Behind The Scenes, On Purpose

Looking back, it's pretty amazing to think how much our business grew over the first decade - from 2003-2013. From zero to $700M in annual revenue over 10 years. Through all of that my focus remained on behind the scenes details, strategy development and ensuring we were recognizing our roots and the faith in God that played into our success. At a pivotal point during those first 10 years of massive growth I chose not to remain invested as a business owner, and given another chance to make that decision, I would not do anything differently. I sold my ownership of the company because I felt the pull to put my family first above all else. I will share more about that in a future post.

The priority for me during the crazy busy years in business where it felt like we could barely take a breath was to keep calm and not let others feel there was anything they should worry about. Even high growth periods come with a lot of concerns related to decisions that need to be made quickly and stress that can easily permeate to others. Staying in a behind the scenes role and setting others up for success is something I really enjoy. I’m very much an introvert but when needed I can step out of my comfort zone.

As an introvert I consistently listen more than I speak and I try to always pause and think before saying something that could be hurtful. I’ve been on the receiving end of people who speak first and think later, as well as those that use humor to speak truth in an unkind way. As much as possible I consider others before I say or do something. I truly believe that you should surround yourself with people who are more talented, smarter, and overall just better people, so you can always strive to reach their level. Sometimes that means not continuing relationships that you don’t feel suit you in your life stage. It also means reaching out and building relationships with new people that fill your cup and encourage you.