What success looks like…

When I was a CEO, I used to ask a question that drove my staff nuts: what does success look like?

Whenever we would start a project, I would ask those five little words, mostly to groans, eye rolls and a few half-hearted laughs. It became our running joke and I rolled with it. Deep down, I knew it was an important stake to put in the ground. If we didn’t know what success would look like before we embarked on our journey, how would we know when we got there?

To my staff, the question was so obvious that we didn’t need to waste precious minutes defining it. So, I was just a big holdup in the process but they liked and respected me enough to join in. For most of the time, I really think they just humored me. But one day, I happened to be walking past a meeting in progress for another project that someone else was leading. Imagine my surprise when I heard, “I can’t believe I’m asking this, but what does success look like?” The whole room erupted in laughter. But then, they began defining what success would look like. Mission, I thought, accomplished.

In just a few weeks, I start my own business. To do so, I have a $400 computer, a Microsoft subscription, my personal cell phone (which I also use for work) and some lifelong connections in my field. That’s it. And yet, I’m fairly confident that I’ll meet my own definition of success.

Now, the first reason I’m so confident is the not-so-obvious: I know what success will look like. First, I don’t need to make a lot of money. In fact, I don’t need to make that much at all. My goal is to work 10-15 hours per week so if you back into how much promotion one has to generate to work that much, it’s not all that heavy of a lift. In fact, my connections – the one no-cost item on my list – are largely going to end up being the secret to my success. Word of mouth is largely what I’m relying on. And then, I’ll measure success by my ability to get that said work but also to keep my life “within the lines” of 10-15 hours of work per week. See? I have the vision.

Still, I can’t say that I’m taking much for granted nor that I am undaunted. This IS a big deal. But, when I think of the choices I had: stay comfortable but continue to work more hours which sacrifices my family or take the chance and be able to reduce my time, the answer was fairly clear. It took me at least six months to get here, but in the end, the answer was no big deal.

Right now, most of my days are spent winding up the old gig. It’s only on Fridays and weekends that I can think about my new gig and honestly, the weekends are reserved for laying the hardwood floors upstairs. So, that leaves me Fridays. Still, I am not yet panicked.

Part of my serenity derives from the fact that I’ve squirrelled away a little money to tide me/us over while I make the transition. That gives me the cushion of a few months just to get my business off the ground. Part of it is also that I’m aware of – and have been open about – a new grant writing opportunity which should help launch me quite a bit. But mostly? Mostly, there is a certainty that it was “time.”

For a lot of my life, I believed that time was what you made it. That “time” did not wait for you, as the saying goes. Therefore, if you wanted opportunity, you had to create it. I was quite good at that. So, imagine my surprise when one yoga nidra class and an out-of-the-blue offer (twice) led me away from my CEO job. Weird enough that it happened once but then again years later when a couple of busy months, followed by a disappointing holiday and a health scare in January tipped my hand again. This is not me: I don’t wait for time to happen. Yet again, it did and I acted: I’m starting my own business.

And so, for the second time in my life, I’m being persuaded by time. I am letting go and leaping forward. As I’ve spent the last few weeks pondering what else I may need to start my business, I am surprised that outside of a printer, I’m not necessarily in any rush to get much else. Perhaps an upgraded computer and a Teams account where I can do secure file storage. Those both sound like good ideas. But a website? Umm, probably not. It’s not how I’m going to get work. Maybe a webinar? Okay, but that’s not necessarily financially intensive but more resource intensive. Some calls, some lunches and some reconnecting with people I haven’t seen in a few years. Okay, that could cost some money to pay for lunches, but again, not as financially intensive as one might think.

And again, I’m not looking to make a fortune here. Just a small, adequate living. Small projects, interesting clients, work that I am confident I do well. That’s the whole goal. So, I’ve got that computer I paid $400 for a little over a year ago. Our overhead at home includes good internet and an office already set up for me, so no additional costs there. I even have free legal advice due to a slew of family attorneys.

At this point, I actually do feel like I have everything I need to make myself successful. Maybe most importantly, I have the right vision of what success will look like.