Owning a business does not mean you have to rent an office and sit behind a desk all day.There are all kinds of new innovations that go along with our ever changing environment. With the ability to tele commute and hold meetings virtually, the landscape of business is ever evolving. Having your children spend long hours in day care, arriving home tired and frazzled, there are alternatvies to the old business model. Entrepreneur Magazine has a great post in this months issue about other types of businesses where the owners don’t set up in those offices and get stuck in a suit and tie.This particular post is about a family. Mom, Dad and their children who have a Photography business .For this family, spending time together and teaching their children about the life of an entrepenuer.
“Griffin “Griff” Kubik is holding a dog leash, his 3-year-old fingers wrapped around the vinyl cord as a terrier sniffs the grass near his feet. It might not look like it to passersby in the park, but the duo are on the clock: They’re on a photo shoot, the dog is about to be in Chicago Parent magazine, and Griff is playing unofficial dog wrangler. Nearby, Griff’s parents are setting up the next shot.
Related: How I Manage 5 Kids and a Growing Business
“Hold tight to the leash, Griff,” calls his mother. He’s used to taking instruction. His parents are cofounders of TK Photography, which, with more than 1,200 sessions a year, is one of Chicago’s biggest family photography companies. Dad (Thomas) is the principal photographer; Mom (Tiana) is the management whiz. They have a team of three other photographers, as well as cullers, editors and admin support. And through it all, Griff has been a constant presence: The business is one endless Take Your Kid to Work Day. “We’re not taking Griff along because we can’t find a babysitter,” Thomas says after the shoot. “We want him involved, and being entrepreneurs means we have the flexibility to spend that time together.
The Kubiks are part of a growing class of business owners who refuse to choose between full-time parenting and work, instead merging the two worlds into one big family operation. But that brings a fresh series of hurdles in addition to the usual startup stresses: making sure the business and the kids are getting enough attention, explaining the kids’ presence to clients and staff and finding some kind of work-life balance when work and life are intertwined. But like the Kubiks, many think the benefits outweigh the extra challenges — and they’re getting creative about finding solutions.”
We serve as virtual receptionists and answering services for a whole host of businesses who work outside the box, pun intended. They are more mobile, less constrained by physical locations, and are more apt to involve family members in their business. The internet based businesses are a great example of a more unconventional approach to business. Some of our customers have no office space at all, rather they are literally web based. Where they build, and manage a site with a line of products which ultimately come from another business or manufacturer, and they are simply the conduit which gives access to certain products. We are their 800 number support, their answering service, and we help them track their sales with the data we collect from our software.
If you are thinking of becoming an Entreprenuer, you might want to call and discuss your phone plans with us and include our pricing in your business plan!.
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