There’s a song on the first Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album called Dark as a Dungeon, originally written by Merle Travis, and it’s served as a parable for me on my philosophy of work. The song encourages young men to avoid seeking fortune in the mines, because the work is miserable. There might be quick gains, but the risks are high, and too often, you come away with nothing.
I always hear a message in between the lines of that song, that life is better as a farmer. The work is just as hard, but you have the sun on your shoulders, and the fields yield back year after year. The gains come slowly, but after years of work, you have fertile fields to pass down to another generation, which will continue to yield for years to come.
I found the same analogy the other day in this article on creating a software company. It seems the author shares the same philosophy that I do.
Tech startups have become a fetish. It could be seen at this year’s South by Southwest Festival. They had a bus that went from California to Austin, and it was filled with young techies challenged to create the next startup in the course of the trip.
There’s less emphasis paid these days on building a business that will last. In my opinion, that’s the measure of the quality of anything — how long will it last? Whether it’s a building, a bridge, software, or a business, the test of time reveals the measure of its value.
That’s the vision for EK Mitchell, LLC. To go to work each day, and do the little things right. To always leave a fertile field after every harvest. With hard work, I’ll add to my acreage, and increase my yield modestly year after year. A services business is no get rich quick scheme.
No, the reward is in the work. If you enjoy what you do, you never have to retire. And the fields will give back to you year after year.
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