When I started BAYWORX in August of 2010, I did so for several reasons and most of them were admittedly selfish ones. Primarily I wanted to challenge myself after burning out working for companies I couldn’t really find the right spot with. Employees notoriously complain about the stupid decisions management makes, and I was certainly becoming that guy. I came to the realization that what was missing was a clear sense of motivation. What could be more motivating than making the livelihood of your family depend solely on whether or not you succeed? BRING IT.
Five things I’ve learned in the last five years:
- I should have done this 15 years ago
- I really, really love solving problems
- I really, really love helping people
- It is perfectly normal to feel like you don’t have a solution, but you WILL figure it out
- Creativity has equal value to technical prowess
Five things I wish I knew five years ago:
- Contracts are not always honored by both sides
- Sell solutions, not time
- Don’t take any crap unless you have to
- Know when to take crap
- There is absolutely no shame in asking for help sooner rather than later
It’s funny, when I decided to start BAYWORX I wrote out a 5 year plan that was chock full of milestones, revenue targets, growth models and all kinds of stuff that was obsolete after 6 months. I was lucky enough to have a few really great clients right off the bat. The project sizes I thought I’d be dealing with were off by about 1000%. These continue to be great problems to have, and I look forward to what the future holds.
Many thanks to all of our awesome clients. Needless to say, without you we would still be notoriously complaining 🙂