Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? Not always. I came to this realization in October of 2008. That was when I started a new chapter in my career. On October 2, 2008, I left the safety and security of the corporate world for the uncertainty and anxiety of entrepreneurship. For nearly 25 years, I had been a part of an organization, a member of a team. Now I was the organization. I was the team. That was my plan. I had saved for years, and that had given me the flexibility to make this bold move. Unfortunately, my plan was developed in the fall of 2007, and it did not contemplate the economic crisis that hit rock bottom right as I was walking out the door. I had planned for some degree of economic uncertainty, but I never contemplated a crisis of that magnitude. My savings, my safety net, seemed to have developed holes overnight. My plan was on schedule and falling apart at the same time.
There is one piece of advice I give to all of my clients – “Ask for help.” People want to help us solve the challenges that we face. Our friends and family do it because they care about us, and they want to see us succeed. Some people want to help us for less noble reasons. It may make them feel good about themselves. They may believe that helping us will make us more willing to help them when they need it. Regardless of the motivation, there are people willing to help if only we ask.
WOW!!! That’s all I can say. After more than three years in the making, I am sitting in my office staring at my book. It isn’t just mine, because so many people made it a reality, but there it is, If You Will Lead by Doug Moran. There are only a handful of days that I can recall feeling this proud and pleased – the days my children were born, our wedding day, the day Laurie agreed to marry me. That’s about it. So thank you for sharing it with me.