A big motivation in starting my own business was to find a job that fulfilled me, where I could pursue my passion for art and design, and make something beautiful and real. In my previous jobs, I had always felt that I was simply selling my time, and waiting to live outside work hours. I really wanted to do something with my time that I was proud of. I wanted to put myself wholeheartedly into my work.
Starting my own business fulfilled that need a hundred fold. Fifteen years later, I’m still as motivated and inspired as when I started.
However, when my business became big enough to need an employee, I hit a philosophical dilemma. How could I ask another person to sell their time for someone else’s dream, when that was exactly what I refused to do any longer?
By chance, I read a great business book around this time, that was all about the philosophy and intent behind creating a successful, sustainable business. The book was The E-Myth Manager by Michael Gerber, and I still draw on the wisdom in that book in the day-to-day running of my business.
To the hurdle that was preventing me from moving forward, the book offered this elegant bit of wisdom. Whether you are starting a new business or a new job, you are finding a role that fits into the vision that you hold for your life. And so when you need to employ someone else to work within that team, they don’t need to share your same vision, the role simply needs to fit within their vision for their life.
With those words it all made so much sense. We all have different needs from a job at different times of our lives. If you are studying, then a part time job in a friendly environment, that you can do around your uni commitments, can perfectly fit within the vision you hold for your life. You don’t need to want to run a business in order to be happy to work within that business. And on the other side of the same coin, I didn’t need to ask anyone else to give up their own dreams, to help me work towards my own.