Every so often I decide to update my business plan to make sure I’m heading in the right direction. I usually have music on in the background or a comedy tape. Yesterday, as I was working on the update, one of
Steve Martin’s standup comedy routines from back in the ‘70’s came on from
“Let’s Get Small” (along with some terrific banjo music). To quote in part… “I like to
get small…very dangerous for kids though, because they get really small. I know
I shouldn't get small when I'm drivin', but, uh, I was drivin' around the other
day, you know [whistles tunefully] and a cop pulls me over. And he goes, 'Hey,
are you small?' I said, 'No, I'm tall, I'm tall.' He said, 'Well, I'm gonna
have to measure you.' They've got a little test they give you; it's a balloon,
and if you can get inside of it, they know... you're small. And they can't put
you in a regular cell either, because you walk right out.” And right
then and there, I realized that the problem with my business plan was that I
wanted to do the unthinkable – I wanted to “Get Small”! And I wanted to stay small. Well, that
goes against everything they ever teach you in business school. It challenges the basic core of the bulk of
today’s marketing plans! It is outrageous, blasphemous, un-heard of! To
purposefully stay small? To frame your entire business plan upon a goal that
would make you “small” and keep you “small” – that’s heretical! And yet there
it was, plain as day, written out in fast and furious, mis-spelled-so-I-could-get-it-out-authentically-text
– I want my business to stay small. I want it to
be manageable. I want it to be fun. I
want it to be hands-on and something I do because I love it. I want every
single room I stage to be a reflection of what I intended this business to
reflect: a picture-perfect vision of what this room should look like to attract
buyers to get this home sold. It should be
beautiful. It should be detailed. It
should enhance the features of this particular home based upon attention to the
architecture, geographic location & the demographic of potential buyers
that this unique home brings to the market.
In order to do that, I work best when I am allowed to take the time to
get those details right. I have had
businesses large and small for over 25 years, many of them highly
successful. That was then and this is
now – those businesses were intended to grow, to have employees and to maximize
profit. This business
is different. This business is now: at a
time when I want to do the work I love and do it well, and still have time left
over to enjoy life. And that’s the way I
wrote the current business plan. We will do a
maximum number of staging jobs per month.
They will all be vacant properties or model homes for builders. I will not rush or take less than the job is
worth. I will provide the highest quality service, professionalism, the right
amount of detail & stay true to the standards we have set for our business
for quality. I will refer out all other jobs to professional stagers I have
worked with and whose work I can recommend and admire. Someone said
to me when I sent her the draft for this article, that it sounded like I was
looking down on other business owners who want to “go big”, as if there was
some moral pejorative involved in my decision – that somehow I was making the
point that “small” was “better” or of a higher quality. Or that it ignored the basic premise that to
be in business we should all strive to maximize profits wherever possible. She thought it sounded snooty that I avoided
the obvious issue of “how much money do I need to make”, and that by saying I
would be satisfied making less, it seemed dismissive to those who need to
maximize profits based upon the economic needs of their family. That’s not
the point at all. For me, “smaller”
equates to less pressure, more enjoyment and a chance to do the work I love in
a working environment where I am most comfortable and thrive best. Most of all
being “small” means that for the first time in my work life, I have some time –
time to take better care of myself and my health, time to meet friends, or read
a book without feeling guilty. I can turn off the computer and go outside, take
up a new sport and begin taking the time to sit down for a healthy meal that I
make, now that there is time to shop.
And for once, I won’t be rushing my friends to get off the phone because
“I’m busy now” (left unsaid but implied by the impatience in my voice). Right after I
post this, I’m going to write the first real letter I’ve written in years and
I’m going to have to go find a real stamp to post it! I think my friend will
get a kick out of getting something in the mail beside bills and
advertisements. I wish
everyone who starts their own business the very best of luck in attaining
whatever they are seeking – whether it is expansion, profits, innovation, a big
brand name or recognition in their field. May you all have phenomenal success. Success for
me will be doing a “small” job with no pressure, leaving work and going home to
find that, for once, I have plenty of time to do whatever I want. And for that
I have my favorite comedian, Steve Martin, to thank! |
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