People often ask me if I like what I do. I do, I love it. But I did not always feel this way. I had to find a way to make my job into a career and to make it interesting. How did this happen?
To give you a bit of background, I am the CEO of I.Buss & Allan Uniform Company, a business that has been in my family for over one hundred years. And yes, I said uniforms and interesting two sentences apart.
So here goes…
Firstly, I found a way to make my work creative. I have always been a creative person, so this aspect was important to me. Previously, I found myself constantly fulfilling my creative desires outside of work, which left me with less of a desire to be creative at work. Then it dawned on me, I could channel this energy into my work. I brought my flair for and love of fashion into uniforms. Over time, my company became known not simply as manufacturers but respected as designers as well. I focused largely on creating distinct “looks” for my clients’ staffs and using uniforms as a way to extend their company’s brand.
Secondly, I committed. I had wavered in my commitment to my business for about the first seven years. Once I cemented my dedication, I was able to implement real change. But I didn’t just commit to my company; I committed to a vision of where I want it to be someday. Now, this has not been an easy path. Firing a large part of your existing staff, implementing new computer and other systems, making mistakes at times left me quite disliked by almost everyone around me. But since I have dug in, I have not wavered in my vision and thankfully the profits have been greater than the losses thus far. The company culture has become much more positive over time as I think the newer team sees the value of all the change.
Lastly, I have kept my career path very diversified. When I first began to learn the business, I worked in stock and sorting. Later, I got into sales and had some traction, which translated to design and sales. About twelve years ago, I saw the importance of creating a website and handled getting that done. I became involved in the operations and management over time. There has been quite a bit of HR in the mix of all the management issues, which I have really come to like. The hiring and firing is like sculpting your company to be what you want. Finally, about two years back, I took over the business as CEO. Though our staff has tripled in size in the last ten years, we are still a mid to small company, so it is natural to wear a number of hats but a lot of these positions never existed in my company before. Many challenges have come with growth. Some are quite costly but it is interesting and engaging.
A friend of mine said to me recently, ”What more can you ask for but an interesting ride?” and I have to say, it has been INTERESTING.
I still have a ways to go before we, as a company, are even close to where I want us to be, but we are constantly evolving.
So how to make it interesting? I believe many things are right in front of us, and we just have to have the ability to see them, and the will to make them happen.
142 West 36th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
Hours: Monday – Friday (9am – 5pm)
Telephone: 212-529-4655
Fax: 212- 505-7781
General Inquiries: info@ibuss-allan.com