New Years Resolutions

Sat down today and realised I haven't posted anything in the last two weeks. Our financial year runs July to June at Esendex and the last 2 weeks have been filled with annual reviews, budgets and all manner of other tasks.

Rather like the calender New Year, it has been a time to reflect on the last 12 months and look forward to the next. I've also realised I'm making some resolutions.

We've moved offices, made significant investment in our infrastructure, taken on more people, developed some new services, opened in a new country and signed up lots of new customers. When you look back it's an enormous amount, at the time it seemed like business as usual.

One of the challenges I think I face as an entrepreneur and business principle is sharing the overarching vision with the rest of the company. In our situation this is especially easy to forget because Julian and I talk all the time.

I can forget to share my vision with my team, allowing them to understand why we're doing what we're doing and, even more importantly, what do they think we should be doing. That's not to say I present a set of arbitrary dictates to be acted on without question, I don't. It's more about sharing the plans among the whole of the team rather than just giving people information on the areas I think they need.

Resolution #1 - Articulate and share the vision

The success of the company is also something that's easy to forget to share. Julian and I are working on hard on growing the business and are always trying to find ways to grow faster. Our ambitions always exceed reality, we're entrepreneurs, it's the way we're made, it's why we do it.

I think we do forget that we are heading up a fast growing, profitable company in an exciting sector. Everyone in the company is part of that, we should remember to let them know.

Resolution #2 - Remember to view our success from a 'normal' perspective

Sitting here in June, being rained on again, as parts of Yorkshire are still under water, it makes you think that Al Gore fella' might have a point. I'll post in more detail on this subject separately, but we have to consider the longer term impacts of everything we're doing.

My train trip to Monte Carlo showed that there are often alternative ways of achieving the same ends with a lower environmental impact. As a business principle, I can affect change in both my own life but also that of my business and hopefully inspire the rest of the team to do the same.

Resolution #3 - Consider the climate impact of what we're doing and look for alternatives.

Normal service should now be resuming, so speak to you soon.