As a financial administration manager, Amy Wu was an integral part of the big-name firm she worked in. Although she found satisfaction in building efficiency and organization for other businesses, the relationship with her clients lacked detail and depth.
“It was very stressful because I knew I had a decision to make,” Wu said.
Being a new immigrant made it difficult for Wu to find work. She searched for months. She feared having to take a job that would be what her husband called “a waste of her talent.” The decision she faced was whether to brave the hazards of self-employment or trade her work fulfilment for the security of being with a larger company.
With no community, network or clientele, Wu chose the former. Her education in the U.S. and Canada gave her the confidence to start a boutique accounting firm, but she was still starting from scratch.
Wu’s first few clients revived her enthusiasm for building strong business relationships.
“I answered my phone in the middle of the night and answered emails even after work hours,” she said. “I enjoyed it so much – maybe a little bit too much.”
Devoting virtually all her waking hours to her clientele, Wu neglected to add boundaries or precautions. “I guess i learned the hard way how to say no,” she said.
The hard way came in the form of burning out. Wu’s work started to become disarrayed, and she realized that if she didn’t set up more structure, her business would pay for it.
“Business is all about reputation and word of mouth,” she said.
It can be hard at the beginning of your business, but sometimes you have
to turn people down. If i lose the quality of my work then i lose both those things.”
The difficulty for Wu was knowing when to say no. She began to seek a more sustainable work-life balance. She set up work hours and stuck by them, clocked in her time and learned that refusing to respond to a client at 10 p.m. didn’t mean she couldn’t commit to the accounts.
The results were almost immediate, and Wu saw her clients leave meetings with assurance.
While the firm was new, building those business boundaries prepared her for a bigger test: how to say no to potential clients, she said. it was one thing to turn down work after hours, and it was another to turn down work altogether. Wu learned that despite having a small clientele, it was OK to “be picky.”
“It can be hard at the beginning of your business,” she said, “But sometimes you have to turn people down.”
On building a diverse clientele |“People will tell you that you can’t do it and it’s easier to stay with your own cultural group. it makes lots of immigrants afraid to get out of their comfort zones. Change that. Communicate with different clients. Having a diverse network is not just important for you socially but for the survival of your company.”
Has a work or life challenge taught you a key career lesson? Contact Romila Barryman at [email protected].
