When I was at Fort Lewis College, I remember taking a class about business and my teacher asked us a basic question, “Are entrepreneurs Born? or Made?” Seems simple enough. No one is born with the knowledge of how to run a business. But what I learned in that class was, only certain people are born with the drive, and willingness to risk it all. To put everything, they have into a chance that it might or might not work. I’m sure the statistics have changed by this point, but we were taught that only 2/10 businesses make it past the first 5 years. You are taught that not only are you putting your heart and soul into a project, you are also putting all of your money, time and energy into something that will most likely fail. I started looking around the room to see everyone shake their heads thinking, no way would they do that. Why would anyone start a business? Are they crazy? That’s when I realized an entrepreneur is born. Born with fearlessness and well, let’s be blunt; the stubbornness to assume you are better than anyone else and can make it when everyone else has failed. That’s an entrepreneur. I also learned even though they are born they will do anything to learn how to be better.
Remember what I said. No one is born with the knowledge of how to run a business. That does need to be taught, and unlike some other industries it is changing on a daily basis. If you are smart enough, you never stop learning and adapting. However, what you cannot teach or learn is a behavior that’s needed to risk everything. I remember thinking at the time, “that’s me, I would do anything to own and run my own business.” Thankfully I found a partner in crime that has the same mindset. The same behavior needed to say “How can we make this work” not, “But what if it fails?”. For years our conversations would circle around what business we thought would be best that week. Trust me, we came up with some interesting ideas. We talked over at least 100+ business ideas before we made the leap. Before, On The Spot Automotive Detailing.
Over the years, working with other companies, I have learned a lot! One of the easiest things to learn is what to do. Unfortunately, the hardest thing to learn is what not to do. It’s easy to do the right thing when everyone is watching, but it comes down to what you offer and follow when your back is against the wall. Trust me, that happens more often than not when you are a small business owner. You have to weigh each and every option against what you want to accomplish down the road, not just what you can get in that moment. It might be harder, take longer, but what will you gain in the long run? Integrity and Confidentiality are the main things we offer our customers. We know in the long run; we want to make sure we are known as the only option. I know, I know that doesn’t seem like a typical “service”.
As a basic company we offer Automotive Detailing. We take any car and make it look brand new again. It might be a wash/wax or even a ceramic coating. What we instill in our employees is we are not just there to clean a vehicle. We are there to be professionals. We spend the time to make sure everyone looks and acts in the most upstanding manner possible. We also make sure to show our customers they can trust our work. Integrity is our Highest Priority. On a daily basis it’s easy to think, “I’m tired, maybe I can take a short cut here or there to get done faster.” This is where remembering what not to do becomes the hardest part. To push through and make sure to offer the best service every customer. To make sure you are not only selling a service, you are selling yourself in the highest standard. Through Our Integrity, our customers have also learned when we say we offer confidentiality, we mean that. Most of our clientele need to have strict privacy where they are located, or what vehicles they might have in their collection. They need to know we will take great care of these high end assets along with their need to stay out of the public eye. The easiest things to sell are your services, what makes you stand out from the rest is the time and effort you put into selling your business.
Thankfully it seems during this time of trial through the pandemic, and the change of our consumer behavior, it has pushed more people to owning vehicles and taking the time to make sure they are clean and sanitary. During 2020, our ability to quickly fly somewhere or take public transportation was shut down. This led to a considerable amount of people needing their own personal transportation. Either to get to and from work, if they were essential, OR the ability to get out into the wild and away from all of the uncertainty of the pandemic. Many purchased vehicles and campers and took to the outdoors when normal vacation spots were shut down. We see this trend when you look at empty dealerships.
Most cannot keep a car on the lot longer than parking it and turning off the ignition. Being able to offer these car enthusiasts a way to keep their investment looking pristine, without any time taken away from them is a service in high demand. Mobility and service anywhere the customer is has turned into the market norm. Consumers want to order what they need online and have it at their work or home on their own set schedule. This includes the need for servicing your vehicle. Offering the ability to keep your personal space clean and sanitary in a world that requires masks and gloves makes everyone feel a bit more at ease when occupying their personal space. Convenience, cleanliness and mobility are the trends coming out of 2020 that only seem to be growing as we learn this pandemic won’t end in the blink of an eye.
I truly believe finding a balance between home and work life is something everyone needs to understand as important and a priority. However, growing up as a woman in our society you are taught it is more of a burden on you to make that sacrifice. Do you sacrifice having a family, a baby, a home life for the ability to chase your dreams? If a woman does this, they tend to be considered cold and unpleasant. If a woman takes the time to have a family, stay at home and take care of the house and kids, it’s often thought they lack ambition or don’t have the ability to contribute to society, when they actually have some of the hardest jobs. Truly being able to find a balance between the two is an ever changing hardship. As an entrepreneur, I tend to spend most of my time working or thinking about work. What can I do to make things better, what obstacles do I need to overcome, what step do I take next to grow? However, as a mom of a tumultuous 4-year-old, I have to make sure to give her my time and attention just as much as I need to give the business. As a woman I will always have the need to prove myself, especially in the automotive industry. I have to work twice as hard just to show that I can do the job of anyone else. Also as a woman, it’s my job to show my daughter that she can do and be anything she wants. It’s my job to teach her to be strong and confident in a world that is constantly teaching women to be demure and passive.
I think that’s where I find my work life balance. I know I not only have a job to be the best leader I can for my business but I have the most important job of showing my daughter what a woman is capable of. Being present in everything you do is the most important lesson I have learned over the years. When I’m at work, I make sure to be present in my tasks. To put my effort into what is in front of me and how I can improve my business. When I’m home with my family, I make sure to turn everything off. It doesn’t matter to your kid that you are at their event, or with them watching a movie if you are glued to your phone and constantly working. Spend the time to be present.
Giving half of your attention to everything will not get you very far. One thing this question poses is there are only two states in which you have to find balance, home and work. Inserting yourself into that equation and understanding you have to find balance for yourself, not just your family and your work will improve most situations. One thing as a woman we are taught by society is that we have to give ALL of ourselves to our family or our job. If we say we need time to focus on ourselves that’s selfish. However, it’s quite the opposite. Running on empty will only last so long, taking the time to make sure you are fueled will accentuate everyone around you.
Take the time to balance home, work and yourself. There will be weeks that one takes a priority and that is ok, just remember to go back to the core, to go back to your balance point. Growing up, my father would tell me the Serenity Prayer “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can and Wisdom to know the difference” but the part that stuck with me more than that is the next two lines that most people never hear. “Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time”. It always helped me remember to bring everything back to the present.
We live in a world that is dominated by masculinity. What is your advice to women entrepreneurs across the world? Surprisingly said by a male who dominates in his field, some of the best advice I heard is “There may be people that have more talent than you but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” When living in a world dominated by masculinity and social media, we are constantly blasted by women and men that are more “talented,” more successful, more everything. It can get overwhelming, and discouraging especially as women. Men not only dominate certain fields that require a more physical demand than most women can accomplish, but they have always dominated the working world. Even though women have been a prominent part of the workforce since WW2 we are still fighting to prove our worth. My advice is to work harder. Only you can fail yourself. If you put in the effort, the time and commitment you will always succeed. “There is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you”.
