Celebrating 3 Years in business! (Issue 8)

Today marks the third anniversary of Griffon Consulting Ltd . And that's really given me pause this morning, so I've taken some time to reflect.

Hard to believe it's been 3 years since I ran out of better ideas and incorporated a company just to give myself something to do... 😂.

Joking aside, a little over 3 years ago I took the biggest professional and personal risk of my life and walked away from employment. I didn't muck about either, I went cold turkey from working for a boss. We had little in the way of savings as a safety net and it was a huge risk in one respect...

...but on the other hand it really didn't feel like a choice. At the time I was angry, stressed, burnt out and honestly in a bit of despair at, well let's call it "the old job". 2019 was a difficult year at "the old job" and after a number of events that aren't worth rehashing in hindsight, it all came to head for me and I achieved the mythical moment of clarity, realising finally that:

“𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚”

So, I did what on paper was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done - I quit my job with nothing else to go to and no prospects. No real forethought or planning either. To compound that, I did so whilst being mentally in a place that wasn't conducive to job hunting, let alone interviewing. I'll always be grateful to a former colleague and industry connection or two (they know who they are, hopefully!) who at the time gave me an interview and/or recommendation anyway, as well as some honest, constructive feedback; I do think it was a fair assessment that I wasn't ready to re-enter the job market!!!

A month or so passed and it was time to stop feeling sorry for myself and move forward. Deciding how and in which direction really came down to purpose and values for me. I wanted to work with small businesses and start-ups, the kind of companies I'd spent my career in up to that point. To support them with things like planning, strategy, project management, leadership, the team and detail stuff that I was good at. And I decided I was done with working for bosses, I needed to have control of my own professional fate but more crucially be able to do work based on what I believed in, which rarely aligned with the 'shareholder first' mentality or ego-driven/autocratic leadership approaches I'd been used to as an employee. Getting a better handle on my work-life integration was also key after those experiences. Going out on my own felt like the best way to achieve all these things.

𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖚𝖘, 𝕲𝖗𝖎𝖋𝖋𝖔𝖓 𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖚𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓. Without fanfare or much of a plan, I have to say. The important thing was that I could now do things I believed in, work with businesses and people of my choosing, and on projects that I found compelling. All without the angst and stress of ‘office politics’.

It was exciting, nerve-wracking, and a different kind of stress, but one that I found myself much more able to deal with.

About 4 months later the UK went into Lockdown 1.0. 😅😅😅

Fair to say it was a shaky start to the company, then. So I think I'm justified in being proud that since then I've managed to keep the lights on, keep paying the bills and not have to compromise with part-time jobs or furlough schemes. 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐫𝐬 𝐇 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲.

It feels apt that this anniversary coincidentally falls during thanksgiving weekend because even though it's not a UK holiday I am feeling immensely grateful today.

Thank you to everyone who's helped, persevered, encouraged, supported, worked with, chatted with at a networking meet, or thrown a social media like my way over the last three years. There's too many of you to tag in a single post but you are all appreciated. 🙏

It may have been a silly and impulsive decision back then, but on reflection today; I wouldn't change a thing.

Anyway. Self-aggrandising post over now, normal service resumes as soon as I've devoured the company anniversary cake my better half is currently baking. (Cake for breakfast, living the dream!)

If anyone needs me, I'll be waiting by the oven. 🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂

Happy Friday, Have a Great Weekend, and here's to another 3 years!

- David

 #3years #thanksgiving #leadernotaboss #livingthedream #grateful