Q: What are the some of the differences between running a small business and working for a large corporation?

A: John: As a small business owner you are responsible for everything. You don’t have a boss setting your agenda and giving you direction and feedback. You have to be focused on the big picture and what it takes to run a profitable business or you will not succeed.

You don’t have support departments such as Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing, Accounting, etc. As owners, my wife and I have to wear those hats. Sometimes we have to outsource projects or repairs we can’t do ourselves.

When I was in the corporate world, at one point I was responsible for running a $100 million business and had 19 direct reports. I was always under a lot of pressure to hit sales & profitability numbers, but many times did not have the flexibility to do what needed to be done to hit the goals. It was similar to running my own business, but more difficult in many ways because I did not have total control.

Being business owners, we get paid after all of our employees and suppliers get paid. We can’t just wander around hoping for business, we have to create it. We decide how good our customer service is. We decide how good our quality is. We decide how we will get customers. We decide everything. Our business doesn’t just happen, we make it happen. That’s pressure, but we love it because we have total control.

www.inthehamper.com

205-823-1265

Q: What are the some of the differences between running a small business and working for a large corporation?

A: John: As a small business owner you are responsible for everything. You don’t have a boss setting your agenda and giving you direction and feedback. You have to be focused on the big picture and what it takes to run a profitable business or you will not succeed.

You don’t have support departments such as Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing, Accounting, etc. As owners, my wife and I have to wear those hats. Sometimes we have to outsource projects or repairs we can’t do ourselves.

When I was in the corporate world, at one point I was responsible for running a $100 million business and had 19 direct reports. I was always under a lot of pressure to hit sales & profitability numbers, but many times did not have the flexibility to do what needed to be done to hit the goals. It was similar to running my own business, but more difficult in many ways because I did not have total control.

Being business owners, we get paid after all of our employees and suppliers get paid. We can’t just wander around hoping for business, we have to create it. We decide how good our customer service is. We decide how good our quality is. We decide how we will get customers. We decide everything. Our business doesn’t just happen, we make it happen. That’s pressure, but we love it because we have total control.

www.inthehamper.com

205-823-1265