Dad Was Right

It's been one year since I quit my job with only a brand-new greeting card business to show for it. 

It was a big decision for me -- the outcome was far from clear, I had a ton of things to ramp up on (and then a lot more that I didn't know I needed to learn...), and a lot of time on my hands.

Reflecting on the experience, I have to admit that Dad was right. Two of the lessons he's emphasized over the years were invest in yourself and be in the core part of the business. I'd add one more from this experience: be kind to yourself when things don't go great. Let's go through each of them.

Invest in Yourself

This mainly applied to education in Dad's coaching, but I'm going to expand it to taking calculated risks on personal ventures. It was definitely a risk to leave a steady income and clear trajectory for unclear versions of both. And, frankly, the greeting card money hasn't been anywhere close to replacing the income I left. But it feels great to build something from start to finish. And I have learned more than I could have imagined through the process.

The calculated risks haven't ended. I'm now part of not one but two startups, and the learning needs have more than doubled.

But I wouldn't trade a minute of it. It has been such a joy to go on a new adventure. The time and alternatives foregone are totally worth it.

Be in the Core Part of the Business

Mom and Dad, both chemical engineers, presented two options for undergraduate degrees: engineering or business. Since I wasn't super excited about high school science classes (shortsighted disinterest, alas), business it was! Thus began my formal and informal business education.

As I was choosing my first job out of college, my father urged me to choose a role in the profit-generating part of a business. Of course, there are wonderful roles in all parts of organizations, but this advice was intended to increase my chances of success in the long run. 

With a one-person business, there's only a core position available, so this advice was hypercharged. Not only was I in the profit-generating part of the business, I was deciding on product mix, distribution channels, designs, prices, the list goes on.

Thankfully I had a combination of some relevant experience and blissful ignorance on how difficult the road would be -- and plenty of support along the way. 

Be Kind to Yourself

This brings me to my add-on lesson: be kind to yourself when things don't go as planned. I've gotten to practice resilience on this journey. From learning Adobe Illustrator (thanks, BYOL, for the practical lessons!) through working through multiple Shopify themes before finding one that was juuuuuuust right, there have plenty plenty of mistakes along the way. 

I've gotten to practice self-kindness and a growth mindset. I've gotten to practice not getting wrapped around the axle when the path I'm going down has proven it's not going to work. And I've gotten to ask for a lot of help, which isn't my strong suit.

That's All for Now

There we go, some of the lessons that come to mind from across the years that have come in extra handy over the past year. I hope you find ways to invest in yourself, contribute in irreplaceable ways, and be kind to yourself in the coming days.