Two guys and a girl had a dream…
BY MERLE GEYER
It’s impossible to know what you don’t know. There was no way of us knowing that two guys working from their lounge would turn into three people working in a 2m x 2m office space, and would then be five people outgrowing the office space.
When you look in from the outside, such jumps in headcount might seem minor, and that very little has changed, but that’s really not the case at all. From my perspective, the reality is that a lot has changed, and a lot has been accomplished!
Two guys and a girl had a dream…
BY MERLE GEYER
It’s impossible to know what you don’t know. There was no way of us knowing that two guys working from their lounge would turn into three people working in a 2m x 2m office space, and would then be five people outgrowing the office space.
When you look in from the outside, such jumps in headcount might seem minor, and that very little has changed, but that’s really not the case at all. From my perspective, the reality is that a lot has changed, and a lot has been accomplished!
For example,
when you’re merely two people in a lounge, you have very little to lose and little accountability. All that you have is an idea and a dream! I learned quickly that motivation is also fleeting in an SME; it’s only you, your dream and your ambition. It’s so easy to walk away and opt for the easier option – a nine to five with no financial or emotional investment – but when it’s your own, you’re excited, and it’s new – like a new baby. So now let’s play!
For example,
when you’re merely two people in a lounge, you have very little to lose and little accountability. All that you have is an idea and a dream! I learned quickly that motivation is also fleeting in an SME; it’s only you, your dream and your ambition. It’s so easy to walk away and opt for the easier option – a nine to five with no financial or emotional investment – but when it’s your own, you’re excited, and it’s new – like a new baby. So now let’s play!
HALP Media grew slowly in the beginning and took on any job that we thought might bring in some money. We had no financial backing, and we grew as our income grew. It was hard. It didn’t allow us to make bigger leaps, so we grew painfully slowly… Then, we were hit with the Snow Ball Effect and we began to get more and more business, and now we are proudly and truly part of the SME community. Even though taking on all the odd jobs that didn’t fit into our service offerings, it allowed us to survive as a business, and we learned important lessons…
HALP Media grew slowly in the beginning and took on any job that we thought might bring in some money. We had no financial backing, and we grew as our income grew. It was hard. It didn’t allow us to make bigger leaps, so we grew painfully slowly… Then, we were hit with the Snow Ball Effect and we began to get more and more business, and now we are proudly and truly part of the SME community. Even though taking on all the odd jobs that didn’t fit into our service offerings, it allowed us to survive as a business, and we learned important lessons…
Lesson one: Define your business
We learnt quickly that defining your business early on is very important. If you don’t, you end up wasting time on so many things that are not truly part of your vision; your clients also end up confused as to what you really do, and then referrals become confusing as you end up being referred for a service that you don’t actually offer. So, define your business, define your services and stick to your vision.
Lesson one: Define your business
We learnt quickly that defining your business early on is very important. If you don’t, you end up wasting time on so many things that are not truly part of your vision; your clients also end up confused as to what you really do, and then referrals become confusing as you end up being referred for a service that you don’t actually offer. So, define your business, define your services and stick to your vision.
Lesson two: Choose the right partner
I often like to say choosing a business partner might be more important than choosing a life partner. And in our case, destiny, fate, coincidence, or whatever you would like to call it, had control here as we did not choose each other at all – it just happened. In the beginning, it was hard. We fought a lot because we cared so much for this: Our infant, a child we were raising together! We all want the same thing as parents: A self-respecting teenager who grows up to be a self-respecting adult, gets a good job (or hell even his/her own business) and who can look after us one day. The fact that we all want the same things for our “baby”, still today, is what makes our partnership so successful.
Lesson two: Choose the right partner
I often like to say choosing a business partner might be more important than choosing a life partner. And in our case, destiny, fate, coincidence, or whatever you would like to call it, had control here as we did not choose each other at all – it just happened. In the beginning, it was hard. We fought a lot because we cared so much for this: Our infant, a child we were raising together! We all want the same thing as parents: A self-respecting teenager who grows up to be a self-respecting adult, gets a good job (or hell even his/her own business) and who can look after us one day. The fact that we all want the same things for our “baby”, still today, is what makes our partnership so successful.
