Today marks the one year anniversary of deciding to open Vitality South. At this point, I hadn’t settled on the name or location or exact services, I simply made the decision to act on a dream that was years in the making. I will admit that it was a terrifying decision for me. To leave a job with a paycheck to start something with only a hope of one day being paid is scary. To stick your neck out on your own and hope customers and future employees will trust you enough to take this ride with you is double scary.
Being a business owner means you have to make hard decisions. It means the buck stops with you. It means you are responsible for the actions of others that are on your team. It means you owe your employees a paycheck whether or not it is convenient to you. It means that you are the stop-gap for any role that needs filled. Being a business owner often feels much more akin to a servant than that of a king, for me at least. Being a business owner is not for the faint of heart.
But I will say, this has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I have the power to make decisions to improve the quality of life of my employees. I have the power to make the right decisions to do whatever necessary to do right by my clients. I am energized daily knowing that we are building something amazing. And when I am tired, or awake in the middle of the night because of stress, I am reminded of my vision of what I want to build for this community. Vitality South is not about me – it never was. I envision success for the businesses I touch. Rewarding jobs for the people I employ. Improving our community by enabling businesses to have the monetary means necessary to support it.
I want to encourage more entrepreneurs to take a risk on themselves. Believe they can succeed. If they are ready to work harder than they have ever worked in their lives and make hard decisions, I think they are ready. The sleepless nights are worth it. Do you have a dream? There are so many resources available to help. Reach out to your local Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, or a friend that owns a successful business.
Robert Kiyosaki, entrepreneur and author wrote “9 out of 10 businesses fail; so I came up with a foolproof plan – create 10 businesses.” He later says that the one business that does succeed usually makes up for the losses of the previous 9 failures and then some. The thought that finally convinced me to take the plunge was “I’m not going to fail. But even if I do, I’ll be glad that I tried.”
Dream big. Believe in yourself. Let me know if I can help.
Ashley
