A word from the CEO, Volume 1: “Some things never change”

Like most Business owners I remember the early days of setting up Aurora, the late hours, the constant stress, the nervousness and the excitement of solving problems and creating something through technology. There was also the mandatory reading list for entrepreneurs: E-Myth, Good Great, 7 Habits, along with a myriad of other picks.

Just when I thought I could take on the challenge, armed with my newfound knowledge, the advice and clichés came rolling in:

Over two decades later there is still an endless number books to read, Rhythm by Patrick Thean being my current favorite. While, of course, there is still a plethora of advice from coaches and business gurus still trying to figure out how to switch effortlessly between both working on my business and in it.

I always go back to this moment when I was driving my son to school one morning. It was 1999 and he was 5, probably a month into kindergarten, a time when cell phones were still pretty bulky and wireless data still in its nascence. Edward reaches for my laptop, opens it and exclaims “Dad the internet isn’t working!”

While this means nothing today seeing as internet on a laptop in a car for a 5 year old in 1999 was almost sacrilegious, it was in that moment that I realized it isn’t what you know, how large a company you are, or how much or how well you sell that makes a successful business. The one who succeeds is, in fact, the one who best addresses his customers’ needs. While I’ll be forever forever grateful to those who have ever given me advice, guidance, or help in any way, this single rule has proven to be the critical key to success in the business world. In a world devoid of constants, there are still some things that never change…