The saga of leadership struggles continued, and the hard lessons kept rolling in. Communication, a persistent challenge, switched from a thorn in my side, to a thorn in my eye. The tendency to get lost in the day-to-day operations, immersed in the details, prevented me from taking a step back to view the business from a strategic 20,000-foot perspective. Had I done that, I may have been able to come up with solutions for these major problems in my (lack-of-)leadership style.
Personal challenges compounded the professional ones. Seeking counseling for my marriage became a necessary commitment. Amidst this, the key team member decided to call it quits and, unfortunately, the departure wasn't handled as well as it could have been by me. The lack of effective communication created a possible permanent strain on our relationship. That is something that I will regret for as long as it sustains.
Enter a saving grace: the addition of an administrative professional. She became the backbone of the operation, taking over social media management, client interactions, appointment scheduling, and invoicing. This move was a game-changer, providing much-needed relief and creating space for me to reassess and reorganize.
I leaned harder into hardscapes, and hopefully found a silver lining in the midst of challenges. I have thought about this for months about this and decided that we would drop 75 percent of our mowing because of the chaos it creates.
The revenue for the year reached $710,000, proving that amidst the chaos, you can still sustain growth.
The journey so far has been a rollercoaster of challenges and realizations. Each stumble has been a stepping stone towards a more effective and sustainable business model. As I continue to navigate the intricate dance of entrepreneurship, the lessons learned in this chapter will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of the business moving forward.
Stay Hungry.
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