The Co-Founders Notebook - Growing My Garden

With a Flat white in one hand, and a pecan crumb cake in the other, I find myself reflecting on the last 12 months. Starting any new venture is challenging. New people, new systems, new goals. However, everything about this one at Welf just seems very natural.

A common goal. And I think it’s that which has made it incredibly easy from a company culture perspective. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been without its challenges. Time pressures, recruiting, making new relationships and spreading the word about Welf.

It’s the latter that I’ve found the most challenging. Getting people to believe in what you do. This is the same with any business. The thing with a service-based business, if someone doesn’t like it, you know about it. If you’re selling t-shirts from a shop window, people don’t tell you they don’t like it, they just walk on by.

It’s very easy to become disheartened, rejection after rejection. You start to question if what you’re doing is right. Am I right? But you then meet someone that believes in what you’re saying, that high quality financial reporting can really help businesses. And you exhale a massive sigh of relief. There are believers.

I wish everyone was a believer, but that isn’t the case, and I’ve grown over the last 12 months to accept that. Plus, I’ve also found working with people that share your vision is easier. And you’ll find having a small customer base that “believes” is a lot more fun to work with, than a large customer base that doesn’t.

We are an accountancy firm. But we are sticking to our guns. Aiming for the highest quality, with our clients’ best interests at heart, for people that value what we do. That is the customer base we want. And it might take us a little longer to get there, but when we do, it will be amazing!

Build your customer base like a garden – slow enough to grow what’s right, strong enough to last when the storms come.

Until next time,

Paul – One half of Welf