Last week I lost my wonderful dog Daisy, and SoleVenture lost our mascot. As we head into Thanksgiving, I give thanks for 10 lessons that Daisy taught me about business.
- Be dependable. Reliability is critical to your success. When you deliver high quality work each and every time, your clients will keep coming back and recommend you to others.
- Find daily rituals that bring you joy. Whether it’s a morning run or a great cup of coffee, find a groove that gives you energy to do your best work.
- Stay loyal. Entrepreneurship is peppered with days of self-doubt. Stay loyal to the driving force behind your vocation.
- Spread kindness. Running a freelance business is about building relationships. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Embrace every new experience. Ok, Daisy was more about every new smell, but for those of us with less developed olfactory senses, we should remember that every new experience in our business is an opportunity to grow and learn.
- Don’t let rules or obstacles stop you. You’re an entrepreneur. You’re forging your own path.
- Lead. Be the pack leader. You can make the industry standard.
- Dream big. Taking the leap into freelancing means believing in yourself. You can achieve your dreams with grit and determination.
- Save for another day. Bury your metaphorical bones in the backyard. Building a safety net will give you the flexibility to take risks.
- Be irreplaceable. You want to be the go-to person in your industry. Your clients count on you to deliver. When you make yourself irreplaceable, your business will endure.
Daisy will be sorely missed. I will always be thankful for these lessons. I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving.
My favorite podcast episode this week was a repeat. Check out the last segment from the author of "Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey." https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ted-radio-hour/id523121474?i=1000499530949