| Why Izrunas? |
| Written by R. Eriks Goodwin |
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I've found that many small business owners are great at what they "do", but perhaps do not know business management, recruiting, or planning-- and thus are stuck at a certain size. A few of the funding procpects I had been working with asked me to help them with more than just their pursuit of investment capital and I found that I have a true passion for helping other business owners. My favorite part of business is the rough and tumble of problem solving, rapid growth and the occasional bizarre challenge which allows me to learn and grow while conquoring the problem and keep things moving in a positive and profitable direction. My ambition knows no end and so I am always asking my clients, "Wouldn't it be great if..." or similar questions to keep their minds open and focused on growth. As a result of my Latvian background, I selected the name "Izrunas" to represent my company’s vision. It is based on the Latvian word "runa" which means "to talk." We thought this was especially appropriate since a majority of our work involves working together through effective and flowing conversations with our clients. “Izruna” is also related to a Latvian word which means "a positive form of subterfuge." We also like this meaning because we frequently employ methods which are both immediately beneficial to the client but also fit into a larger, beneficial result which may not be immediately apparent. The key to the success we have with our consulting clients is related to the way we talk with them. This is a common theme to everything Izrunas does for its clients. We talk, discuss and guide in a way that achieves results for our clients. Although we often do not say what someone "wants to hear," the things we say need to be said and we do it in an effective fashion--while never losing the directness often required. No one person, nor even an entire firm, has "all the answers", but the Izrunas approach to working with our clients has a proven track record of results. If we do not already have the answer, we develop the process or roadmap to work with our client to achieve the desired results. I am a great advocate of the "strengths movement" in business management and often start with new clients by determining these strengths. It is my aboluste belief that we can all achieve success only by focusing on what we are good at-- and hiring the rest. My own strengths, according to the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test are:
As you can see, my top five strengths are ideally suited to my work and I have never enjoyed my career more than I do now. I spend every day focusing on my strengths and bringing them to bear on behalf of my clients to enhance their success. Let's have a conversation about your business. No obligation, let's just talk and see where it goes. --Eriks Goodwin, Principal |
When I founded Izrunas in 2003, I started out with a focus on commercial funding for business plans in the private equity markets. Although I did well at this and continue to work in this field, it became appratent very quickly that there were a great many companies "worthy" of investment for expansion, but that lacked "something" which prevented them from being able to obtain funds for their ventures.