Here is Tom Sherman at The Olde World Rug Washing Company with some of the best guys in the business including Bert Presant, Paul Lucas and Craig Jasper
I had a post on FB about why people do what they do and Tom posted his in reply.
Barry here is my top 10
1. You Control Your Own Destiny
Many
entrepreneurs consider themselves "Type-A" personalities, folks that
like to take control and make
decisions. In other words, owning a business saves them from having to work for
anyone else. One reason to own a small business is the ability to direct the
culture of your company. When you're in the driver's seat, you are making the
decisions on how best to steer your company into the future. This might be
overwhelming for some and one must know when and how best to delegate. However,
when you are able to make your own decisions about how best to operate
day-to-day, this leads to creating a culture, a brand and an organization."
2. You Can Find Your Own Work/Life Balance
One of the most oft-cited benefits of owning your own business is the flexibility that comes with it, whether that be working from wherever you want, setting your own hours, wearing a nightgown or even sitting next to your pet while you work. Just as important, entrepreneurs say that owning their own business lets them set their priorities.
3. You Choose the People You Work With
When you work for someone else; you rarely get to choose whom you work with. If you don't like your co-workers you'd better start sending our resumes. That's not the case when you own your own business, since you get to make the decisions about who to hire (and fire). "Over the years, I've hired dozens of personal friends, and family members to work with me in different capacities. Why? Because they care about me. Surround yourself with positive people who give you the confidence and optimism you need to keep moving forward. Weed out the people that put out negative vibes. The smaller your organization, the larger choice you have about who you work with."
4. You Take on the Risk – And Reap the Rewards
There's no question that owning your own business is a risky proposition. But, with risk comes reward. Said another way, the better you are at managing risk, the more rewards you can reap. The thing I enjoy most about the company is playing the 'game' of business. It's like combining high stakes poker with the greatest strategy game ever. There are an unlimited number of variables in almost every aspect of the company, and as soon as you think you have things under control in an area, everything changes. Specifically, I like having my own money at risk, then having to live with the consequences of my decisions (good or bad). Like every other great game, the more you play, the better you get. You learn to recognize good opportunities from bad ones. You learn how to look like you are committed to new products, without actually financially committing to it until you have feedback and orders from your customers. You also learn to create exit strategies for bad situations and how to maximize the good ones. The most fun is to work on a project with your team, and overcoming all of the obstacles
5. You Can Challenge Yourself
Some people thrive on the routine of their job – performing the same tasks day after day. As an entrepreneur, you can bet that each day will be filled with new opportunities to challenge yourself, be creative and learn something new. The great thing about owning a small business is I rarely experience the same day twice. Because every day, I learn something new about the act of owning a business. Whether it’s something and Isfahan rug, taxes, about accounting, or the plethora of other things that go into running a rug washing company, I am always fascinated by the parts and pieces of knowledge that I learn every day just to keep the business on track. I could never do it without the SCRT (www.scrt.org), and this rug hub.
7. You Can Get Things Done – Faster
Entrepreneurs as a whole seem to have an allergy to red tape. Rather than wait for approval – or for the guidebook to be written about how to do something – small business owners salivate at the chance to get things done. Most large companies are too busy being big to be proactive. The best that most can do is react quicker than the other big companies when the wave comes at them. My company, on the other hand has the flexibility to be proactive, to run new things up the flagpole and be at the forefront of new products, techniques, or promotional strategies. Never underestimate the ability to truly be proactive.
8. You Can Connect With Your Clients
There are few things that get entrepreneurs as excited as when they get to interact with their customers. Rather than hiding behind a series of automated greetings, small business owners thrive on dealing one-on-one with their best clients – or making the decision to get rid of those customers they don't like. You don't have to deal with customers who are jerks - you can even fire them. Seriously, we did this more than once. The customer is 'always right' and there are some rare instances where that is complete BS!"
9. You Can Give Back to Your Community
Many entrepreneurs love the idea that in building their business, they can give back to the community or communities they operate in the form of the products and services they offer, by donating to charities and especially the ability to create jobs, which is particularly important these days. I take great pride in knowing that I'm solving a problem others have and creating opportunities for people to have jobs that they love. There's nothing more American than that.
10. You Feel Pride in Building Something of Your Own
One of the biggest differences in owning your own company as opposed to working for someone else is the sense of pride you establish in building something of your own. There is nothing like being successful through your own leadership, abilities, ideas and efforts. Not only are there benefits from such self-actualization – you also get to brag about what you do. One really cool thing about owning a small business is that people are interested in you and your story. Not that I have some egomaniacal need to talk about the business or myself all the time, but it's still nice that people are interested.
Society of Cleaning and Restoration Technicians
4402 S. Danville Dr., Abilene, TX 79605
info@SCRT.org | 800-949-4728 | Fax 325-692-1823
http://scrt.org/
Tom also has:
Professional Carpet Systems
905 4th St
Marietta, OH 45740
(740) 374-7401
(888) 317-9849 (fax)
rugmantom@gmail.com
and
The Olde World Rug Washing Company
287 BF Goodrich Drive
Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 373-3470
