I’ve always been a dreamer. As a child, I would sit at a table in front of the television and pretend I was the famous newsman Walter Cronkite. At a time when there were only three stations on TV, he was like a god. Along with Walt Disney, Ben Cartwright, and Ed Sullivan, he was every young person’s idol.
Like most people, my dreams constantly evolved. For a while, I wanted to be a photographer, a dream that still smolders inside me, a business owner, something I’ve done several times, and a travel writer, for purely selfish reasons.
I guess it is the goal-setting aspects of dreaming that have most affected my life. I tend to always look at ways to achieve bigger and bigger things.
Now, as the owner and CEO of Brand Acceleration, Inc.,a branding, marketing communications, and public relations firm, the way I measure my successes has changed. I no longer focus solely on staff count, revenues, and shiny awards. We actually shy away from awards. My focus is now on the quality of our work and the reputation of the company – the brand value. As industry specialists, we strive to intimately know, in extreme detail, the needs of clients in the economic development, architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. Curiously, now that my focus is off the typical growth measurements, the company has begun to experience rapid growth.
What’s your dream?
So, at the time when people begin thinking about their New Year’s resolutions, what drives or excites you? Is it to grow your income by 5, 10, 20 or 50%? Why not 100%? Is it to make one more sale per month? Why not four? Are such goals realistic? Maybe not, but then maybe they are.
What I’ve learned about myself is that my successes are only as big as my dreams and goals. Small dreams equal small successes. Large dreams help drive our team to accomplish bigger and better successes.
Years ago, I also learned that our successes are the result of great clients and the outstanding Brand Acceleration team. Our strategists, writers, designers, programmers, and administrative professionals are the best in the business. Every day, I observe, in amazement, a group of people who work together to make big things happen for our clients.
As we wrap up a year of phenomenal growth and a wild ride, I hope you, too, are dreaming big of the potential of 2013.
What’s your dream for the coming year? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts and personal experiences below.