For National Entrepreneur’s Day, we sat down with our very own CEO and trailblazer, Matt Walsh, to share his leadership advice on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Matt’s insight and vision for Blue Signal has allowed the company to grow a team of hardworking individuals who work with transparency and purpose to who truly invest in the goals of our candidates and clients. Read below to gain an inside look into how Matt runs his business with determination and integrity.

How do you measure success?

I measure success by the amount of lives Blue Signal has positively impacted, both internally with our current employees, and externally of our clients and candidates.

What’s one mistake you made early on?

One mistake I made at the beginning was delaying hiring and delegating for the sake of ensuring that everything was done 100% correctly.

What was the hardest lesson in your first year of business? 

To start a business, you truly do need to dedicate yourself 100%, be available 24/7, sacrifice friends, family and your own personal desires for the sake of the business succeeding and taking off right out of the gates.

What’s the toughest part of being in charge?

Time management is extremely difficult, as everyone feels what they need is urgent and important. I have learned that not everything is vitally important to be done quickly for the success of the business.

What’s the best motivator for employees?

Self-worth. I truly enjoy working with every employee on a hands-on basis, to help them understand that they can effect change in the business and educate them on how their goals affect them and everything they touch.

What’s your proudest accomplishment in your business? 

I am extremely proud of our consistent track record we’ve maintained in doubling in size and revenue every year since our existence.

What’s the biggest myth in business and recruiting?

The biggest myth in business and recruiting is that everything is numbers driven. At Blue  Signal, we believe it’s extremely important to establish long lasting relationships and partnerships, with our candidates, clients and most importantly every employee within to ensure you are maximizing success.

What have you learned about yourself running your business?

How little sleep one truly needs in order to operate. And more importantly, how I can count on friends and family around me when I need an extra motivator.

What have you sacrificed for success?

I often hear and see business leaders talking about sacrificing their own personal desires in addition to their friends and family taking a back seat. While I agree, that is certainly capable of most leaders to do, there has to be a perfect balance. So while yes, I’ve made some sacrifices in these areas, I truly feel that the greater good of what we’re doing as a team and the lives we are affecting more than makes up for the sacrifices we all make here.

Whom do you admire most as a business leader?

While the obvious answers are Steve Jobs, Bezos, Zuckerberg and other innovative individuals who’ve been successful, my stance is and always has been from earlier sayings: