West Palm Beach, Florida to be precise. Let’s start at the beginning. It was June, 2002 and I was struggling trying to find the right staffing model to propel us to the next level. We were finding good personnel to staff the operation, but things weren’t going as planned. We still couldn’t get enough work out the door to realize growth and progress. Something had to be done and fast. It was at that that time that my wife came home with a great announcement. She was scheduled to attend a two day conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, which was being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. We decided to tack on a couple of extra days and make a four day weekend out of it.
While she attended the conference on Friday, I decide to find a suitable palm tree near the beach and just “relax.” Being the ultimate entrepreneur, I also took a note pad and a tall glass of ice cold lemonade. The lemonade isn’t part of the story, but it sure helped to complete the setting. Anyway, it wasn’t long before the roar of the ocean had me in total nap mode. When I awakened, there were some thoughts that were crystal clear. Not trusting my memory, I began to make some notes right there on the beach.
My first thought was that I had become so engrossed in the day to day operation of the business that I hadn’t noticed that I wasn’t spending any time trying to “grow” the business. That had to change. The second thought was that I realized I didn’t have “management” personnel involved with the business. The staffers I had were very dedicated and hard working, but they didn’t fit the bill for supervision and management. I drafted a new level called “Project Coordinator” and started to advertise for it as soon as I returned to New Jersey.
My best business decision wasn’t made in the office, or in a staff meeting, but rather on a first class beach, under a palm tree, in Florida.
Go figure!
Lewis Parham
President
Writer’s Cramp, Inc.