Doug, you have a meeting downstairs...

Two years ago, I was drinking a cup of coffee and discussing Valentine's day with a co-worker.  I was the Senior Vice President of IT for a marketing services company in Illinois.  I'd started at the company in 1997 as manager of Creative Services and had held several different positions in the company over the years.  I had a great time.  We were doing exciting work on advertising for major clients and building interactive cd's and eventually full blown business websites.  I had the good fortune to be working alongside some very talented and hard working people.  There was a certain electricity from working on the large projects and we knew that our solutions were unique.
Eventually the employee owned company was sold to a private equity firm.  Those of you with experience are probably already thinking "Oh no." It's a story that frequently ends poorly.  The company was saddled with the debt of the purchase and we were suddenly facing a sinking economy.  It was a bad mix.  Within six months we were cutting budgets, letting good people go and recognizing that promises from private equity firms are like promises from politicians (How's the 401k matching increase looking these days boys?).
Solutions were offered, but they required some innovation and risk and there would also be some cost. Say "innovation, risk, and some cost" to an accountant or an investment firm and you'll quickly figure out what happened: nothing.
I didn't like my job those last two years.  In fact, I dreaded the thought of going there.  I knew we had it in us to do great things, but we were putting our efforts toward things that wouldn't make a difference.  There was no vision or passion for where to go next. You see, a plan is not a Vision.  We had a plan.  The plan was pretty much like handing out Dixie cups on a sinking cruise ship and saying "bail".
So there I was drinking that coffee, when our Human Resources manager came in to let me know I had a meeting downstairs.  It took me a second to digest what she meant.  I didn't have a meeting planned. Ah, it was "THAT" kind of meeting. 
20 minutes later I was packing boxes, saying goodbye to decade old friends and wondering why I felt so relieved. Why did I feel so good?
I felt good because I was suddenly free.  There was nobody else to "downsize" and I didn't have to attend any more of the endless, pointless, agenda-free,  no time limit meetings that had become the norm.

What would I do?  I didn't know at first.  The drive home started with me thinking "Ok, time to pull out the resume and figure out where to apply".  Then it hit me. "Wait. Why replicate what you just left?"  I knew that I had a passion for creating things. I enjoyed solving problems and being creative.  I didn't have a Vision at this point, but I knew that the most important decision had already happened. I wanted something different. I wanted to use everything I'd learned about being creative and managing a business and make my own decisions.  Something told me I needed to update and clean up my workshop..the resume could wait, because I'd just hired myself.

2 years later and I'm in my workshop, drinking another cup of coffee and looking over some quotes for wild and fun projects.  I've built rockets and robots and ray guns.  I've sculpted, painted, carved and dreamed this business into reality and it's just getting started! I can't wait to get going in the morning, and I learn more each day.  I  see much more of my wife and I've spent 2 summers with my daughter that I would never have otherwise.  The business is only a part of the plan. My Vision is clear.  It's an easy one: Live life well.

 Stay tuned...