The Not So Long Journey To Profit And Happiness

When we were starting out with our first business model, we were told by all sorts of folks that we needed to pick one thing and do it better than everyone else. This seemed like logical advice, and it also seemed like very achievable advice. We purchased our first business and it was the “go to” place for the widgets that we made. When I say “we”, what I really mean is me and my best friend at the time. This little 3 man company was the largest supplier of hot water heater stands in the southeast.

Not bad, eh? One owner, two workers (welders), and a truck. Size doesn’t matter, but that’s another post for another day.

Due to terrible money managing and some cracks in his business model, my wife and I were given the opportunity to buy the business from the owner. He was in a bind, burned out, and needed some quick money. Since I was managing everything except the bank accounts anyway, it made sense to take advantage of the offer.

And so it began…

Convenient Stores & Internal Voices

So that was my first business. Well, sort of. I don’t really count selling gum and lighters in middle school as a business. Although it did fund most of my after school tomfoolery. At this time I would like to thank the 7Eleven that had no problem selling lighters in bulk to a 14 year old every week.

It was great and for a while we rocked it, but my mind started to wander about other ideas and ventures.

This started to bother me and I was feeling scared. I hadn’t been married 2 years yet, and there I was with a new business,  a huge shop filled with stuff, employees, and a bank loan that still makes me cringe when I think about it. I already wanted to do something else. It’s not that I didn’t like what we were doing. I just wanted to do more.

The more I thought about all the other awesome ideas I had, the more I heard others saying “you NEED to stick to one thing and master it”. This is all I’d ever been told and it was so embedded in my brain that it was impossible to ignore.

So on I went. Pushing forward, but feeling like I was sinking into something I was starting to resent. Things started to slip in the business and I was blind to things happening around us that would eventually kill the need for our hot water heater stands.

Your business model should be as unique as you are

Our first business didn’t fail because the business model was flawed. It failed because it was someone eles’s model. We were young and naive and no matter how much we said we were thinking for ourselves, we weren’t. We were doing the same things we had learned by working in the old business – someone else’s business model.

1 becomes 2 becomes 3 becomes…

These days, our business model is quite different. In fact, when people ask me what I do my general response is, “Whatever I want”. I know that sound a bit crass, but it’s true. We’re entrepreneurs because we wanted freedom. Freedom to do what we want when we want and how we want. I’m sure your reasons are not much different.

I finally found the business model that works best for me. Yes it involves a lot of things that most people would say have nothing to do with one another. I’m ok with that and you should be too.

That freedom that we all want from running our own business comes from being happy with what we do. Don’t be afraid to follow your ideas when they come to you.

Obviously you need to be smart about this and not follow every single little whim that pops into your overactive imagination. Quickly analyze and explore the ones that makes sense.

Let me show you an example:

Our first business consisted of welding hot water heater stands and selling them to plumbing supply warehouses who sold them to plumbers.

First idea – Switch from making water heater stands to wrought iron railings, custom furniture, & art pieces

• We knew how to weld and had all the equipment
• Had connections with plumbers who had connections with builders
• Builders need railings for new homes
• Used scrap to make sculptures & artistic furniture
• Be able to let my personality shine through the work
• All I had to do was figure out how to build railings 

Second idea - sell sculptures & pre-made art online

• This was very short lived & unsuccessful but it introduced me to online business.

Third idea – teach people how to weld online

• Teaching was always my favorite part of hiring new employees at the welding shop
• I’m a master at completing large projects with limited tools, manpower, and sometimes even experience
• It would force me to learn more about online marketing and websites (which I was fascinated by)
• Be able to let my personality shine through the work

Fourth idea – running an online store

• I was already learning about site creation and online marketing
• Was not limited in what I could sell
• Wanted a way to sell cool stuff without having to produce it or stock products
• Wanted something that could be run completely by someone else (assistant)
• Be able to let my personality shine through the work

Fifth idea – The brand of me and helping you find YOUR business success

• Wanted to explore my love for teaching and helping others in my own way
• Wanted one place to house all the stuff I’ve learned over the years
• Wanted to connect with others and learn more about networking with cool people
• Wanted to build a brand around a concept and my name at the same time

Of course there’s been a million other ideas in the middle but you can see how these had a natural progression. They also all have common elements that tie them together.

The point (so I can make this post about something other than me)

You don’t have to stick to one thing if you don’t want to. If you’re not getting enough fulfillment from your business (or anything for that matter), explore ways to do so. You might find exactly what you need to fill the void or you might find out that you have everything you need and just needed to be reminded.

Don’t take a business model created by or for someone else and assume that it’s a perfect fit for you. Find a business model that suits you and your style and tweak it as much as you need, whenever you need to.  Remember we’re working to build YOUR success, not someone else’s