It was the fourth interview of the week. We had been looking for a designer to fill a spot for our corporate design firm and the candidates just weren't what we were looking for. In walks Josephine: young, experienced, driven and no-nonsense. I loved her and within a matter of days, she was working for us.
During the following six months, her design skills emerged and I could see her talent was stifled by the corporate standards that kept her from really showing off her potential. At the same time, my term with corporate was winding to an end. I could sense the changes taking place within our company. Shortly after the turn of the New Year, I resigned from my position as design center manager and began the fundamentals of starting my own firm.
About a week after I bought the rights to the Sprama name, I was in the grocery store parking lot, ready to head in when that voice inside my head said, "Don't do this without Josephine." I couldn't shake it. She's talented - SO talented. She has years of kitchen and bath experience which had the promise of broadening Sprama's services a great deal. Her skill set hit every possible requirement for a great business partner and so, my manager instincts took over. I had her over to my house the next night and dropped the bomb on her.
"I'm starting my own design firm and I want you on board." I'm not very good at small talk.
It took her about ten minutes of discussion to make up her mind. With a nod, she said, "I'm in."
Later when I asked her how she was able to make a decision so quickly, she said something I have never forgotten: "I know that with you, I can't fail."
During the months when we were starting up, and the projects weren't yet regularly coming in, her powerful words were the fuel I needed to keep at it. When we got knocked down, those words provided the endurance necessary for anyone trying to start a business. In exchange, she has given me the best business partner I could have ever hoped for.
With an inter-business relationship as healthy as ours, Sprama has been able to take the spotlight. Our focus is on our design work and we absolutely pour ourselves into it. A direct result of that kind of work ethic is a business rich in growth, unparalleled design presentations and a working relationship that promises only patience, persistence and fulfillment for our future.
Wow, really??
ReplyDelete