Building a Company vs Building a Job

Are you building a job for yourself, or building a company?

The difference between the two is simple:

Building a job is networking to find gigs for yourself, just so you can get paid.

Building a company is looking for jobs or gigs for the entire team to get paid, not just me.

It’s clear to me now that in the times I looked only for myself, I did get some of those jobs, but they were all gone with time. The people, the times, or the services needed had changed.

When I looked instead for work that built the company I was with — rather than just me — the jobs usually lasted longer, and I was able to build a company and a team around it.

While some take advantage of the connections they might make through the companies they are in, I’ve seen some bite the hands that fed them by creating work for themselves rather than bringing the work back to the company in which they worked.

My experience has been that providing for the company you are a part of usually brings more benefit for the company as well as the individual..

As you continue to work in the entrepreneurship space, and build your own business or work for a small business that is growing, look for ways you can build that company rather than building your own.

You may be surprised with my comments here because you know that I am all about getting your own business running. But it’s important to know that when you clap with two hands, or with a team, it is much louder than if you try to toot your own horn. My recommendation is to find ways to empower the team and the work that you have by bringing the work back to the organization with which you work rather than trying to launch your own — especially when there is a definite overlap.

This might not work if you’re doing two different things — working, for example, at an IT company and wanting to open a retail store. Sure, the IT company may have nothing to do with the retail store, but there may be something to be done.

What I am saying is that there is an opportunity for you to bring back the work to the organization you are with. To allow them to grow could potentially allow you to grow with them, possibly making you or your branch stronger.

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. What can you do to build on the company you are with before you launch your own?
2. What have you done that allowed you to build your own company?
3. What other tools have you used to stay focused on you versus the company?

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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.