Conquer the Chaos, 2nd Edition

3Chaos and the Dark Side of Entrepreneurship

Only those who have experienced small business ownership will ever be able to understand the chaos that comes from being a small business owner. I want to relate our own story to give a clear portrayal of small business chaos. But this isn't just our story. We have seen it in the lives of our customers and entrepreneurs everywhere. To conquer it, we must understand it. And make no mistake, there is a way to conquer the chaos.

Many years ago we found ourselves surrounded by chaos. We were working hard to get our new business off the ground. We had big plans for success, but at the time we were just trying to keep the lights on, overwhelmed by everything that goes into building a successful business.

One day, in the midst of that new‐business chaos, our custom software company received an interesting phone call. It was Friday at 5:00 p.m. and the four of us were getting ready to wrap up a long and discouraging week. We'd ordered pizza, and it had just arrived when the phone rang. Well, the last thing we wanted to do was talk to anyone. But we needed sales, so I picked up the phone.

No sooner had I rattled off my greeting than the man on the other end shouted, “I have pain! Can you help me?” Then the man paused.

My mind was reeling with concerns. Was this a prank? Did this guy even know who he had called? Was this a customer? What were we supposed to do about someone's pain? Shouldn't he call a doctor?

Eventually, we got to the root ...