I always knew that I would be self-employed one day. Before I had my first kid, I wanted to make it happen. Beat that goal by 4 years. Before I had my second kid, I wanted to grow from a one-man-show to a business owner with a supportive team. Beat that goal by 6 years.
11 years later I’ve built SEO National into an internationally successful, decentralized search engine optimization company. What I’ve learned is that you don’t need all the hyped up bells and whistles that you hear about to create a successful company.
You don’t need a fancy office. I’ve done it, and it makes 0 difference. Just more overhead and maintenance.
The building I own? Now I rent that space out and (usually) work from home. I hire those that can demonstrate a strong ability to work from home. With a team of a dozen, I’ve only met one of my employees in person. The rest? We talk daily through Skype.
They’re in states across the country and, like our clients, some are on other continents. Because I build my team based on trust. Trust doesn’t require micro-managing face-to-face. Your employees thrive when you trust them, which builds successful SEO campaigns for customers.
Best of all, when lunch time rolls around, I get to spend it with my little monkeys setting up the inflatable splash pad on hot days like today.
The beauty of working from home and doing it right is the opportunity to inspire others. Build your life around your own design.