I love experiences that long after they’ve ended still have me thinking. Sometimes it’s a book or a movie, a workshop or lecture, but most recently it was a conference. As many of you know, I attended New York Entrepreneur Week in NYC and when asked what I believed was the best part of the conference I answered, the people. The panels were informative, the keynotes shared inspired and motivated stories, and the breakout networking sessions provided everyone with an opportunity to meet new people. Every single person who attended the weeklong conference made a difference in someone else’s life just by sitting in those seats. I not only made great connections but started fabulous friendships. There was a common theme, both spoken and felt, about collaborating, partnering and building a support system of people with aligned interests, dreams and passions to your own. More and more, people spoke about the importance of values and personalities when working with others, and while someone might look great on paper, it doesn’t mean they are a match for your project, endeavor or business. It was a wonderful feeling sitting amongst a group of strangers and by the end of the week creating a bond over ideas and philosophies I believed only I had held.
When I attended college, I never imagined myself a business owner. In fact, when I started my first business, as excited as I was, I believed I was the weakest link. On paper, my two business partners had stronger backgrounds in both business and technology. Instead of realizing my own unique gifts, talents and skill sets that I would bring to our company, as well as knowing that my presence, participation, energy, passion, values and ethics would play a large part in the success of our consulting firm, I felt small and allowed my voice to be shut out. These insecurities didn’t stop me from working hard, increasing business and working with clients and within industries that I loved. It was clear early on that my values and ethics were vastly different, but I believed that was the norm in the business world with regards to partnerships. You were supposed to compliment one another ~ yin and yang. (Of course, this sounds very similar to what “they” say you should look for in your life partner as well). It never occurred to me in my late 20s that although someone’s experience might be impressive and they share similar interests, it doesn’t mean we are meant to go into a business relationship together. There were times I thought I was going crazy because my partners were not getting me and understanding my vision. Clearly, my way of thinking about business must be way off. Right? Wrong! I had not taken stock of what was important to me, my work and life values, and how that would integrate into a business partnership. Although I have since sold my share of our company to my business partners, I do not regret what I learned over a decade of working together. Every single experience led me toward what I created with Life Design. There are many people out there who share my creative vision and mission, but it took figuring out mine first before I could draw in those like-minded individuals.
If the world lived in a vacuum and we took out the human connection, there just might be one perfect business formula that would work for all industries and various sized companies. How dull and robotic! Some people will tell you not to go into partnerships with friends and family members, and there will be just as many people telling you that partnering with friends and family was the best move they ever made. It’s about the people. It’s about knowing who you are, what you stand for, making no apologies and honoring your truth. If you know that you know that you know, the right and perfect partner(s) will show up.
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