You Can't Rush Legacy

We are currently remodeling our kitchen, replacing a dysfunctional layout and outdated style. It’s a project we’ve dreamed about for the nearly five years since we moved into this house and after saving our money we were finally ready to kick the project off this year.?

My husband is a skilled carpenter and all-around amazing handyman. There’s nothing in this house that he can’t fix or create or build, so he’s doing all of the work himself. I am always blown away by his random knowledge - this little strip of wood specific to hardwood flooring is called “spline”. This type of appliance takes this amount of amps so needs this specific wiring.

It’s also back-breaking work, ripping out nearly a thousand square feet of tile and replacing it with hundreds of hardwood planks. Hauling massive cabinets out to the garage.

And the process doesn’t move quickly. He’s spent about 15-20 hours each weekend on the project and bit by bit, it’s very slowly coming together. But it’s not something you can rush.

Sure, he could take time off work rather than take our family vacation. Or we could hire a crew of workers to do it all for us. Or he could sacrifice quality.?

But we’re not willing to sacrifice time, money, or quality.?

So, slow and methodical it is!

The internet is filled with quick wins. That home remodel that happened “overnight”. The entrepreneur that launched paid advertising and made a million bucks that year. The nonprofit who was awarded a $5M grant. That family’s cross-country move to a dream city.

But we rarely see the behind the scenes. Maybe it took years to cultivate a relationship with that funder who eventually awarded the grant. Maybe the entrepreneur who made a million bucks did so at the expense of the quality of work they put out. Maybe the home remodel was incredibly costly.

When it comes to building a legacy that is sustainable and lasting, it just won’t work to sacrifice time, money, or quality.?

So the slow, but wildly important things, that I’m focusing on right now to ensure this company garners the long-term results I want are this:

1. Profitability. We are not settling for our current profit margin because I believe it can improve. We’re working on increasing internal efficiency (notice I didn’t say that we’re just slashing expenses!) so that we can do more, more effectively, with the same amount of resources.
2. Cash flow. Ensuring that we have 3-6 months of cash on hand is vital to for both security of the business during challenging times (hello, pandemic!) and experimentation with new opportunities if they become available.?
3. Diverse revenue streams. While we are streamlining our offers to ensure we can effectively and efficiently serve our clients with the highest level of expertise, we’re also working on NEW ways to serve our existing clients. (Stay tuned for some EXCITING announcements coming very soon on this!)
4. Human capital. Our company wouldn’t grow or even exist without our incredible team of CFOs and Bookkeepers so we’re investing in them through professional development, career growth, and improving their resources so they can serve our clients well and grow themselves.

None of that work happens overnight, my friends. Creating a company and an impact that will potentially outlast you is a long game, just like my kitchen renovation. There may be little quick wins along the way, but the biggest results happen over time.