We all know running a business isn’t easy (but if you need help with yours, get in touch with us), and just as there are highs and things to celebrate, there are lows and lessons to learn.
So, we sat our management team down and extracted the 8 lessons we’ve learnt in our 8 years of Carbon.
- It’s tough in the early days. But as your business scales, it becomes more fun. You get to employ people who are more talented than you to do the things you’re not good at.
- Execution is just as important as strategy. A great strategy executed poorly will be just as bad as a poor strategy.
- Acquisitions are more about the people than they are about the underlying business. An average business can be made better with the right adjustments and support. The wrong people can have adverse effects, not only on their direct team but the whole organisation.
- What worked yesterday won’t always work tomorrow. You have to be prepared to evolve and stay nimble.
- It’s not always the ones who talk the loudest that have the answer, or know the best direction for you to go in. Don’t be afraid to do something different, despite the noise otherwise.
- There is no such thing as ‘getting off the tools’ if you want to create an amazing business. You will always be involved, especially when you love what you do. But what your involvement looks like will change and evolve over time.
- It’s okay if you’re not great at everything – instead, try to be good at empowering people who are actually good at those things and work with them.
- Your business, your career, and your clients, are all super important. But so is your family and your health. At the end of the day, remember that work funds life, not the other way around.
Thank you to each and every one of our Carbonites, our clients and our supporters.
