Enough to Be Dangerous

Back in the early 2000s, I was the novice owner of a commercial carpet cleaning business ready to take on all the dirty carpet in the city.

For years I was hooked on business ownership

and dreamed about a business where I was the only owner, the person in charge, the person with all the responsibility and the person who expanded what was to what could be.

My legs were weak and I was scared and nervous and excited.

I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into.

I read the latest publications of business books, joined mentor groups, attending networking events and lost a lot of sleep. I knew enough to be dangerous to myself and to employees. What I might have done in those early years is wear a large red sign that said “beware, making changes without understanding consequences”.

Early on I discovered that hearing about or reading about business ownership is a heck of a lot different than being there. At the office, in the warehouse, on the parking lot facing employees that were not all that interested in a woman-business owner. They were not sold on the story that I could make this cleaning business more profitable and successful than it currently was. In fact, I met more wariness than confidence in practically every employee.

Book learning and mentor advice has its place. But when it comes down to showing up, I found that there is nothing more scary than putting into practice the lessons from the book pages and from mentor’s advice.

Now this is where the rubber met the road. For me it became more action and less talk.

I decided that I wanted to be a different type of owner, and to be different I had to act different from the expected.

I arranged employee focused training and added benefits and upped wages and spotlighted families.

I wanted to prove a point which was this. That I would manage the business, I would handle the good and the not-so-good and I would make a difference.

Fast forward to 2021. This year was a roller-coaster ride with uncertainty and the slowdown of accounts, causing us to scramble to find work to keep us all in the green-stuff.

And we did it. Together, working and planning and being flexible. Focusing our eyes and ears and time on what is important to us.

Never would this have worked out as well as it has if not for years before when employees were spotlighted front and center in the business.

And for that I give thanks.