Think for a minute about how you started out. An idea popped in your head one day. A boss makes a comment that doesn’t sit well. A supervisor insists on doing it his way, but you know doing it your way not only saves money, it saves aggravation. Or maybe you just thought that the challenge of steering your own ship, even in rough waters, would prove more fulfilling than being a first mate or deck hand.
But that idea led you to now. You run a couple crews and a couple rigs and have a good customer list. You’re an engineer who designed a better drilling attachment that now anchors a $1 million company. You’re an experienced driller who built your skills into a successful training consultant business. These examples — all businesses, in fact — all survived the toughest part of going into business: the startup phase.