Your Independence Day…
Next Monday I will be watching some form of celebration for July 4th and that is why I’m writing this now; next Monday would be a bad time to send out an email. I just can’t compete with barbecues, parades, and fireworks! And besides, you wouldn’t see it until Tuesday.
Your Independence
Most of you on this distribution list are business owners, but why are you a business owner? Most of you, at some point, worked for someone. You had a boss and you worked for a company.
One day, the revelation set in that you could do what they were doing and you could do it better, or faster, or cheaper. And so you did. You declared your independence from the company or boss that was running your life.
Just like you, the founding fathers felt exactly the same way. They could do it better and they did, just like you.
But not without considerable risk.
One day, you got your last, steady, company paycheck; the next, you were working to create that very unsteady cash flow that you now call your business.
Like you, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Sam Adams, John Jay, Patrick Henry, and many others had families that depended on them just like your family depends on you. If you were married, that was a long conversation with your spouse – “do I go out on my own?”. Crazy, right?
The day the Founding Fathers declared their independence from England, these new, thirteen United States, with its brand new territory, became the competition to England, just like you became the competition to your former employer.
The key difference was that they had to keep their rifles close by because no one else was going to protect their goal of starting a new country.
I heard King George tried to exercise a “do not compete” clause, but I think that got dumped in the harbor too.
And of course, you know the rest of the story.
Your Network
The most successful business owners maintain a strong network of contacts. Not just on the support side, like CPAs and attorneys, but on the sales and networking side.
This is where you get your best industry and local information.
And maybe even a referral for business, too.
It could be BNI, TEAM, Rotary, Kiwanis, or Chambers of Commerce. It really doesn’t matter what it is, the group has to be active and you have to be active within the group. And it doesn’t happen overnight.
I can’t tell you how many owners and reps come for two or three meetings, get nothing out of it, and then leave.
And then they bellyache how networking groups never work.
People do business with people they know, like, and trust. That doesn’t happen in two months; you have to give it a year, particularly if the group meets monthly. Trust takes a while to build.
Many business owners do their craft well but do not know how to market. So they hire a rep to market them.
That’s fine and it works, but it has more impact coming from you.
Be active in at least two to three groups that meet at least monthly and do NOT miss a meeting.
If you do miss a meeting, send someone in your place. It tells the group that you value them.
Finally…
When you celebrate Independence Day next Monday, remember that it is not just the day of independence for the greatest country in the world. You, as a business owner, are also celebrating YOUR ability to be independent, to call your own shots, make your own mistakes and create your own successes. There are few greater callings and few greater risks than being a business owner.
You have my greatest respect.
Enjoy the 4th!
