That was a great article.... Oldie, too (1996). I was chuckling for a second when I thought that I would end up reading the magazine online instead of the copy I have sitting on the desk next to me.
It's interesting, because I saw a lot of me in that article, and I also saw a lot of each of the folks that are here. Though there is still a lot of growing that needs to be done with my landscaping business, I think I have the sales process pretty much figured out. And the design process. And the logistics of installation. And the techniques of installation.
It's all still enjoyable - moreso maybe, because some of the unpleasant uncertainty is gone, which allows me to be much more relaxed going into a season. I don't think I can say I'm at the point they mention, where there are no significant challenges left for the business, but some of them look like they'd be somewhat easy, a matter of plodding through the work. And other things I haven't done as an entrepreneur, like manage a staff of 30, I have done in other jobs...So I'm pretty comfortable with that, too.
But I see this site as one of those ventures to add to the good stress - don't know if I can do it, odds are against it, etc. Provides a daily rollercoaster ride (which can turn me
sometimes). But I also see other steps in the 5 step plan they discuss: teaching.
In the very near future, this site will have many people pouring over pages looking for help and advice. But for right now, to a large degree, the small group of people here are looking to teach more than they're looking to learn. Sure, everyone here is always mindful of a new twist to their work, and will take advantage of a new technique or technology, but most of us have been at this game for quite awhile, each taking slightly different paths, each to slightly different success, with a different set of experiences.
That's why a site like this can be so great - the veteran players can recall, relive vicariously through the rookie's successes and failures, savvy negotiations and total faux pas'.
I haven't even begun to think about my plan for succession; it'll be interesting to see if anyone else has. I'm pretty sure I won't leave it for my kids - for their own personal development I think they should make their own way. Of course yesterday I thought that building a family empire, a dynasty, where our name would persist through generations, would be the best course to take. Dunno...
And renewing my passion? Usually all I need for that is to spend some time with a supplier, who can't help but brag about the 10,000 sqft parking lot project my competitor down the street just installed, supplied by them. My stomach gets queezy, I get uncertain....and I get that fire again. Time to down shift and hit the throttle...
Oh - and Pablo Picasso was not a good example. Leonardo da Vinci was the person they should've discussed. Artist, engineer, architect, inventor - designed and built things of great beauty, societal infrastucture, practicality and weapons of destruction. IMHO.
