Scaling the Ship

 

Another new year is staring me right in the face. It’s like a blank canvas just waiting to be colored in. Only, I’m no artist. I’m an entrepreneur. My brushes and paints are ideas, strategies, methods and actions. It’s a whole year to accomplish all the exciting things I’ve been mulling over in my mind the past two months.

It’s time to scale this ship!

I launched my company in 2015, on April Fools’ Day. Foolish? Maybe, but it’s been a fabulous adventure. As my experience expanded my business evolved from community relations to management consulting to nonprofit management consulting. I’ve cultivated a niche for myself that’s fun and comfortable, fairly unique but in good company with other professionals who are passionate about advancing nonprofit organizations.

I love everything about my business. I love the quiet moments alone in my home office; blogging, creating videos, publishing content and resources of value for nonprofit leaders. I love the business networking opportunities; connecting with other professionals in and out of the nonprofit world. I love the in-person services I get to deliver; facilitating strategic planning retreats, presenting workshops, public speaking, training organizational boards and staff. All of it brings me joy and the cherry on top is that it pays the bills, too.

And I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say that I geek out over watching the numbers, that are continually on the rise: video views, blog readers, followers, and subscribers. I realized recently that three years ago, my only clients were local to me in Virginia. As of today, January 2, 2024, I’ve delivered speeches, workshops and services in four states and have been invited into two more states in 2024 already…and it’s only the second day of the new year!

I’ve come to know the cycles of my business. They warn you when you launch a business that it’s either feast or famine. And it’s true. So, while I know I won’t have a lot of project work the second half of the year, I have come to two conclusions:

1. That just means I have to do enough work the first half of the year to pay the bills all year long, and

2. The second half of the year is a great time to create content and strategize for next year.

2024 promises to be the biggest year ever for my company, and I knew this by November of 2023. Mixed with excitement and fear over the fact that I have more projects than I’ve ever handled at once, I also realized that I had a vision in 2015 that I’ve been waiting almost nine years to fulfill. I want my company to be bigger than myself. I want a team. I want a business that will continue on long after I’m gone. I want a company that can generate income even when I’m on vacation (like a REAL vacation, where I don’t take my laptop and check in daily), when I’m sick, or when I retire. I want a business that needs me…but doesn’t need me.

It's time to scale this ship!

The irony is that I’ve done this on behalf of clients and I’ve done this just holding the hand of clients. It’s different when its your own business…and your own money. It’s a risk. It’s scary. It’s exciting. And I can’t wait! As I perform the contracts I have for the first half of 2024, I will be training an Executive Assistant who I hope will become a second consultant. Throughout the year I’ll be on the lookout for either another assistant or another consultant as well as a digital marketing/sales person.

But first, it’s time to call for backup. The first step is admitting you need help, right? I need help. I want this to be successful. I want the transition to be smooth. I want to ensure there is constant forward motion.

I tell my clients that the top staff member needs to have a 1,000-mile view over operations. That they need to lead from the top, not the trenches. That if they’re doing all the things all the time, it’s time to increase the budget and hire additional staff. Guess who’s about to swallow that pill now?

It’s time to put more trust in others, to invite others in, to empower capable, passionate people to help me grow this company. I am at capacity. The answer is not for me to learn how to handle more. The answer is to increase the capacity of this company, through the addition of a team.

Throughout the year I’ll be implementing new processes, employing new strategies, training a team, and outsourcing operations that make sense to do so.

And do you know how I know this is the right step for me? Because I’m scared as hell…and I’m smiling really big right now.

Let’s go!


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