Working for a small business can have its ups and downs. As an employee of an entrepreneur, you play a large roll in the daily operations of the business- often wearing multiple hats throughout the day. You live and breathe the successes and failures of the company. Not only because your job depends on it, but also because you work for the person who has put everything on the line to get the business to where it’s at today- there’s an emotional connection there. Some days your head might spin, and other days you may jump and down with excitement as you celebrate a ‘win’ for the day.
My favorite thing about working for a small business is the importance of teamwork that comes with it. When your company has less than 10 employees (in our case we have 6), each person plays a very specific role in the team. Each team member needs to show up everyday ready to give it their all if they want the boat to float smoothly.
However, I have also learned that when working for a small business… things never go quite as they were planned. And, there is so much more to working for a small business than simply filling your niche in the company.
To me, it’s about creating something meaningful with a group of people who are aligned along the same core values. It’s about sharing what you learn with your team as you learn it yourself. It’s about being open to new processes and solutions to problems you didn’t even know were problems.
In terms of the team dynamics, what do you do when someone gets sick? Or, someone’s pet is having health issues? In other words, what do you do when life happens and you only have one sales person, or one marketing coordinator?
That’s where the ‘team’ in teamwork comes in. As an entrepreneur, you can hire the most qualified professionals for your open position. Or, you can hire people who are highly skilled at what they do and understand the importance of teamwork.
When you have team players as employees and coworkers you don’t have to pull your hair out when life catches up to you. You know that your teammates will have your back, and will pull a little extra weight to make sure the boat keeps afloat.