Scattered
That describes my thoughts to a T lately. The business is off and going, but when I made the decision/commitment to take the business full time I thought I had someone by my side for the long haul that would be there to fill in the cracks that I would be leaving behind. And there have been plenty of them, I am just thankful every day for Jim and Vanessa. They watch my kids way more than any friend should ever have to, and while at times their patience is tried, I know they understand the reason I am away so much and that I will do whatever I can to make it work better.
Which leads me to today’s thought, I’ve been dealing with the fact that at least a few days a week I end up with appointments out and about around town. Some are brief, some last a few hours, but the bottom line is every time I leave the office it’s at least an hour or two before I return. Then when I get back I try to get into a groove to do some website coding, or work on systems I have in house and before I know it the day is gone. It’s 5, or 6, or 7 and I am trying to get even 1/4 of the things I had on my list at the start of the day completed. So then I am stuck with the dilemma of stay and get some work done or leave, get home to be with the boys, and have that much more piled up tomorrow. Each of those options is unsatisfactory to me because tomorrow ends up just as hectic as today and I just end up further behind, and if I stay, my kids struggle trying to remember what I look like.
So I think I’ve finally come up with a solution, I’m going to move my stuff out of the office, and back into the house. Having the office has been great, but I think it is something I need to save for when I have enough clientele to hire some employees to run the office, while I do the footwork around town (at least until I am a little further than that and I have employees that I am confident will provide my customers with the same care and service that I strive for). Setting up shop at home allows me to do a few things, I’m home for the kids, they aren’t little so they don’t need my constant attention, and again, Jim and Vanessa (and Jim’s mom Diane) are so awesome that I think I’ve had to cook dinner once (MAYBE twice?) in the several months I’ve lived here. So having my office right here means that I can sit and work on things, and then deal with the days as they come. I can also get more work done once the boys are off to bed (for example it’s just past midnight as I write this). When working on websites, or other tasks that require my sitting in front of a computer, should I wake up in the middle of the night with an AHA! moment, I can plop myself down and work on it. I can still schedule my appointments through the middle part of the day, but the rest of the time I can be home and easily switch between business owner and dad roles.
I will be risking not devoting time to my work (especially when the kids are out of school and the household distractions are increased) but I have faith in myself and my ability to accomplish what I need to in order to make this business work. There is no other option at this point, my business WILL succeed. It’s just going to take my constant attention to making adjustments such as this one, before things have gotten too far beyond repair. One of the benefits of being a small business is the ability to turn focus on a dime, and rethink the way things are going. That exact fact is what makes me content to keep the business small for awhile longer while I work out the little kinks and details. It’s going to be quite a ride, so hop in, sit down, buckle up, keep your mouth shut (unless you have something beneficial to add that is), and enjoy the ride with me.
Gerg