Enjoying the Journey: Why Your Firm’s Success Is More Than Just Crossing Finish Lines

As professional services owners, we’re wired to solve problems and deliver results. But between daily firefighting and pursuing big goals, we can lose sight of something equally important: actually enjoying the work we’re doing and the relationships we’re building.

I’ve been reflecting on this recently while reading “Beyond Entrepreneurship” by Jim Collins and Bill Lazier. Two passages particularly struck me: “Life is just too short not to enjoy what you’re doing. If we can’t make this fun, we should stop doing it!” and “Transactions can give you success, but only relationships make for a great life.” These insights hit home as I’ve been watching our firm navigate the scaling phase, and I’ve realized how easy it is to get so focused on the destination that we forget to appreciate the journey.

Our carefully crafted plans rarely unfold exactly as written. When we measure success only against original blueprints, we miss recognizing real progress happening around us. More importantly, we miss the joy that comes from doing work we love with people who matter to us.

Three Reminders That Changed My Perspective

1. Small Victories Are Actually Big Wins

Recently, I watched a younger team member confidently lead their first client meeting—asking thoughtful questions and building genuine rapport. That moment represented months of coaching that doesn’t show up on revenue charts but speaks volumes about our firm’s trajectory.

Similarly, receiving positive client feedback on projects I didn’t even touch tells a story about systems, team capability, and culture that’s far more valuable than any single engagement. When clients recognize the value we provide—not just in deliverables but in how we think, how we approach problems, and how we collaborate—that’s validation of something much deeper than transaction success.

These victories happen daily if we’re paying attention: a team member proposing an innovative solution, a client implementing our recommendations successfully, landing a contract with an organization we’ve wanted to work with for years. Collins and Lazier remind us that if we can’t find joy in these moments, we’re missing the point entirely.

2. Relationships Compound in Ways Revenue Never Will

While technical competence remains essential, our business is fundamentally about relationships—with team members, clients, and fellow owners.

The most satisfying client engagements are where we develop genuine partnerships that extend beyond project boundaries. When clients call us first when new challenges arise, that’s relationship dividends paying out in ways transactional work never could.

Internally, watching team members grow and building an environment where people genuinely enjoy coming to work creates a foundation that sustains through market ups and downs.

3. Progress Looks Different Than We Expected

When scaling a professional services firm, it’s tempting to measure progress through traditional metrics: revenue growth, client acquisition, team expansion. These matter, but they don’t tell the complete story. Real progress often shows up in less obvious ways: the quality of conversations with clients, the sophistication of problems our team can solve independently, the reputation we’re building, the systems that allow us to deliver consistently excellent work.

Some quarters, our biggest win might be successfully delegating a major client relationship. Other times, it’s implementing a knowledge transfer system that ensures our expertise lives beyond any individual contributor. These developments might not dramatically move the revenue needle immediately, but they create infrastructure for sustainable, enjoyable growth.

Making the Journey More Enjoyable: Practical Steps

Recognizing the importance of enjoying our professional journey is one thing; actually doing it requires intentional practice. Here are a few approaches to consider:

1. Celebrate Small Wins Intentionally

We’ve started acknowledging progress in team meetings—not just project completions, but moments of growth, client appreciation, and process improvements. When someone receives positive feedback, learns a new skill, or handles a challenging situation well, we call it out. This practice is helping to shift our team’s focus from grinding through tasks to recognizing meaningful work happening every day.

2. Build Time for Relationship Cultivation

This means deepening existing relationships and creating space for new ones. For clients, it might be quarterly check-ins that go beyond project status to understand their broader challenges. For team members, it could be regular one-on-ones focused on their growth rather than just task management. For fellow owners, it’s participating in communities where we can share experiences.

3. Reframe Setbacks as Learning Opportunities

When projects don’t go as planned, team members leave, or market conditions shift, the initial reaction is often frustration. I’ve found it helpful to ask, “What can this teach us about our business, our market, or ourselves?” This doesn’t mean ignoring problems, but maintaining curiosity about what each challenge reveals.

4. Remember the Whole Person Behind the Professional

It’s essential to celebrate personal milestones: weddings, graduations, new babies, personal achievements. These moments matter as much as professional accomplishments and create bonds that extend far beyond project deadlines. When we genuinely care about each other as whole people, our professional relationships deepen in ways that purely transactional environments never achieve.

5. The Power of Community in Professional Services

Connecting with other professional services owners has been invaluable. The challenges we face—scaling beyond personal involvement, developing teams, managing client relationships—are remarkably similar across industries.

Communities like Collective 54 provide frameworks and tools, but the real benefit comes from relationships with fellow owners who understand our unique pressures. These connections remind us we’re not alone and help maintain perspective on why we chose this path: to do meaningful work, build valuable relationships, and create something larger than ourselves.

Starting Your Own Journey of Enjoyment

Professional services ownership will always involve challenges, unexpected turns, and moments of uncertainty. The question isn’t whether these difficulties will arise, but how we choose to approach them. If we can find ways to enjoy the work itself, celebrate the relationships we’re building, and recognize progress in its many forms, the journey becomes far more satisfying.

Collins and Lazier’s insight that “life is just too short not to enjoy what you’re doing” isn’t just motivational wisdom—it’s practical business advice. When we genuinely enjoy our work, we do it better. When we value relationships over just transactions, we build more sustainable businesses. When we appreciate progress in all its forms, we maintain the energy and perspective needed for long-term success.

The destination matters, but the journey is where we actually spend our time. Making that journey enjoyable isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for building the kind of professional services firm, and the kind of professional life, that’s truly worth creating.

Ready to connect with fellow owners who understand this journey? I’d recommend joining Collective 54 to access proven frameworks and, more importantly, build relationships with others navigating similar challenges and opportunities. Apply for membership