Be Great Instead of Big. He spoke about the companies he researched for his book, small companies as diverse as Citistorage in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Reell Precision Manufacturing in St. Paul, Minn.; and W.L. Butler Construction in Redwood City, Calif. He talked about how these companies got their magnetism and momentum—their “mojo,” as he called it—and how some of them had lost it and then reclaimed it.
The driving force of these companies, Burlingham explained, was the company owner’s vision and passion. The one commonality the owners shared: They knew what they wanted from their businesses. He asked the audience to consider the case of Fritz Maytag, the owner of Anchor Brewing, who made the choice to stay small and dedicated to making quality beer rather than go public and “water down” his product. He cited the example of Gary Erickson, who founded Clif Bar & Company. On the verge of selling the company for megamillions, Erickson followed his gut and scrubbed the deal because of his loyalty to his employees and his own vision. When it came down to the wire, the owners Burlingham cited realized what it was that they wanted from their businesses, and it wasn’t simply money. For some it was life/work balance, others sought to serve their employees or wanted the freedom to follow their own interests. They discovered what made their work personally meaningful to them.
Figuring out what you want from your business sounds like an easy task. But I have a feeling that it’s as difficult as figuring out what your clients want. Same skills apply, though—putting aside your preconceptions about what should be and listening, really listening, to what your own heart and gut are telling you. It could be the most important piece of information you’ll ever get about your business and worth every bit of time and effort you spend trying to figure it out.
Leslie Ensor
Editor
