Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Reading Michael Gerber’s book was a turning point.

Creative Source had been in business for more than a decade. We had established ourselves and our reputation for quality work—or so we thought.

Along came 2008. An economic downturn swept the country, and we weren’t immune. During that time, and well into 2009, we lost 70 percent of our largest client’s business. They weren’t unhappy with us; they simply decided to save money, too, and do the work in-house.

It was the worst thing that could have happened to us—and also the best thing.

We learned that we had to develop a new operating model. We had to diversify. And we could no longer depend only on referrals and word of mouth to generate new business. We had to go out and sell ourselves.

None of us had ever really done that. We weren’t comfortable with it. But it had to be done, and, as president of the company, the responsibility fell on my shoulders.

That’s when I read Gerber’s classic, “The E Myth,” in which he stresses the need to work on your business instead of in it. In other words, as an entrepreneur, you have to develop systems that will run your business so that you don’t have to.

Essentially, Gerber says that if you’re in the middle of everything, doing the work—if you’re actually in it up to your elbows, shirt sleeves rolled up, consumed with day-to-day tasks—then you’re not truly an entrepreneur. You have to develop systems designed to get you out of that mindset, and into one of being an owner.

I also met Dean Langfitt, who became a close friend and business associate. Dean is with The Ruby Group in Akron, which is affiliated with Sandler Training. They’re a global management and sales training organization, and learning their innovative approach completely changed the way I fulfill my role as president of Creative Source.

Not surprisingly, things changed for the better. Fifty percent of our current client base came on board in 2011 and 2012, and we’re poised for more growth in 2013.

The evolution of Creative Source over the past few years directly corresponds to what I’ve learned about owning and managing a business. I’ve learned to think like an entrepreneur, and not like an employee. Every business needs leadership to survive. I had to get out of my comfort zone if we were to make it. As a result, today we’re poised for growth and are busier than we’ve ever been.

There are keys to standout performance. But they don’t just happen. You have to keep learning, keep moving forward, and keep adjusting to the demands of the marketplace.

What’s holding you back? I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and do the things that are truly necessary to reach your goals, both personally and professionally.

MIKE BOYD is president of Creative Source,

a marketing solutions company in Canton, Ohio. Click here to visit them online.