Underachievers?

In March this year I was privileged to attend a “Birthing of Giants” forum at MIT. Leading up to that, Lewis Schiff, the Birthing organization CEO, conducted a phone interview. He seemed perplexed that our 25-year company was just under 3 million in annual sales versus the five million usual requirement to attend. He asked what opportunities were missed by us resulting in such low numbers. So, in his mind was he categorizing us as under-achievers? Even in view of this, I was invited to attend and am glad I did. It is helping us on a path for scaled growth. 

So, let’s reflect. Have we under-achieved?

  • We started in 1997 as a “work from home” company, whereby workers could experience a career and still have a home life. This was considered strange by status-quo business standards at the time.

  • We have kept over 80 people employed (over 70 of those are well-paid independent contractors) for more that 20 years.

  • We were recognized as one of the 2012 “Fast 55” growth companies in Cincinnati.

  • We were named one of the 25 “Small Giant Companies” by Forbes Magazine in 2020 (this is what prompted the invite to Birthing of Giants).

  • Not to mention numerous press accolades over the years as well. Most constituents view us as a “cool company”.

The truth is, Edoc is a jewel! We have a wonderful culture (download our Virtual Culture Model), also profitable and debt-free.

One of the many things I learned from AWOP over the years is the importance of business stewardship vs. business ownership.

Who owns the company, is it us or is it from a higher power? 

Faith has been an important part of this journey. There is little doubt, in my view, that God has been vital to our success from day one of the company launch. Many doors have been opened for us unimagined at the start. 

You be the judge, are we under-achieving, or are we on a path of genuine success despite worldly standards?  

Our company stewardship continues as we enter our next phase. Perhaps we are a 25-year startup and what an exciting ride!

1 Comments

  • Lewis Schiff

    January 16, 20236:19 pm

    @Jim Mullaney, thank you for posting this and thank you for characterizing our conversation accurately. It’s true, when we first spoke, I wondered how a company traversing a multi-decade journey measures success. And it’s also true that, in my simple reptilian brain, growing in revenues is always a good thing. Nevertheless, as you know, we are fans of the book "Small Giants" and Bo Burlingham is on our board. It’s always a pleasure to contemplate how a company can be a GREAT company separate and apart from how it can become a BIG company. That being said, I am grateful that you took us up on our invitation to join Birthing of Giants Fellowship Program so you could spend a full week considering the journey that’s gotten you this far and where you want to go from here. At Birthing of Giants Fellowship Week, we spend 5 full days wondering how big our companies could be and backfilling in the strategy to take us there. But you bring up the interesting point: do we want our companies to be bigger than they are? In the end, you were eminently brave to spend the week considering these questions and—as always—you are the captain of your own ship. Further, we were lucky to have you present during the week to share your point of view along the way. Thank you!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Lewis Schiff Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *