Comfortable… But Capped

Good enough is holding you back

Dear Leader,

When I came in the other day, the early morning sun was glinting off your 67 fastback out front. It's apparent that you built this business because you love cars. Unlike your time at the dealership, customers recognize your caring and in turn they keep coming. You go home at 4:30 every day, make decent money and you're comfortable with the routine, while it lasts.

But, if you want to retire some day, you have to grow the business, and that will require a good mechanic. From a simple numbers perspective, their payroll will put you into the red. I can hear you now, "I might as well go back to working for the man! I'd make more money!"

But if we honestly look at the trend on your net, you're headed there anyway. Your frustration is understandable because you feel that you have only bad choices. Give up money now to hire a guy so that you can chase revenue. All in order to grow enough to recover the income you gave up. Sounds like a lot of work.

So, you default to going home on time with your standard paycheck because it's good enough for now.

But you can see where the default is taking you. For example, remember that fleet manager you were going to call on a month ago? You haven't done it because you have been too busy wrenching. Where do you think this ends?

Your business just dies.

This experience is common among small business owners, so the good thing is that you are not alone. But it is important to identify for yourself that which you would consider success. I am asking you to choose your real and true priority.

Yes, I am going to ask you to write. Write down all that you want. Time to go to car shows? More time working on the classic car rebuilds? The value of the business to be at a certain level so that you can retire? The point is to get all of those partial thoughts out of your head and onto the paper where they can be seen and judged.

Then prioritize your list. Some of those wants and needs will be in direct opposition to one another. For example, if you want more time doing one thing, less time will be spent on something else. Writing it all down will allow you to consciously choose what will be sacrificed and for what. The alternative is to submit to the whim of the universe. Not advisable.

Consciously choosing what you want and what to sacrifice is the path to a real plan. Maybe it's to take up one of the bays with your GTO rebuild or take off to a car show to win some awards. We humans love a plan and progress even more.

Let's choose the discomfort to endure now for progress on your priorities. Let's increase the value of your business to enable more flexibility in retirement, and the freedom to work on cars for the love of it. A plan lets you come to work like you are on a mission. Gaining ground every day.

Park Wiker

P.S. You get to choose your sacrifice, not escape it. - Unknown