Fill’er Up!

Monday, July 2, 2018
You can’t give out of an empty vessel!

Many new business owners go into their adventure thinking they will have more control over their time and better opportunities financially- being the boss certainly has it perks! But as the days, months and years roll by, many of us end up spending way more than our 40 hours per week crafting our businesses and if we are not careful- we end up with very little personal time.

After 22 years in this business, Dean and I decided to TRUST what we had created and the team we have in place. We decided to take an entire month off from work. It was AMAZING- I won’t bore you with all of the details- but let me hit the highlights and also share some of the feelings associated with what having the proper systems and the proper people in place can do!

UNPLUGGED- We visited many places across the United States and had some pretty great adventures (parasailing, Segway tour, cruise, 4 wheeling, rafting- just to name a few!). During the 30 days, we agreed to just 1 hour per day with checking mails or handling any issues that might arise. For one full week (the cruise to Alaska!!) we did not check email and I never even opened my computer (Guess What- I didn’t DIE J) . Seriously, it felt great to unplug, reconnect with Dean and just relax. We even agreed to let go of the side ‘businnessy’ things we love to do like Toastmasters, Inner Circle meetings and so on. The goal was to go thru a bit of a defragmenting process and I can tell you that the mission was accomplished!

TRUSTING THE TEAM- The crazy thing is that there would be NO WAY to accomplish the mission without a powerful and competent team! We are blessed with an incredible group of individuals who are wonderful at taking care of the business. I think they would agree that we have systemized things to the point where everyone knows what to do and we have trained well enough so that everyone knows how to do the things we need to get done. Once those systems are in place, business owners must take a very important step- a leap of faith if you will. They have to TRUST the work that has been done and the team they have put in place. So we did just that. While this might have been a tough step years ago- trusting the team we have in place now was actually very easy! Without exception- each TMC team member just has it going on!! Together, they figured everything out during our absence. I remember sending an email and having one of my bossier team members actually tell me to STOP IT! There is simply no replacement for an engaged and loving team. Their presence & commitment allowed Dean and I to step off of the roller coaster and take a breather!

REFUELING- There’s an old saying that you must first patch the holes in your boat before you help other’s with theirs. Refueling and stepping away from the business is like patching your boat. Without a periodic break, business owners can become stagnant and frazzled- making even the best work environments difficult. They can miss opportunities for personal growth and development but there is something worse. By not stepping back from time to time, you do not open up leadership opportunities for your team and isn’t that the point? We serve in our businesses, we take care of our clients but we are also tasked with helping the members of our team grow and blossom as well. The times when we step away are the times when our team has that extra opportunity to show off their talent and step up! As they step up and into their greatness, they open other opportunities for coworkers- and we all grow on and on!

We got into business 22 years ago to do more than just create a paycheck- we wanted to create a lifestyle that brought JOY and OPPORTUNITY to those we work with. Being away from TMC for 30 days was not easy- I LOVE what we do and I enjoy my team immensely! However- I have to say that having the ability to Unplug, Trust My Team and Refuel has made me even more excited for the months and years to come! Now that Dean and I have refueled- it is time to GET BACK TO WORK!
 
The 2nd ½ of 2018 is going to ROCK!
Cheri Perry 7/2/2018