I have been lucky enough to have experienced working professionally in Corporate America, Government & Small Business. Believe it or not there are some similarities & of course big differences. I have now owned my own small business for nine years. I have seen it from all sides, however, I am naturally drawn to anything small business it seems.
How Eavesdropping Started It All
One day I was working in operations management for a particular industry. I often walked the halls when I had time to ensure I was visible & approachable to all staff members. Along a few of these walks, I overheard several of our staff in phone conversations that seemed to be about something other than the services we provided. I later returned & inquired. I was right, all about other operational issues of which I happened to be able to answer from the top of my head. I went back to my office & as I sat back down in my chair it was like the moons of my mind began to align.
- Over the years I have certainly found myself in situations I felt uneasy to handle due to lack of knowledge, time, resources, etc.
- I cannot begin to tell you the insanely wide range of issues I have & still deal with daily. At least I can say every day is truly a different day.
- I am most proud of my ability to build a strong, happy, talented team. That is evident in my own success.
- It can be lonely at the top. However, that cannot be a reason to begin to interrupt the needed employee/employer balance!
- The smaller the business the deeper the cut. Meaning, the effect of something on a Small Business can be much greater than on a larger business. For example, the employee pool may be shallow enough that the owner opens themselves or wasted money is truly money from the dinner table.
- Every (small) business owner needs a “business manager” or at least could benefit from one. Especially someone who understands all this & more.
At its peak, the thought was clear. “I will open a small business for small businesses, I can help them with so many operational issues”. Then I thought, “I could create a small business resource center based on their needs & requests”. By build a strong, happy, talented team of specialists in the main operational areas such as Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing & Management.” I love a small business win-win!
Years later, I am the CEO of BSU, a small business resource center headquartered in St. Augustine. BSU has grown and continues to grow as we help small businesses.