Business Challenges Breed Opportunities For Growth

No business is without trials and tribulations, and the last two years have been a constant reminder of this. Trying times call for BSC leaders who embrace change and view challenges as opportunities for growth.

“You will always need to make tough decisions, and it’s how you handle them that matters,” says Murch, who advocates meeting challenges with urgency and immediacy to earn people’s respect. “Always do the right thing,” he adds, “not necessarily the easy thing.”

Mary Miller, CEO and owner of JANCOA, Cincinnati, advises emerging leaders not to get caught up in the problem of the moment.

“Learn to see the bigger picture, especially with COVID-19,” she says. “We can’t change the situation, but what we can do is decide what we want our business to look like a year from now. Instead of making choices based on fear and panic, focus on a positive result.”

Miller is no stranger to challenges. A single mother of three, she married Tony Miller, father of two and founder and CEO of JANCOA. When the demands of her sales career encroached on family time, she quit her job and joined her husband’s janitorial business. In 2007, Miller took over as CEO, and Tony became the president.

“I never had it on my bucket list to own a cleaning company,” Miller says. “But sometimes life changes directions and we have to adjust. It’s important to reassess where you are and where you want to be, because often people pursue dreams that weren’t theirs to begin with.”

Taylor echoes this sentiment: “Frequently evaluate where you want to end up personally and as a company,” he says. “For me, it’s changed several times along the way.”

Initially, Taylor’s plan was to build up the company, sell it and retire. But along the way he decided that ministry was his calling. He was in the process of selling the company when he changed his mind yet again.

“I put on the brakes and realized my workplace is a ministry, and I really love helping other people,” he says. “I reversed the decision to sell and changed the destination. I think that reinvigorated me and got me excited about moving the company forward.”