New Year, New Decade, New Ideas

As we get started on 2010, it is a good time to look back and to look forward.

Can you believe we are 20 full years past Y2K? Do you remember where you were on the evening of December 31, 1999? I do. My wife and I were at home with two young boys - six and four years old. We fooled them with a “fake” New Year at 9:30 pm so they could get a good night sleep. Our oldest is now driving and we have four total children. How fast times move.

The last decade brought us a lot of new things – the iPod, hanging chads, texting, September 11th, reality TV, Katrina, GM bankruptcy, LeBron and Bernie Madoff. Here is an interesting timeline of U.S. events over the last decade. This one is for the sports fan.

So, what have you learned in your business? I have learned much more about many things – private equity, curtainwall, acquisition financing, customer service mistakes and triumphs, draw bill cash flow, lawyers, speed kills, change orders, profit sharing, China and many other things.

What has remained the same? Customer service is key, quality is an assumed, speed is demanded, owning a problem and communicating right away is the only way to handle mistakes, people are generally fair, profit must be the focus, good people are what drive profit, and it is always tough to make time for long term thinking. And, my biggest lesson – trying to balance work and family.

Anybody who wants to share their lessons/triumphs/challenges/funny stories from the last 10 years please post a comment for us.

I wish everyone a good New Year, a good New Decade, and a good New Energy to attack the market.

Hey, if the Cleveland Browns can win 4 in a row, anything is possible! Have a good one.