Introducing, Fulcrum
Most small business owners spend their days running their business instead of leading it. Working in it, never on it. Stuck buried in the day-to-day while the dream that started the whole thing waits on the back burner. Sound familiar? Then this article is for you. Let me tell you about Pat. He's not real, but I'd bet money you know him. Honestly, you might even be him.
Pat the Plumber
Pat the plumber started his business after 8 years of working in the field and obtaining his master plumber’s license. He knew everything there was to know about code, had connections with suppliers and contractors, and from demo to finish he was your MAN. Starting his own business venture, he had dreams on how he could improve some of the processes of his boss's old company and innovate to become the high-end plumber of the future. Phones would be ringing off the hook to get him on the site because he had a product only he could provide.
So he picks a name, files the LLC, contacts his first few customer connections, and quits his old job. Finally free and on his own to run like the wind with this new venture!
Then reality hits. Instead of just booking jobs, drawing plans, and being in the field working his dream, suddenly he is creating invoice templates, designing a website, and figuring out what on earth the difference between cash basis and accrual basis accounting is. All things WAY out of his original wheelhouse, causing his old 40 hours a week to become 80.
Unlike most, he survives the start phase and hires a couple employees to do field work. Finally he will have the time to focus on the dreams and the innovation he pictured ahead of himself. But, instead, growth brings new problems: competitor pricing he can't keep up with, inefficiencies he can’t see, and demand for growth to keep up with rising costs. Once again he’s pulled out of the work he loves and into the work he never signed up for.
Does this cycle sound familiar? Don’t be surprised if it does. Almost every small business owner I have ever worked with has told me a similar story. Pat the plumber isn’t a real person, but his story resonates with all of us. I can’t do it all. No small business owner can truly be the expert in their industry and in running a small business at the same time.
The Solution
That is why I am so excited to introduce Fulcrum Business Solutions. Our company is designed to solve this exact issue.
A fulcrum is the fixed pivot point upon which a lever rests, turns, or balances to move or lift objects. A fulcrum gives you leverage to do the heavy lifting, without all the effort.
Paul Larson and I (Zach France) founded Fulcrum to do exactly that. We saw a common theme where small business owners are frequently the experts in their industry, but lack the technical skills required to maintain a small business in an ever changing and increasingly advancing technological world. It is almost a full time job in and of itself to keep up with the changes of trends, tools, and techniques available to the small business owner. You didn’t sign up for that.
Imagine if you had one tool, one place, one partner where all of your small business concerns were met. Everything from strategy to data analysis to marketing all handled without the nitty gritty falling to you, saving your TIME and FOCUS for what you really care about. .
Here’s how:
We Start by Listening
We don't arrive with pre-packaged answers. We start by learning how your business actually runs, not how some template assumes it does. Your operations, your numbers, your market. Remember Pat’s issue of losing ground on competitor pricing? Step one isn’t a one size fits all solution. It’s finding the exact points where some leverage can make the effort he’s already applying move a lot more weight.
We Build the Leverage
We don't drop in to run your business for you. We build the systems and tools you need - together, exactly the way you want them. For Pat, that’s a dashboard that auto pulls the pricing and job numbers he was burning nights assembling. The grunt work happens without him while the decisions stay his own.
You Focus. We Stay Involved.
Our outcome isn’t a deliverable handed off and forgotten. We stay a resource in your pocket - refining systems, watching the metrics, and carrying the operational weight as your business grows. With the business side handled, you return to the work you started this for: your craft, your clients, your calling.
If this resonated with you at all, please consider following our page. We will be posting one article a month that deals with the REAL issues small business owners face and how we work to overcome them. Our first article drops next month: why Pat the plumber’s problem happens to almost every owner and the true way to tackle the issue. Even if you aren’t a client of ours, the hope is that this page is beneficial for you. We are truly passionate about small business, and particularly small business owners and their success. And best of all, it's all written by us. Real people writing real articles using real experience.
And if you’re feeling the pinch, if you’re ready to truly leverage what you’ve built, reach out to us.
Send us an email at: contact@fulcrumbusinesssolutions.com