It is just “me” in my little business, working in my office, master of my own destiny (sort of) every day. However, when I work with my clients, we become more powerful than just us two. And, when we build a team, we build an army. That is how this works. So, while to some people, it may appear that I have a tiny business world, in reality, that world and that reach is as grand as the imagination of my best dreaming client and I, and what we determine to conquer.
I work from home in a little home office. I have a small (yet amazing) clientele. And there’s nothing small about my little business and the work I do for clients. Not to me, not to my clients, and not to the lives they touch.
That all starts with what I bring to the table. I built my business with standards around not just how I run my business with the world, but how I treat myself within my business. When I worked corporate, I struggled along with a slow computer, one monitor (don’t even get me started on dual monitors), and aging software. It’s expensive to keep up with changes in the technology world. I get it. But, when I set off on my own, I decided that I would not ever allow myself to feel crippled as a business the way I felt crippled in corporate.
Don’t get me wrong. I cannot afford to upgrade my computer each time the latest and greatest arrive on the scene. I am selective and careful when I choose to upgrade. But I do bring my clients the speed and the skill they need and want when they choose someone to help them grow. To me, that is a fast, upgraded computer, with the most up to date software I can manage. It’s not indefatigable. Just a few weeks ago I was down for the count and for 4-5 hours, while I was wearing my IT hat, I had to take time away from client work to get back online. But my systems and processes are set up in a way that I am able to manage successfully. I believe that my clients want me to have as good or better of a system than they have for themselves.
My office is changing location in just a few short days. We move. I am off the end of this week to get us, and my business, safely to our new residence. It will be a big change for all of us, and we are grateful for this opportunity. Regardless of where my office is located, for me, it is more than amazing. I have a view of the gorgeous weather outside, and I have the best tools I can afford at my fingertips, and I have my amazing dog, Finlay, resting by my side.
Does my location and my office space matter to my clients? Yes.
My clients want me to do my best work, day in and day out; thinking outside of the box and being creative, to help leverage the work they are doing as far as possible and in new and powerful ways. I do that best when I am in an environment that makes me happiest. It is a freedom I have found as an entrepreneur that I have never been able to recreate as an employee, no matter how hard I tried.
Our worlds matter, regardless of where we live them. If we want the work that we do to matter (and I do) then where we do our work matters, too. The way we feel while we are working dramatically affects work quality. The joy we have while working, impacts the joy others have in receiving the outcome of that work. There is a balance there. One cannot exist without the other.
We are moving into a new era in a new world, but I am making strides to ensure that this new world allows me to use my time in a way that serves God, my clients, myself and my family the best… all while allowing me to do the work I have been called to do and love. Yes, it may be a small world…but that doesn’t make it any less powerful than someone with a big world and a big footprint. We can each move mountains.
Are you taking care of yourself in your world, no matter how small, so that you can do your best?