Running To Stand Still

Everyday is a race, run to this meeting, this call, this client, solve this problem. Answering email needs constantly, troubleshooting and architecting solutions, cleaning the office, running payroll, tracking vacation time, time off, finding new employees. Did I buy coffee? Really, I must have my coffee (fresh ground Starbucks? Verona for the coffee snobs who are wondering). It never stops as a business owner. Work life balance is a lie, it is not possible if you want to grow and be successful. I strive to be home for dinner and then generally, I'm back to it.

I quit. (delegated)

I started the year by having a meeting with my team and a fairly detailed outline of this year. Everything is planned to the day. Training classes, user group, high level marking plan, product feature plan, conference plan. Done, year planned for the things I know, responsibilities assigned for the details and I'll never clean the office again.

I finally realized that my time was more valuable not doing certain things. I had to make a change. I've been reading and searching for ideas everywhere. I used sources like Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur and stumble on an article on the Harvard Business Review on how Netflix reinvent HR. I realized how complicated things really were after reading the article and how simple it can be to run a small business that is growing rapidly. It made me question everything. Why am I tracking vacation time and holidays?

I adopted the principles of Freedom and Responsibility for The Scarpetta Group. Everyone is on salary and already has control over their schedule, but must always act in the best interest of The Scarpetta Group and the needs of our clients first. If it's done go home, schedule your time to your best productivity, your family, your kids ball game, but do it responsibly. I will never track vacation or time off again! Holidays are the employees decision if they feel they should work and take them another day. Everyone is responsible to produce, to innovate, to act with honesty and integrity. Let's measure results, not hours worked. Anyone can work a lot of hours, but if you produce and work less...pure common sense.

How was it received you might ask? We'll I went through how things are going to be and explained some scenarios, etc and it was very well received. How could I not do this? My team never stops working, they work all hours of the night, not because they have to because they are that passionate about what they do, they are loyal and have very high integrity. They deserve to be able to decide when they are not working as well. They work for me because I trust them implicitly. The quality of the work and innovation I see is unfathomable.

I challenge you to look at your business and see where you can simplify it, where you can plan for it's growth, how to plan now for your company to double in size and not to have to make a single change in procedures and policies. We are now there as we begin to train our newest addition soon and hire others this quarter. What can you do to insure you can be home for dinner every night?

I cannot stand still, there is always something new, something to change, shake up. As a visionary, I want the uncreated, unthought of future, I want to create it, drive our product Jarvis CRM to the next level, to dream up the next best thing. We will always be different.

I'll never stop running, but I will love and be passionate about what I'm running after, who I'm running with and pause to watch a sunset.