Article published Jun9th, 2015
I run a small but very busy web design agency in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It’s been quite ride since I first started in 1996 and for the past 20 years or so, I have been the Jacques of all trades, or should I say the Stevie of all trades, growing my business, one customer at the time and making sure that the foundations I was laying for myself were set on solid ground.
When I first started in this business, I used to do everything myself. From making coffee in the morning, to sweeping the floors, to paying the bills, to talking to my clients, to paying more bills, to making more coffee… etc…
And when, at long last, all of the above was done, (except for making coffee of course, there’s always time for that), I would then sit at my designing table and start developing my customers websites… well into the wee hours of the following morning…
In truth, it was nothing more or less than any other small business owner out there would do, but whilst the rewards of running your own business are extraordinary, they come at a cost in terms of time spent, building your business by yourself, one website at the time.
And then my business started to grow and I found myself working even longer hours trying to juggle every thing myself.
“Hire someone” my (much wiser) wife would say but I always had a prepared answer.
It’s my business I used to say, I don’t have the money to hire anyone and besides no one would ever work the way I work..
I was a control freak.
You know the kind?!
Hiring did sound like a good idea, though, and thus I tried, but in the web design industry, in any industry really, you are only ever as good as the people you hire and finding the right people to work with you can be a real struggle sometimes.
It certainly was for me… And the turn-over was exhausting. From placing an ad, to reviewing job applications, to interviewing a prospect, to hiring that prospect, to training him or her, and then having to be on your guard because of the mistakes he or she makes, from the … “sorry boss, I can’t work today, I was bitten by a dog”…. to and even more unpleasant task of having to say to someone… “sorry lad, I am going to have to let you go”… finding the right people to work for you is a real challenge.
Why am I telling you all this, you are asking?
Well, because after a long time looking, I finally found the right people, and they are so good at what they do that make me look even better.
Like Michael for example, my Graphic Designer who’s banners and graphic you’ll see on this website. Who works hard, and makes my day when I look at his artistic creations in the world of graphic design.