Going from Having a Boss to Being a Boss
by Christina Crawford - Entrepreneur in Residence

I am pretty sure at one point or another, many employees wish they were the boss. They must think of all the ways they can run the business much, much better. There would be raises and praises, meetings with after-parties for morale boosters. With all the changes they would make, surely business would be better.

I worked twenty years for a company climbing the ladder, reaching and surpassing goals, and striving to be the golden girl. Obviously, I thought that if I could show that I knew the business so very well, then the boss would ask me my opinions and I would have the chance to make changes. Not all bosses respect that hard work, not all feel that the highest achiever would have any valued input, and not all bosses would put their egos aside to let someone else shine or be an icon. The best thing to do is not expect to be in the position to make the changes you want. That is the boss' job description. Many of us hope to be the boss, one day. One way of assuring that is to become an entrepreneur and open your own business. That is a big dream for many people, however a few do journey down that road.

Moving forward to becoming an Entrepreneur and owning your own business soon brings the road bumps and obstacles that dull the shine of that dream. As an owner, the company's success is in your hands and that is a heavy responsibility. Leases and legalities, bank loans and payroll, hiring and firing, brand building and team building all falls in your hands…every day. You may be the kind of boss that listens to your staff just like ground troops reporting to Headquarters. You may be the kind of boss that carefully maps out your road to success and no one can detour you. In any case, getting beyond the first year successfully calls for an epic congratulatory party. Getting through 5 years successfully helps you see the future of your business more clearly. After ten years, you pause and count your blessings; after all, that decade is behind you and you can sit back and see that (perhaps) your blood, sweat and tears paid off. You will recall the beginning when you thought about how much fun it would be to be in charge, make all the calls, and be the Boss! That is when you realize that the dream you had is more rewarding than you could imagine, but it was not the glamourous road you thought.

You may have heard it said, “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” That is true. Entrepreneurs are a strong-willed breed and only a percentage move on past the milestones to success. The journey is worth it. The best advice I took came from my staff at Chic Envy. The faithful managers who gave it their all and stuck with me through thick and thin, they are the ones who helped me build my business. For that I suggest, remember how you thought your opinions should count. Set aside your ego, take the advice and strengthen the fiber of your business so that you can celebrate your decade of success.

Military spouse, Christina Crawford graduated from The Kings College in New York. At the couple's first duty station in Ft. Lewis, she a year volunteering for Army Emergency Relief and Army Community Service. AER/ACS contracting ultimately employed her as a financial counselor, helping families figure out how to budget and pay their bills. She became a certified tax preparer and assisted soldiers with the taxes. At Ft. Benning, Christina worked retail for the six month tour. Moving to Germany, Christina became certified as an aerobics instructor and took over an aerobics class on the base from another instructor who was moving away. She continued this at West Point, the next duty station.

Christina was successful in finding paid work every time she moved, finding her tax preparation skills and her aerobics instructor certification were particularly marketable. Ultimately, she worked direct sales for Stampin' Up, selling craft supplies at home parties. She became one of their top producers, was elected to the company's Advisory Board and assisted the company with Compensation programs. She kept that position as she moved from base to base for 20 years, then retired.. After her husband retired from the Army, the family settled in Northern Virginia. Christina and her daughter owned and operated Chic Envy Consignment Boutique for 9 years. This was a successful venture that allowed Christina to hire other military dependents, train them, and give back to the community. Most recently, Christina was recruited to a new direct sales company, EVER, and has been promoted four times in three months. She's planning to stay with this company and help others become successful with it too.

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