Happy Birthday Diligentia Group! 7 Lessons from Our First 6 Years

By Brian Willingham

Six years ago today, on August 17, 2009, Diligentia Group officially opened its doors.

I remember the day quite well. I had just taken what I thought was going to be my last vacation in many years, and was preparing to build out my new home office.

So far, we have had a pretty good run. We’ve grown six consecutive years. Most important, I have had a blast and this adventure has given me opportunities that I could never have had otherwise.

On with the lessons…

1) Be what you want to be.

When I first started, I knew what I did not want to be.

I didn’t want to be the head of an investigative firm that was churning out low-margin work.

I didn’t want to be someone who had a big office with a big staff.

And I didn’t want to be someone who had to answer to anyone.

I wanted to be nimble, preferably solo, with low overhead, and I wanted to work on interesting cases—not just ones that paid the bills.

What you want to be might be totally different.

But I wanted to dictate my lifestyle; I didn’t want my work to dictate me.

2) Listen to what others have to say, but do what you want …read more

Source:: Pry-Eye