In business, some things change. Like goals and initiatives. And other things don’t. Like the reason why you started your company in the first place.
A case in point: In preparing for a recent talk, I found a forgotten piece of paper in my office.
Dated 1998, it lists the corporate mission statement, a few business goals and a handful of initiatives for Working Solutions, the company I’d founded two years earlier for home-based contact center agents.
Before 8-to-5 became 24/7
Though common today, work-at-home was a brave new world back then.
Basically, Working Solutions took the U.S. government’s 1938 definition of the workday and made it into a virtual workplace for independent contractors. This is before 8-to-5 became 24/7.
Almost 30 years ago, the company’s goals were simpler:
- Earn $60,000 in revenue the first year in business.
- Contract with at least two “home agents.”
- Work with at least five clients on a regular basis.
The results, in order, were: Achieved it. Did it. Continue to do it—plus more.
Now, I have to admit that I smiled when reviewing the initiatives. By today’s standards, they’re small in scope.
The thinking behind them, however, still applies:
- Tell as many people as possible about the business.
- Join as many hot links as possible—HotBot, Yahoo and more.
- Join two local professional business associations to network.
Today, we’re still telling people about the company. Leveraging the “hot links” of social media. And reaching out to clients and their customers.
Virtual proved viable
And what about Working Solutions’ original mission? Become widely known for home-based agents being a viable business alternative.
Well, virtual proved viable. These days, we call them on-demand agents. They’re part of a registered network that’s 150,000+ strong and operating in North America.
The one-page idea for Working Solutions helped pioneer homeshoring and the remote workforce industry, now supporting tens of millions of workers nationwide and generating billions of dollars in revenue.
It’s funny how a piece of paper, decades after the fact, can bring it all home. And instead of filing it away afterward, I plan to frame and display the page at our offices. It’s good to remember your roots—and let others see them as well. Keeps things in perspective, after all these years.