Having built my business Pumpt, from startup in 2003 to its current position 13 years later it has had me questioning my motivations many times. The biggest question has been for me, as an entrepreneur: is having a business that is 13 years old a bit of an oxymoron? Am I being lazy? Is it a cop-out?
The answer is no, as I have selected the right business to satisfy those entrepreneurial cravings that keep popping up. You see, Pumpt is an advertising business – we provide integrated advertising solutions for a range of clients, but mostly to retailers. Just think about advertising and retail, and you have a whole lot of change, trends and lots of contradictory opinions flying around. I am right in the middle of it, as a challenger, pacifier, and supporter, and it can be a heart stopping existence.
However, even the fast-paced environment of an ad agency becomes tiring, and I admit to ‘hitting the wall’ many times over the years. I have kept my motivation by utilizing my business to build side businesses, essentially creating entities that support the work of the central hub. I have bought and sold businesses in the advertising sector and built online retail stores, but every time the best ones were the ones I created.
Every now and then I have strayed from my core knowledge base, and have been dealt rather severe lessons (financially and to the ego) that have left me feeling bruised, but somehow have had the ability to write of the whole experience as a valuable life lesson. I even find these episodes of crippling losses motivating! Having felt these episodes so personally, I am now in the lucky position of never being in danger of making that mistake again! Talk about looking at things on the bright side…
Many people will refer to family or financial reasons as motivations, but my ongoing driver is a deep desire to beat the establishment. I love the fact that here in New Zealand big is not always best, and if you make sense and it seems to work, big clients will give you a shot. Also, not letting those people who put me down is a big motivator as well.
Finally, now that I have built a solid business and a great team, there is a fierce motivation to protect this ‘family’ and all those that rely on me to keep it all together in times of inevitable adversity.
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