This is a great question because I really had no idea what I was starting up and how it was going to affect me. Don’t get me wrong by what I am going to say because I LOVE being the BOSS and making my OWN decisions for my OWN company. So here it is – I never had any idea of the constant worry an owner or CEO has of their company everyday. The day I opened my company was the day my business became a part of my thoughts and decisions 7 days a week, 24 hours a day (well except for when I sleep, after tossing and turning for hours thinking about it). It did not matter if it was the weekend or 10pm at night, I was thinking about my company and making it successful. After many years I became so tired that I had to learn how to “turn it off”. That’s when I started to unplug and cancel out hours on my schedule for walks, going to the gym, going out and just relaxing. A cup of tea became part of that routine too. I even had to have a talk with my sister Blake and my Mom Rosemary that when we spend family time together we are not allowed to talk about the company. THAT was the best thing I did and I now I am back to work life balance!
There is another big challenge in running my own company that I continue to face and this one can be tiring for me too but is probably the most important thing for me to do in my company. I cannot create a “turn it off” for this one. You all know how important it is to me to see people with challenges getting valuable employment and earning a wage to live independently. Creating these jobs is my #1 passion. So when I hire someone I train them and I spend a lot of time understanding their struggles and frustrations. I make sure I work with each new hire and set them up for success to help build their confidence and make sure they feel valued and very appreciated by me and my team. At the same time it is important for me to keep the atmosphere positive, grateful and a happy environment everyday for everyone. Compassion and understanding takes time and a lot of patience. To balance that with production and efficiency can be exhausting too. But so worth it to see everyone doing an amazing job, challenging themselves and feeling valued! This means so much to me and fulfills me to see! That is what keeps me going even though it can be a little exhausting. (ok sometime a lot).
I have watched my team (I call my family) grow and become confident, get new housing, start new things, take new chances, become an independent thinker and challenge their frustrations to become successful. What is better than that?
So I LOVE being the BOSS and making my OWN decisions and seeing the impact me and my company has on other’s lives!
Collette