Over the past several months there has been a lot of thought and especially growth in many ways. JM2 started as two friends and their wife/fiancé wanting to just “have fun” and “make a difference”. Over the years that has not changed but yet in many ways it has changed. In this article we’re going to cover five things you must have if you want to have a growing business, not a hobby, and make a difference in the world that we live in.
This is the hardest for anyone as we all have a desire to succeed and grow. We do not like any setbacks. Accepting that you are human will make it easier. When your ego is so large that it controls your decisions you will fail. Knowing your limitations and that this is not about ego but out of a love and passion any failure will be a small stumble that you can surely recover from.
We started stating we do not need a physical location as the technology we had chosen made it so we can work from anywhere. This is still true for everything we’ve done and even more so. We moved from working out of our home, to Zoseco Co-working, and now into a space that we can now call “home”. Starting in a physical location would have put us out of business in the first six months. By doing gradual, and controlled, steps we have proven out our business model, brought on some seriously awesome (and they are) clients, and built the foundational elements that were needed to succeed.
This takes time to get the right people. We don’t have any rock stars on our team. Not one person stands out over the other. Each one of our team has a unique set of skills that allow us together to be better than we would be as individuals. Each one of us pushes us to our limits. Yet never past what we are capable of. Some days are harder than others but when it comes push to shove we know each one of us is a member of the best web design and marketing team that we can be. It is by taking your time and not just hiring to hire that has made us as good as we are today. Our process is s-l-o-w as we look at not only the company culture and how someone will mesh but also that they are client focused, want to improve themselves, and help make the team even better and stronger.
With a solid team comes growth for everyone involved. Whether it is learning to speak in public or a new shortcut in our Adobe Suite. We all grow each day. Some days more than others. Having a passion and love to do what you do is what makes our company, like others, great. Giving opportunity to each member to grow and learn on a daily basis allows us to also be better than the day before. There are days that the growth isn’t in the right direction but the overall growth day-over-day is always positive.
You need to have a love for what you do. This love needs to be for others more than it is yourself. There are many days of sacrifice that happen for the team. As the owner you need to think about your employees, your clients, your business, and then yourself. This time will test you more than you realize. By staying strong, sticking to your values, and going back to your core values if you would waiver will define you.
Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. If it is in your heart and soul, you will succeed. Even if you start and fail do not consider that a failure. You grew during that period and you learned more than you realized. Empowering those around you will allow you to become better and they will also become better. Some will take a fast path while we took a more moderate path to being who we are.