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TZL: What role does your family play in your career? Are work and family separate, or is there overlap? SL: I have five kids who work in the business as well as nieces and nephews. My parents, who are now retired, even worked alongside me for a while. My work and family life are intertwined. My wife has enabled me to be able to take some level of calculated risk which is a tremendous help. You’re only as good as your core unit. My wife has very little to do with the business, but she has raised our family and worked full-time at home. The good of this mixing of work and family far outweigh the bad. “When I started the business, I did everything. I’ve since learned that you can’t do everything ... It’s important to let people fail their way to success. Let go of some of the control.” TZL: What skills are required to run a successful practice? What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now? SL: Income follows your personal growth. You have to keep learning to be a better person and by default, you’ll become a better boss, employee, and overall person. TZL: Since founding the firm, what’s been your one greatest challenge and how was it met? SL: In the beginning, I was a one- man show with eight kids. That was challenging enough already. Next was keeping the company’s core values. EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) is what now helps me to lead. It’s a process-driven approach developed by Gino Wickman, and is a complete set of simple concepts and practical tools that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs get what they want from their businesses. Implementing EOS helped me to put a healthy leadership team together that’s all working toward a common goal. TZL: How much time do you spend working “in the business” rather than “on the business?”
SL: It’s easy to get caught in the weeds. EOS has been a game changer. It makes me put specific time on the calendar for business. Business has to be process driven – 50/50. TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way? SL: When I started the business, I did everything. I’ve since learned that you can’t do everything. The good thing is that I can do everything; the bad thing is that I can do everything. It’s important to let people fail their way to success. Let go of some of the control. I once had a staff member lose about $25,000 for the firm. We reviewed what happened and it’s never happened again. You learn by doing and usually won’t do it again. TZL: How many years of experience – or large enough book of business – is enough to become a principal in your firm? Are you naming principals in their 20s or 30s? SL: We have 42 employees and half of them are younger than 30. I find that people who are hungry are the most coachable and teachable. Older people think they know it all. It’s important to have a small ego in this field and a thirst for knowledge. This goes back to our core values. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility? “Income follows your personal growth. You have to keep learning to be a better person and by default, you’ll become a better boss, employee, and overall person.”
HEADQUARTERS: Bay City, TX
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 42
YEAR FOUNDED: 2008
NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS:
❚ ❚ Bay City, TX
❚ ❚ Port Lavaca, TX
❚ ❚ Rockport, TX
❚ ❚ Corpus Christi, TX
❚ ❚ Edna, TX
❚ ❚ Grapevine, TX
SERVICES:
❚ ❚ Civil engineering
❚ ❚ Structural engineering
❚ ❚ Windstorm certification
❚ ❚ Land development
❚ ❚ Architecture
CORE VALUES: Fiercely loyal tribe, thirsty for knowledge, solving problems, attention to detail and being humble. ORIGIN STORY: In 2007, Lynn had a calendar in his office. He flipped the page and there was a quote that read, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” That changed everything.
SL: Vision.
TZL: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? SL: People want to work for a cause and I’m working to promote that culture.
© Copyright 2021. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
AY 10, 2021, ISSUE 1391
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