Success...

I started Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. just of 11 years ago. As a business owner, you might say that I have more than just a passing interest in this thing called "success."

Like so many words, the word Success means different things to different people. Judging by most standards, neither QSS nor Rick Bahl would be considered a success. To be perfectly honest, I would tend to agree with those assessments. In order for me to succeed, in business or in my personal life, I need to have goals. Attainment of those goals will ultimately determine whether I am successful. Others may disagree, but technically, if I attain the goals that I set for my business and myself, then I have succeeded.

Therein lies the problem. Like so many people (and businesses), my goals are vague, poorly defined or non-existent. What I do have would be more accurately called Dreams. Dreams are a topic for a different discussion at another time. Realizing the error of my ways, I am taking steps toward ensuring SUCCESS, by anyone's measure, and the process is largely focused on setting and achieving goals.

S.M.A.R.T. Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time-bound. Those are the attributes of a useful goal. Knowing that is not enough. I still need some help. A lot of help. I "KNOW" an impressive amount of "things." Don't believe me, just ask my kids... There is an enormous difference between Knowing and Doing.

For me, Doing is going to take some work and a good deal of help. Enter Arlin Sorensen and his HTG Peer Groups. Arlin is all about Execution. He likes to quote Thomas Edison, who said, "Vision without execution is hallucination." I was invited to become a member of HTG13. We had our first quarterly meeting in July and will be meeting again the end of October in Kansas City. If you would like to know more about Arlin or the HTG Peer Groups, let me know and I'll provide additional details.

Naturally, there are more ingredients to Success, than simply having and attaining goals, but let's stop here of today and we'll pick up the topic again in the future...

Introducing... Me!

Greetings,

My name is Rick Bahl. I am a 40 something business owner who is beginning to embrace Web 2.0. You will soon learn that there is some small amount of irony in that. My company, Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. is a technology company. We help small businesses realize the full potential of their investments in IT. You would think I would have done this a long time ago.

The reality is, I am doing this because of my interest in people, rather than technology. Years ago I used to live on the "bleeding edge" of tech and had to be riding the wave of whatever was new and exciting. Today, I am more interested in things that "work!" That leaves me time to focus on relationships.

I wasn't always a "people person." In fact there was a time, most of my life, to be precise, that I really didn't care for most people, most of the time. Let's just say, I had a change of heart. I'm sure we'll explore that in much more detail in the future.

I don't want to "unload" on everyone with my first post but I would like to start a dialog. Let's try this as an icebreaker. Do you donate blood? I did today. I do regularly and there is a better than 50% chance that each time I do, I will get "light-headed" and they will have to attend to me. Why do I do it? Because I can... It is a simple act that has such great potential. I like that.