An Owners Journey: Where It Started, When It All Changed And What Does The Future Hold

Starting a business and keeping it going is hard work and I congratulate those of you who have stepped forward to take on your epic adventure.

Back in 2008 as a 24 year old I started my business owner chapter when Starstream Data was created, an unusual name for what was a technical services company I know but there is a story behind the name. Ask me about it some time.

For me the starting point of my journey into business came from an engineer’s point of view, one that was used to fixing problem after problem but never really picking my head up to think of the so-called bigger picture.

After many long days, nights and weekends the sheer effort put in to grinding it out started taking its toll. When the effects of my efforts started having an impact on my health, I knew something had to change as there was only going to be one winner and it wasn’t going to be me.

I knew the business would consume me if I could not make changes to both the way the business and I operated. I’m sure many have walked the path that I have, after talking to many business owners it seems the fight is actually a common one but not necessarily openly talked about.

For me this is part of my journey and I encourage anyone to talk about it, keep positive and use the experiences for your development.

The knowledge and experience I have gained so far has been a major part of the evolution of both Starstream Data and myself.

Changing my mindset from being an engineer to a business owner was difficult, it requires a whole different set of skills and overall I believe that this challenge has benefitted the way I think.

Looking back at the early days of the company we provided a “something breaks and we fix it” type of service. A service that had one-time value when things went wrong or something new needed to be put in place. However, I always wanted to be more to the companies that we work alongside, I wanted Starstream Data to be something more than just a computer services company.

I wanted to have a positive impact on the business, on the people that work within it and hopefully help owners not make the same mistakes I did.

I set out to change the company to meet this vision. To find out ways that we could bring long term, ongoing value to our clients, to use the knowledge of our craft to assist businesses become healthy, secure and intelligent in the way they operate.

Through years of study, process and progress we developed an approach that focuses on the bigger picture. This journey has brought us and myself personally to a point where I believe we can truly provide a positive impact for our clients as a whole, not just providing a fixing service.

I do wonder what the future holds as how we live and interact has already been through multiple seismic shifts. I’m really interested in seeing how business, technology and our lives evolve. After all, it’s something that is in a state of constant change and whether we like it or not change will happen both in business and in our personal lives.

I have 2 main goals when it comes to the future of Starstream Data and they go hand in hand. Without building a great team, who enjoy the work that they do and the positive impact they make then it will be a real struggle to make the difference that we strive to make for those that we serve.

So that’s it. Continually build and develop a team and the environment where talent is nurtured and for people to love the work that they do, that to them work is play. Then harness that talent and desire to serve others, to create such a positive impact it enables great success for our clients, the owners and the members of their team, especially when the world changes again.

As an engineer I was able to fix technology. Now as a business success advocate, a business owner and a person who wants to see people succeed I use my time, experience and focus to enable positive change in the lives of organisations and people. It just so happens that sometimes it includes the use of technology.