Hear the back story of Oostas from CEO Adam Kirk. Learn what's in the name Oostas, how Adam learned to manage business and family and discover some key advice for new business owners.
Adam Kirk: My name is Adam Kirk. I grew up in the Lancaster area. I ended up moving to Mexico, and I happened to meet my wife there. She's actually from Lancaster, and we met in Mexico. So go figure that one out. We ended up moving to Turkey, had to leave there on short notice, came back to the States, and it was kind of like, "Wow, I was not expecting this. So now what do I do?"
Adam Kirk: I decided to kind of talk with a business mentor. We met with him for several months, decided to start my own business. I love starting things, and he worked very well with me to kind of pull aside who I am and what the business model should be like. And I look back at that and I'm like, that was such a fun experience, taking a dream that I didn't even really know that I had, but that was deep inside of me. Those several months of my life where I had an idea and did not know anything of how to get started, that was such an amazing experience for me. And that's part of the heart of what I want to do with Oostas is take people who are small business owners currently or even just thinking about it and be able to pull out from them who they are, what their passions are, and be able to help put them in the right direction where they can have a successful business as well.
Adam Kirk: I spent about nine years living overseas in the nation of Turkey. The word Oostas comes from a Turkish word that means a master craftsman. When we were over there in Turkey, we obviously learned the Turkish language, and when I came back here to start the business, we were looking at names. And this name kept coming back because one, it has to do with my history that I lived over there for nine years, but two, the name and its meaning the small business owners are the master in their craft. The name felt suitable. It had to do with my passion and my history, but it also had to do with who we work with on a daily basis.
Adam Kirk: That has been a process of learning. I happen to have a phenomenal wife who is incredibly gracious. Our first six months in business were very intense obviously. We went into that knowing it was going to be a very intense season. She held down the fort a lot. Having a family and a business, it's like two full time jobs in some degrees. It's a lot of work, so it just involves a lot of open communication between my wife and myself. My dad was my first employee. My kids are in our office putting stamps on postcards. So we're very much family oriented business and I love that. That's one of the things that is very beneficial to me as a business owner.
Adam Kirk: One of the probably most significant times of my life was living overseas. You recognize that it totally shapes who you are. It gives you a worldview beyond where you grew up and where you currently live. My nine years living overseas in Turkey, learning the language, learning the culture has prepared me to be a small business owner because I have such a broader worldview than I would have before. I'm able to look at things a little bit more outside of the box than I normally have. I spent a lot of time on the phone every day with small business owners, and as I consult them, be able to say, "Listen, here's another way to look at that problem. Here's another angle that we can take with that situation." And it also gives me the opportunity to pass that on to my clients as well.
Adam Kirk: In the beginning stages, before we even started the business, I went around to probably 10 to 12 different local business owners and said, "Hey, can I buy a coffee and sit down and ask you questions for two hours?" So one of the things that I tell business owners on a regular basis is ask questions, get advice, have a business mentor, someone who you can go to on a regular basis and ask questions.
Adam Kirk: One thing about me that I would want people to know is I love to serve, and that's one of the pillars that we've set as a foundation for our business is we're here to serve small businesses. Everything that we do from our initial consultations to presenting proposals, walking people through the onboarding for a website. We're coming at it with an attitude to serve you as our client. Our success comes when you're successful.
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