A change in ownership is a big adjustment, and not just for the new owner.
It’s been seven years since I became the majority owner of Clayman Promotional Group, the business my father formed in 1968. Just a few years ago, I assumed 100 percent control.
I had been working in sales at the company since the early 1990s, and I realized it was time for me to know how all the pieces of the business work. So I took the time to learn our computer system and, well, everything.
The transition wasn’t an overnight process. It wasn’t like, all of a sudden, Dad gifted me 51 percent of the company and he was out the door.
‘You’ve Got to Let Me Do It’
Everyone loves Alvin, my dad, everyone, and there wasn’t anybody he couldn’t sell. Even after the transition, there were still a few customers that he continued to serve, simply because they loved doing business with him.
Early on, he and I had disagreements. I had to tell him, “You can’t be making these decisions and telling me that I’m running the company, and then try to override what I do or question what I do. You’ve got to let me do it.”
After a while, he realized I could do it, and he stepped back. Part of that was due to technology. Our fulfillment process had shifted from paper-and-pen to online. Those are things that, at his age, he didn’t need to know how all that worked. He knew it was time to step back and let new technology come in.
But Dad wasn’t the only person who needed to adjust. So did the team he had built.
No User’s Manual
When you become a business owner, nobody hands you a manual and says, “Here’s how to be the CEO of a company. Follow these techniques, and you will succeed.” Oh, sure, there are people who have written books about their company, but every company is different.
For me, a lot of it was sink or swim—how do I figure out how to make this work? And how do I make it work with the people I have? Because I didn’t want to get rid of anybody.
Through the years, I’ve had to toughen up my skin. I didn’t have any hard feelings, but I had to let people know that things were going to change, and they’re going to be done my way. Some of them left because of it. Some of them stayed and were like, “Bring it on.”
So while change hasn’t always been easy, it has definitely been good for our company. Last year, we were Kansas’ Woman-Owned Business of the Year, and we rank in the top 50 for our industry. We received certification as a woman-owned business, and that has helped us win work from several Fortune 500 companies. And we’ve diversified ourselves by getting into LED lighting.
Dad doesn’t get down here very often, but he’s very proud of what I’ve done. I’m going to do what’s best for the business and for everyone who works here. Because we want to keep our doors open, and we want to keep growing.
