Five years into a purpose-driven business. Here’s what I’ve learned.
This month, we celebrate five years of business at Rootstock.
I started this business because I wanted to live out of my heart. But living out of the heart is not for the … wait for it… faint of heart!
Here are five key things that I’ve learned over the past five years.
1. Skipped Career Steps: A Blessing and a Curse
You don’t know what you don’t know.
Prior to starting the business, I was a sales and marketing executive. I was pretty good at what I did. This was a blessing and a curse. I rose quickly in my career, but I skipped crucial steps in learning.
On my rise through the corporate structure, there were simple things like how to use Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and critical things like how to read a P&L. While I had staff to cover these gaps in my game during my corporate career, I didn’t have those skills when I started my business.
The first couple of months were humbling, to say the least!
2. Most Friends Didn’t Want to be First
My friends didn’t want to be my guinea pigs.
When I started the business, I made a list of business acquaintances and friends who I thought would surely be my first clients. However, I learned pretty quickly that, while my closest associates were for me and my success, they didn’t want to go first. This forced me to hone in on my business case and do some real “sales” with folks that knew me very little or not at all.
I think my friends knew this would cause me to dig-in, and they were right!
3. Purpose Carried Me Through Lonely and Hard Times
I remember the day when I launched my new website and the email associated with the URL. I got everything set up, and it was the most shocking and scary feeling. I had three messages in my inbox! I spent most of my career trying to tame my email inbox, but now, I was desperate for anything, even spam!
This is when I realized that I was truly starting something new, and that feeling was a little overwhelming. It was lonely and scary, but I had this voice deep inside of me, drawn up from the well of purpose.
I just believed that what I had to offer the world was important, and from that place of belief, I fought to exist.
4. Not Everyone Stays for the Journey
When you first start a business, you’re working with basically anyone who will give you a moment to explain what you’re trying to do. This is true of clients, staff, and partners.
When I first started out, I had one key employee and one key business partner. Both of those are no longer affiliated with the company. Honestly, I probably clung to them more than I should’ve early on because it’s really lonely in the beginning, and you want to honor those who were there from the start. But being flexible, especially with relationships, is key.
If you want to keep moving forward, you have to let go before you can grab hold of what’s next.
5. Belief from a Few Can Be Enough Motivation
My wife always believed in what I was trying to accomplish. There were also a few other close friends who believed in me. They were treasures in my heart during those early years. This handful of friends and family was my lifeblood, and I truly understand the meaning of being blessed with close relationships coming out of this five years later.
An invitation to live from your heart!
If you have a deep purpose, and your heart is set ablaze at the thought of going after that purpose, you may need to start a business!
I truly believe that, like nothing else, starting a business is one of the most humbling and empowering things one can do. And I know the stats – about half of all new businesses fail in the first five years. But your heart deserves a chance to flourish!
A purpose in the heart is like a love affair, and just like Matt Damon said in Good Will Hunting, “I gotta go see about a girl.” That purpose inside of you is like a potential lover, that brings with it all the heartaches and all the joys of romance. Pursuit is totally worth it, and fraught with potential loss, rejection, and pain.
As we turn five years old, Rootstock is every bit as successful as I envisioned it would be. But I’m not gonna lie to you. The joy and the pain are like a roller coaster. Buckle up, and enjoy the ride!
If you ever want to talk about starting your purpose-driven business, reach out to me! I would love to see your purpose come to life.
Yours in purpose-driven business,
Tony Woodall
Founder, Rootstock