Find your aim

2022 was our 15th year in business as TeamLogic IT of Oklahoma City. It was also my 60th year in the business world—most of it in corporate America. As I recently thought about my experiences over the years, it occurred to me I may have acquired some knowledge or wisdom that could help others. I think it’s time I started sharing what I’ve learned before I forget most of it!

I decided to write a book of sorts, and each chapter title is in alphabetical order and features a word describing a topic, starting with the letter “a.”  For example, this one is titled, “Aim.”

What is your aim, objective, goal, or—as some might say—your “why.” Why are you in business? What are you aiming for or hoping to achieve? Many people will describe their aim as something tangible, like money, a home, or a car. 

We’re told goals must be measurable. “What you can’t measure, you can’t manage.”  But I’ll tell you those kinds of goals should not be the aim that gets you up in the morning or motivates you to keep going when you think you can’t. If that were the case, what would you do when you reach that goal? Stop? If you set a new goal, was the first one really your aim? Or was it just a stop along the way? And to where?

If I’m honest, I didn’t know until very recently what my aim was in my business. Even now, I’m not sure I can describe it in everyday language. But I can tell you some feelings I have when I’m working for my business that remind me of my aim.  But first, I’d like to talk about a few past experiences that may shed some light on what I’m trying to describe.

Sixty years ago, when I entered the world of business—fresh out of college with an engineering degree—I worked hard and looked for opportunities to make things better.  It made me feel good when I was successful at increasing the company’s success. Sure I got promotions, raises, loftier titles, and the like, but they were never enough on their own. For decades, corporate America rewarded me and others for making things better, and being a part of it was fun and exciting. Getting up in the morning knowing I might have to work through the night or weekend was just part of the deal. But somewhere along the way, corporate America lost its soul and me with it. I left to find a work environment I loved, even if I had to create it. 

I’d always had this nagging urge to run my own business. And so, at the age of 67, my wife and I invested in and started our own IT business. Mind you, this was 2007, one of the worst times in recent history to start a small business.

“This has to be part of God’s plan for me,” I thought on those nights I laid awake wondering if we would make payroll the next week. But we did make that payroll and every one since. We had to because that was a part of my aim—to employ those who wanted that same rewarding feeling of helping others be successful. That became our mission statement: “to help make our employees and customers successful.”  

As I had no experience in running my own business, I made a ton of mistakes along the way and needed the help of many gracious and smart people. But I know and love the feeling of doing something that has created a place where others can experience joy. That has been my aim. 

Hopefully, you’ll find yours.