Life in the Startup Lane: Competing with the Bigs

When I was a kid, my family called me Mr. C. The “C” stood for competitive because I wanted to win at everything I did, no matter the forum.  Whether on a basketball court, touch football on the front lawn, or penny-ante poker, winning was far more fun and fundamentally my most important focus.

So now, as President of Partners Trust, I carry that same burning desire to win that can sometimes warp my perception. We’ve been in business for approximately seven months and I’m already frustrated that we are not on an equal footing with the companies that have been in business for years and years. And although I realize the task is impossible at such a tender point, part of me is crazy enough to think we can do what has taken others years of either organic growth or acquisition of smaller companies to amass their market share.

I analyze my competitors and look to find each and every edge I can conceive to not only level the playing field but to outperform them with every step.

With so many details, ideas and systems that we are implementing all at once, I want it all to come together perfectly, without a flaw.  (Candidly, it can be quite tiring.) I realize constantly, that while most of the day goes well and we are growing in leaps and bounds, there are elements – such as a functionality of our listing syndication (which as I write this, is not delivering as promised) – that hit snags when you least expect it.

These specific sorts of details work my nerves the most because we are relying on certain outside vendors to execute the plans that we promote to our clients. And when even a short-term failure occurs, I look at it as undermining our effectiveness as well as our integrity to uphold all the services we say we deliver to our clients.  Services, that when working, set us apart with advantages that our competitors do not offer.

I realize that the only way we can compete effectively is to use our nimble position and our flexibility to offer a package of services and follow-up that larger companies are simply to big to coordinate. And where a competitor can boast 2,550 agents up and down the California Coast, we must better define that with each of our 23 associates, we are better positioned to attend to the specific needs of each individual we have the opportunity to serve.

As I continue forward with this company, I realize that I must look to gain some altitude or be crushed under the self-imposed weight of my urgency to be the best option for both agents in the business and our clients. And in those rare and quiet moments of reflection, I know that we are poised for excellence based on our philosophical commitment to raise the awareness and professionalism of our business. As if just beating the big boys wasn’t enough, we’re charged to do it from a higher consciousness.

But that’s another segment in the series to come. We invite you to follow the course we are charting and would appreciate your feedback as we evolve.

“Life in the Startup Lane” is a series of posts chronicling our progression as a company. Please click here for additional segments.

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