John’s first business truck and trailer

This month John celebrates 20 years owning and operating his business, JT Construction. It certainly hasn’t been easy. But boy-oh-boy, have we both grown along the way.

Running a business isn’t for everyone. We have questioned many times if it was for us. While many will think there isn’t security in having your own business, the fact is that there is no security or guarantee in working for a company either.

John has wanted to throw the towel in many times, especially after one very trying client, 9/11, and when things fell apart with the economy in 2008. Those were certainly the most scariest of times hoping we would survive.  But John is an entrepreneur at heart and  believes strongly in small businesses…and most importantly, he loves what he does.

Just like anything in life, there are disadvantages and advantages. At the time he began his business, I had left a job I had been at for 12 years. Though I liked the work I did as Sales Coordinator at a local resort which was my new job close to home, the plan was for me to join John at some point to help with office administration duties. That became a reality four years later.

I wanted to work from home and was tired of the corporate world. But little did I realize that working side-by-side with my husband would cause a big test in our marriage. I don’t regret one single moment of working in our home office, because I grew in ways I could have never predicted. But the honest truth is, it wasn’t what my heart truly wanted. And more than that, I didn’t want our marriage to suffer because of the differences we had in running a business together.

Walking away from the business was one of the hardest and easiest things I ever did. I wasn’t giving up on John, but was making our marriage stronger, as well as making myself stronger, and John. He has simply amazed me with how he now handles (for the most part), all aspects of his construction business. I still lend my marketing expertise and lend my ear in times of frustration.

I’d have to say that 2008 through 2012 were the most challenging of years in business and we’ve had to make some tough choices – just like many others did, too. But it has made us who we are today. We are so much aware of what matters most to us, what choices we want to make, and how we want to live our lives. That to me, says so much.

I’m so very proud of John, his work ethic and how he provides for me and the dogs. Though I’m not in the office doing the bookwork any longer, I’m still part of the team lending my support in the best way that I know how by being who I am meant to be.