The excitement of receiving payment for your first job is a milestone for every entrepreneur. Brian and Mary Jo Sullivan share their journey, capturing the essence of this exhilarating experience and its impact on their business.

The Joy of the Check Run

The excitement of having the first job under your belt is only matched by the thrill of getting paid for that first job. You’ve presumably set up your business bank account, but with a check in hand, what now? I heard about the concept of the “joy of the check run” while amongst a group of entrepreneurs. As soon as we heard the phrase, we started to smile. The check run is when you receive a check and run to the bank—pretty self-explanatory. The magnitude, though, especially as a new small business, is massive. Whether the check came via mail or was handed to me, I needed to get it to the bank as quickly as possible, so off I ran, literally. 

There are some trying moments from the early days that I look back on that still give me stress, and there are others that make me smile. The joy of the check run is definitely one that makes me smile. I still get excited when checks come into the office; that exhilarating feeling never goes away. It’s a great feeling knowing that a client is satisfied with you, happy with your services, and willing to pay for them. Some of our clients were challenging to get paid from, but some of them were really, really fantastic and understood that we were a very small business and cash was critical to our success. 

In the early days, one of our largest clients—which, at one point, was 85 percent of our revenue—had a CFO who was such a nice guy and completely understood the importance attached to our business. He would call me and tell me that he had the check processed for an invoice that we had sent, often less than a week earlier. “The check is ready. Do you want me to put it in the mail, or will you pick it up?” He always knew the answer was that I would pick it up. I would tell him that I was on site and would be there in about thirty-five minutes. 

Inevitably, he would chuckle because he knew the drive from my office in New Jersey to his office in the Bronx was thirty-five minutes. If I wanted to walk from the site to his office, that would take about three minutes. He called because he knew how important those checks were to the business. 

The joy of receiving that first check is a sentiment many entrepreneurs share. For Brian and Mary Jo, it symbolizes much more than just a financial transaction; it represents the trust and satisfaction of their clients and the validation of their hard work.

As they reflect on these early experiences, they emphasize the importance of nurturing client relationships and understanding the critical role cash flow plays in the success of a small business. For more insights and inspiring stories on entrepreneurship, be sure to orderEntrepreneurial Trinity.