Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
December 14, 2023
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I remember it like it was yesterday. The date was January 2, 2002. I peered through the window of my airplane, taking in the sights
A question I receive often from many small business leaders is this: Which is the MOST important when it comes to growing and leading a small business, people or profit? The reality of this question is you cannot have one without the other.
People are absolutely necessary for the operation of any small business. People are the ones who will actually represent your company, your brand, and the promise that you make. People are the contact point for customers, suppliers, and the community that you serve. A company is comprised of nothing more than people providing services to other people. People leave a mark on one another’s lives and journeys via the acts of service and connection that take place here. When people put their money and effort into your business, as well as your customers and the community at large, you will see a return on that investment in the form of profits.
A healthy profit is essential to the survival of a business and acts as the engine that drives its growth. Earning a profit clears a path for the vehicle that is your company’s business to move down. Should you run out of the runway, your vehicle will crash. Because profits flow into your bank account as well as the bank accounts of others who eventually contributed to the production of the good or service, it is important that these profits be kept and guarded with great care.
So, which of the two is the MOST important? Which of the two do you ultimately pour into and invest in growing?
People, hands down.
I spent the first decade of my entrepreneurial journey focusing on and ultimately placing the most importance in profit, and as a result, I was very profitable. I climbed a mountain of financial success very quickly, achieving the goal of becoming a millionaire before the age of 30.
The celebration, on the other hand, was not very enjoyable. When I got to the peak of my million-dollar mountain, I understood that the people who helped me get there were not uplifted by me, inspired by me, or led by me in any way. I did not concentrate on other people as much as I ought to have due to the fact that I did not know how; I was never provided with a plan. At this juncture, I was faced with two choices. Continue rising, whether you are by yourself or with others, and confront my people when you reach the top. It would have been much simpler for me to continue rising along the path that I was familiar with, but I knew underneath it all that this was not the course of action that should have been taken.
When I came back down the mountain, I committed to getting a PHD in people. Before doing so, I had to face the fact that some of the people who had helped me were gone. They were no longer there, nor willing to come back. Some bridges were burned.
As time went on, I educated myself on all aspects of leadership and teamwork, as well as the fundamentals of human nature and the factors that influence how people behave. I am very happy that I choose to put my time, energy, and money into other people by cultivating meaningful relationships with them on both a personal and professional level. Today, I see a larger peak and a more difficult rise on the future. I have greater dreams, desires, and goals that I want to achieve.
There is one significant difference between my dreams, goals, and aspirations now and what they were before. They are not in MY possession; rather, we mutually own them. We are already climbing the mountain. We are already trekking. Together, we are working toward realizing OUR hopes, OUR ambitions, and OUR dreams at this point.
If you focus on the people the profit will come. If you focus on the profit, the people will run.
I remember it like it was yesterday. The date was January 2, 2002. I peered through the window of my airplane, taking in the sights
One of the most powerful moments during our Hike of a Lifetime on the Camino de Santiago was the decision to unplug completely. Before taking
When I began the Hike of a Lifetime on the Camino de Santiago, I didn’t expect one of the most important takeaways to be this:
