Whatever it takes

All small business owners know that often times, you are "it", and responsible for anything and everything in your business. Part of the pride and self-satisfaction as a small business owner is in knowing you have committed yourself to do "whatever it takes" for your business to succeed.

What a lot of us probably believe, or at least hope, though, is that the bigger and more accomplished or successful we become in our businesses, hopefully the less of a need there is for us to be that way, since we'll "have people" to do those things for us.

The other day I was reminded that successful business people are willing to do "whatever it takes" themselves, no matter how much success they've already had. I was walking into a building in downtown Kingston in the midst of the big snowstorm that raged all day here. I saw a fellow shovelling out the entranceway, and was surprised to see that it was Kim Donovan, the President of the company that owned the building.

Kim is a very accomplished business person, and has had an incredible impact in Kingston. His company has revitalized much of the downtown core with their unique renovations, and their work has inspired other great projects that have enhanced life in Kingston. Beyond that, Kim has been nominated for Citizen of the Year, has chaired a record-setting United Way campaign, and has been honoured by Queen's University for his impact and contribution to the city.

Yet, here he was, shovelling out the front of one of his properties. When he saw me, he smiled and said "I promised them it would be clear by 1:00pm, and I wasn't sure the guy would get here in time!". So, at 5 minutes to 1:00, one of Kingston's most celebrated citizens was doing "whatever it takes" to help ensure the continued success of his business. It wasn't even that his guy hadn't shown up and his 1:00pm promise had been broken, and he was there for an emergency fix. Rather, he was there in advance, "just in case". Whatever it took.

Are you still willing to do "whatever it takes" in your business each day? If not, why not, and what are you going to do about it?