Disclaimer: This isn’t a weird and twisted “your mom” joke. If you were looking for that, try here. Although, we don’t in any way condone jokes about moms… They’re kind of mean, and most of the time she’s not there to defend herself.
Growing up there were so many times that we got annoyed with our parents, however, so much of what they said actually applies quite nicely when it comes to business and entrepreneurship.
#1: Play nice in the sandbox
Just like your parents told you to “play nice in the sandbox” you need to do the same in business. No sense creating drama, there are enough pails and shovels to go around that one person doesn’t have to have all of them. You can’t even use all of them at once! A recent article in Marketing Magazine talked about Twitter Canada’s Kirstine Stewart and her approach to competition. In her words, competitors should “Collaborate or die alone.” There is enough market share to go around.
Similarly, if you embrace a spirit of entrepreneurship, even in a larger organization, you will find the business world a more supportive and exciting place. It fosters creativity and innovative thinking.
#2: It’s not always going to come easy, but don’t give up
I was at a Women in Leadership Association event recently, and one of the speakers, Stephanie MacKendrick, President of MacKendrick & Associates International, said that women need to be “comfortable with being uncomfortable.” I would go so far as to say that this should be about everyone. It has nothing to do with gender. In business, sometimes, you need to push yourself past the boundaries of your comfort zone so you can get to success.
#3: Get back on the horse, but do it differently
This one can be the toughest to follow through on. Once you make a mistake, more often than not there are no take-backsies. What will set you apart from the rest is how you deal with the aftermath. Own your mistake and try again. However, if you just try to do the same thing over and over, life is going to be rough for you because you are going to make the same mistake over and over. Find a new way to approach whatever situation you’re dealing with. For example, If your first social media contest was a flop and you only had 2 entries (your mom was one of them), take a look at what went wrong and change it up for next time.
#4: Don’t grow up too fast
How many times have you heard parents talking about how fast their kids grow up, or saying to their kids that they wish they would stop trying to act older than they are? The same goes for start-ups and small businesses. It’s important to hit all of your growth milestones for a number of reasons. First, you want to make sure that what you are doing is scalable; if there are any issues, it’s easier to catch them before it becomes a problem. You also want to make sure that you don’t burn yourself out. Growing too fast without the proper processes and staffing in place can be tough.
As I was thinking about what to write this week, I actually slurped up the last bite of my red Jello and giggled out loud. Let your inner child out in your marketing and business planning. Kids have so much fun and they aren’t really restricted by all of the politics and responsibilities that adults are plagued with. Let your mind go to the craziest idea that you can think of and see if it’s a viable option. You might be surprised.
The Spotlight 