The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Part I
Every business owner needs to ask the question: Are the people I’ve surrounded myself with the best fit for my company? For nearly eight years, I certainly thought I had, until I delved into the books and correspondence and found out my own business was on the brink of disaster.
You’re reading Part One of a series. Names in this article have been changed.
In the late nineties, when the company responsible for the printing of many of our publications and art prints was going out of business, I was called to stop by their shops to pick up all films and originals. I was just as curious, though, about what would happen to a particular employee. I had grown to like the woman - I’ll call her Sue - not only for her ability to stay on top of our jobs and see them through to completion, but also as a person. (This was a small print shop, so hanging out in the back while the men running the presses did their thing on a rush job was acceptable.)
Sue and I had shared many a cup of coffee, and I’d often watched her work while waiting for a job to roll off the press. Through our conversations we got to know each others’ families and hobbies; we had a great deal in common. For several years, all I could think was, this is the kind of person I want working for me. So when the opportunity arose, I made my move.
She’d told me about other offers she had received, so I knew a proposed hourly rate would need to be competitive. I offered $2 more than her current employer, and after spending time at my office for a bit so she could understand what would be expected of her, she accepted the task at hand and started work immediately.
I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I had gotten so busy with client work that important things - like receipts and invoices, tax reports and legal paperwork - lay scattered about from my various attempts to come up with a logical filing system. Sue jumped right in and it wasn’t long before she had everything completely organized. When I commended her, she just shrugged her shoulders and said, “I can’t work in a messy office.”
The following few months were equally productive. When bills came in, they were promptly paid and filed away. When client invoices were past due, clients were called regularly. Sue was very persuasive, and it worked, because she’s one of those people who can strike up a conversation with most anyone. And in business it is no secret - when a business relationship also crosses over to a personal relationship, people are less apt to let you sit, waiting to be paid, and they are more understanding when problems arise.
I was proud for Sue to be the one with whom people had to interact. I received, quite frequently, emails commending me for having someone attentive and professional answering the phones and tending to their needs.
When I made the decision to move to Florida, to be closer to my now-husband, Sue was concerned that our few months of working together might come to an end. However, I’m a believer that when you find something that works, you make the effort to keep it working in any circumstance. I inquired if she’d be willing to work from home and continue her duties managing the back-end issues of a corporate office. She gladly accepted - after all, her job would be flexible in the sense that she would be able to drive her daughter to and from school and attend all school events, a luxury most parents don’t have.
Over the years, as now and then either one of us would need to travel and work together, she’d become more valuable as a right-hand to the operations of the business. We’d also grown much closer in our friendship. Sue became my best friend, and would later become part of the family in nearly every aspect. She kept a fire lit under me to get the job done, and when my husband was stricken with diabetic retinopathy, ultimately claiming his eyesight, it was Sue who was the closest to me. She was my shoulder to lean on, in both personal and professional aspects.
When you get to the point that you trust and respect someone and they show true interest in the growth and success of your business (after all, the more the company made, the more she stood to make in annual bonuses), well, you just trust them.
I approached issues like sick leave and vacation time from a “trust your employees” standpoint. A company I’d worked for previously instituted a program that you were to take sick time as needed, rather than be allotted X numbers a year. The result for them was less sick time being used overall-on average, employees used just 3.7 days per year rather than their previously “allotted” six days. If Sue needed a short work day to attend a school event or tend to a family member, I never questioned her. I could rely on her to get the job done and it was not uncommon for her to log in during evening or weekend hours to complete the work necessary.
My family, my husband and several clients grew to appreciate her as well. I recall my father telling me, “If you let her go, you’re an idiot.”
With business going well - we actually had to turn down work - Sue continued to excel at serving the company. I rewarded her handsomely at the end of each year and realized that without her my business (and my life) would be a mess.
Life was good. Business was booming and my best friend was by my side, experiencing every aspect as we grew and began to offer more services. I couldn’t imagine things could be any better. And I later found out I was exactly right.
Next Up: The line of separation of business vs personal is a very shady one indeed.
