“Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter”
Brad Henry – allgreatquotes.com
There are so many quotes that talk about the importance of family and certainly the past few years have reinforced how valuable time spent together is.
Our lives are busy ones, and we are in a world of being able to access almost anything at the touch of a button. This is fantastic in so many ways and at Global we are very much about progress and innovation; but we also understand the value of being able to step back and appreciate the people around us, whether that is those involved directly in the day-to-day operations of our business or those who support in other ways.
In this blog, Andy Sale, our MD talks about the importance of family, the challenges faced when setting up a global business, and the unconditional support and compromises needed to keep everything in place.
Hi, I am Andy, the MD of Global Precision and when I take a step back and look at all we have achieved in the business, I am immensely proud. When I started out, I just wanted to offer a solution to ambitious people who had a product vision. I had expertise in a range of disciplines, and I knew I could make a difference. Back then, if I am honest, I was not sure where we would take the business as it very much depended on how clients responded to us and how we could develop relationships. One thing I knew I did have; was tenacity and the drive to respond to challenges. It was not long in our journey when I realised, we had a great ethos and scope for scaling.
If I were really going to go for it then there was something essential that I needed first, something that money could not buy, and something that would be the game changer! That was family backing and support.
Starting your own business is not for the feint hearted. Especially when that business is on a global course. I am a devoted husband and father and to take the business to the level that there was clearly an opportunity for, needed incredible support from my family.
People talk a lot nowadays about their “Why” - for me, I knew that a big part of my “why” was for my family. I wanted to achieve my aims and have a work life balance in the long term. However, I realised, that with all the will in the world, balance may not be so easy in the first instance, and the scales would tip more in one way than the other.
For me, it was so important to talk openly with my family. We talked about choice and although I had a choice, I was so passionate about showing my family that if you have a vision, you need to work hard to achieve it. In many ways, there was no doubt in my mind, as I am fortunate to have an incredible wife and children. Although going back 12 years, my children were younger so perhaps it was more difficult to fully understand the bigger picture.
I did set out with the full support I knew I could count on; however, it would be untrue to say that the next 2-3 years did not bring tough times. I was involved in setting up a manufacturing process in China, which meant considerable amounts of time away from home and considerable distractions when I was at home. But throughout, my family were a listening ear over dinner - if I made it home for dinner! They were my team who picked up extra slack when needed, my reassurance that I was making the right decisions – (or that it was ok if it turned out they were not) and my biggest fans, all rolled into one.
When people ask me about this now, I enjoy being open – yes, I did miss being with my family. Did I need to keep reassuring them and in many cases, reassure myself? Yes, I did.
Looking back now, it was keeping that communication alive that got us through, and I know with truly little doubt that scaling a business in the way we did was a huge undertaking but was made successful with the phenomenal support from my amazing family.
So, if things are keeping you awake at night, share them with the best support team you will ever have!