I have been asked several times what I am most proud of with Empowering Pumps. This is a hard question to answer because there are so many reasons I love owning a company. I ask myself, “What does it mean to be proud anyway?”

The only way I can think about it is to compare it to watching my child catch a tough hard hit ground ball. I burst with pride… tears form in my eyes and it takes my breath… If I compare that feeling within my work, I would have to say I am most proud when I see someone I trained really listen to customers and respond with the best program for them. One they love immediately; watching that passion is so exciting and rewarding!

It is my 5th year anniversary this month as a business owner of Empowering Pumps. I am going to take you on a journey of what Empowering Pumps has meant to “Charli K. Matthews”, my family, my friends, my employees, my partners, and OUR industry.

Owner

When I look back, I am most proud that I had the strength and ability to stand up for what I believed in and then build it! Everyone has a voice but to use your voice to create something is entirely different. I have learned a lot about myself over the last 5 years, but I think I am most thankful to have realized I am a creative and strong leader. I have made mistakes, learned from them, and I will continue to make them; I am ok with that. I have had to realize, whether I meant for it to happen or not, I am leading others to become “thought leaders.” I am proud that I was able to learn the skills needed to run a business. Reading books about SEO, social media, marketing, being a boss, and cash flow management, I learned day-by-day, project-by-project. I also learned from a handful of mentors whom I am so thankful for… you know who you are!

You don’t just have an idea, you have to execute it… and you have to do it in the whirlwind of business and life.   I hope I am able to take what I have learned and share it so maybe someone’s “5 years” will be even more rewarding than mine.

Family

I am proud that my children admire their mom and think she has a fun job and that she enjoys it. It has confused them in the past because I am not always sad to be leaving home for a work trip. But, now that they have been to summer camp; they get it. Sometimes it is good to GO, grow, and enjoy life. There is a time to shut off work and just be mommy/wife/friend/sister… or just a girl. And I can say I have found my happy place for managing what “having it all” means to me. I have watched my children take interest in engineering, projects, pumps, valves, water conservation, people, and business. This is something I can truly be proud of… I have built a business and it has influenced them to believe they can create and change lives… How good is that!

I am thankful for the flexibility this company has given to our family. It has allowed my husband, Carter, to work with me on sales and marketing projects while also enjoying having time to be the coach for our sons and the dance partner for my daughter. This makes me happy and yes proud to have created EP for my family.

Friends

I am proud that Empowering Pumps has given me the ability to make friends all over the world. I am currently flying over the Grand Canyon and it is easy to reflect on the adventures I have had with my friends, home and away. I am also excited when I am able to include one of my friends in my blog, but I also enjoy watching posts of their accomplishments. Facebook is my favorite platform for keeping up with my friends all over the world. Thank you for posting your special moments so I am able to enjoy your adventures while I am experiencing my own!

Employees

Employees can be amazing and overwhelming. For me, I absolutely love being able to create a team and have a positive environment to work. Being able to work and grow the company for the team is way better than doing it all for yourself or even for your own family. This is what drives me daily… I want to build a better business and make room for more opportunities for my employees and more people to join our team! I am most proud of the stories I hear my employees tell about working with a start-up and how inspiring it can be. At Empowering Pumps, we #workhard and #playhard. It’s fun!

Partners

Watching our partners embrace social media tools and implement the basics we taught them 5 years ago has been so rewarding. There are always new concepts to learn and more opportunities to teach which makes digital media interesting. I am so proud when I see someone I taught social media implementing a digital marketing strategy. But if I am honest with you, a simple #pumptalk reference or a RT can make me smile all day. Partnering with the best of the best in industry professionals, we enjoy connecting and engaging daily! We have learned so much from our partners the last 5 years and we look forward to watching you grow!

Industry

I am so proud of the pump industry! Not only for using social media but also for breaking barriers and working to attract others to the pump industry. It is important we work together and highlight the significance of running a reliable and efficient pump system as well as raising awareness that pumps are vital to industrial processes!

Empowering Pumps is unique in its ability to change and adapt to the market and industry needs. This is what our customers are asked to do each day, and I am glad that we provide a platform that can keep an open mind and identify opportunities for growth.

Because the pump industry has changed so much in the last 5 years, we have redesigned our websites to reflect that change. We have changed our tag line to “Connecting the Pump Systems Community.” We can’t just care about selling a product or service; we need to work together to build a community that is focused on building better systems. We all understand the Pump is the Heart of the System, and now our industry has to look for ways to improve systems components and how they work together to improve the overall pump systems performance. Looking at a more holistic approach for Maintenance & Reliability is key to growth in our industry.

Think about it like this… The System “Empowers” The Equipment. Equipment must have the capacity to get the job done, and designing an efficient system empowers that equipment, but also the part people play in making that system equipment operate reliably is key. So how do you empower your employees?

To Empower means to give authority to, to support, to uplift, to give power to, to give rights to…. So, let’s start Empowering Equipment to be better and empower our part of the world.