“We arrive on land and burn the boats behind us.”
The story of Lara McCormick’s Journey in Business– Connect. Execute. Build.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, that belief in yourself doesn’t guarantee a profitable business, but Lara took that lesson and many others in her stride on the road from start-up to success. Each year she’s been in business for herself has brought new challenges and new learnings which she’s persistently leveraged to strengthen Big Rock Communications.
Year 1: Try things. Nothing beats practical execution.
Desperate to escape a life working in sales at a furniture store, Lara decided to take her life into her own hands and launched herself into the world of self-employment. Creating digital marketing communications for SMEs, she commuted from Taranaki to Auckland two days a week so she could continue to network, meet potential clients and chase sales.
The long days and constant commuting paid off as Big Rock Communications started to build momentum, but it was taking her business to the next stage that presented the most daunting roadblock yet.
Year 2: Collaboration is key for business growth.
Armed with an ironclad confidence in her own abilities, Lara sold her house and invested the proceeds back into her business. However, the path of a growing start-up is rarely a smooth one and the process of scaling the business proved more difficult – and costly – than anticipated.
Far from giving up, she once again took on the role of fronting the business herself, and moved to Hamilton – via Auckland for short period. Though she only knew two people when she moved there, she quickly expanded her contacts and became the leader and an active member of five different business networking groups in the Waikato.
Year 3: Systemisation leads to freedom.
The renaissance of Big Rock Communications fell under a shadow when Lara’s father became ill with cancer. Lara scaled back operations to spend more time with her dad in Taranaki, keeping the business ticking over in the meantime. But her father’s illness and subsequent passing left her with valuable lessons.
“I learned that I could no longer do it all on my own. I’m now gearing up for others to join me in 2020, because I know now that while my essence and my vision need to remain a keystone part of Big Rock Communications, strong systems and a business that can run independently of me frees me up to help even more people.”
Refocusing on family also highlighted for Lara the importance of helping others to achieve what she has: the lifestyle flexibility which comes with being at the helm of your business. Her time with her father also reaffirmed her commitment to following her own unshakeable vision.
Lara’s indefatigable persistence in the face of an array of major setbacks has brought Big Rock Communications to the place it is today – and her ‘never give up’ philosophy is carving out a promising future for the business as it prepares to enter a whole new exciting phase.
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Sincerely
Lara McCormick
Big Rock Communications New Zealand Ltd