Blowing Out 14 Candles This Year
To Celebrate A Very Happy Birthday
Greetings *|FNAME|*,
Six months before the Great Recession, on March 17 of 2008, I hung my shingle out for Change by Design. I was fresh off becoming Dr. Ebbers and fully convinced my company would make millions by delivering great performance improvement solutions. But Rome wasn't built in a day. Over the past 14 years, I've learned through many hard lessons what it takes to earn enough money to keep the lights on and bills paid in a company like mine. Here are a few of those lessons.
Lesson 1: School doesn't teach you how to make money. Being armed with an MS and PhD did not equate to my being a good entrepreneur. It took many years to find my inner businesswoman. But I'm grateful for all the hard knocks along the way, and believe me, there were many.
Lesson 2: Project management builds a strong spine. Our first project started out with a very optimistic 6-month timeline. Then the client review periods dragged on too long. And that impacted staff on other projects. Gradually, I realized how the scope and schedule creep could not only impact the project, but maybe cause Change by Design to shut down altogether. Thankfully, God was watching over us the whole time. A truly miraculous turn of events made it possible for me to continue, and not have to sell off valuables to fund the rest of the project cost. So now, once we have a scope of work and agreed-upon timeline, change orders are how to address any deviations from the path. That way we all stay on track.
Lesson 3: Clients receive what they pay for. Working as a subcontractor with other providers on a project, means you have to consider how individual contributions impact the whole. At first blush, it may seem like a value-add to put in a little extra work to deliver a better product, at no charge. However, doing that once back-fired by making other subcontractor modules on a project look weak by comparison. Today, I start collaborative projects with a consultative discovery process to capture the big picture. That way no one ends up looking bad.
As owner of Change by Design, I really want us to surprise and delight our clients by exceeding expectations whenever possible. Our brand and products reflect sound learning theory, evidence-based change management, data-driven strategic planning and tailored tactical implementation. We don't do cookie-cutter. Instead, we deliver targeted results in scope, on budget and on schedule.
Lesson 4: Not everyone wants to burn the candle at both ends. When I started Change by Design, I had sizeable student-loan debt—we were in the middle of a world-wide financial catastrophe—and I carried some personal baggage to boot. However, I come from rugged stock and never back down from a challenge. So early on, even if I didn't quite know the best way to approach a non-conventional client project, I'd take it on and figure things out as I went.
But now I've shifted my mentality from lone wolf to pack leader. I've significantly reduced my direct client workload, and instead am maintaining a leadership focus on culture and business development. In this newer role, I've learned that not everyone is driven to conquer the impossible, but we WILL do incredible things together as a team. Last year we exceeded all goals, and now my department heads are integrally involved in greater decision-making. They help gauge what's feasible, what's a stretch, and how we can really make the right calls for our broader teams, so that everyone wins.
For me, failure is the experience you must have on the path to success. Early on it was a slog. Now we're pivoting and staying agile. Those sometimes painful lessons over the years have been ultimately transformative, and we are expanding while accomplishing more than I could have ever imagined 14 years ago. Here is to the next 14!
Cheers,
Sue
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