Almost everyone I talk to agrees: 2020 has been a rough year. Aside from the normal curveballs of life, millions of people have experienced job loss, serious illness, or even the loss of loved ones because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, however, I believe in looking for reasons to be grateful. Even when life is difficult, I have people to love and who love me. I have a roof over my head and food to eat, and the ability to help those who don’t. And this year, despite all the challenges, I have something new to be grateful for: the opportunity to help others achieve personal, professional, and financial freedom.
Why I Love My Job
When I was working as a corporate executive, my favorite part of my job was mentoring others. I loved to find employees who were excited, driven, and talented and then help them fulfill their full potential. My team’s successes always meant much more to me than anything I achieved on my own.
When I became a franchise owner, I got the opportunity to do the same, but on a larger scale. As my partners and I opened six Salons by JC locations, we enabled hundreds of salon professionals to achieve their dreams of business ownership. I continue to be a franchise owner, but now I also get to open that same door for my consulting clients.
Why I Love My Clients
I work primarily with corporate executives: people who’ve spent years, sometimes decades, at the same company. They’ve diligently worked their way up through the ranks to the proverbial corner office, but especially in this year’s economy, they’re realizing their jobs may not be as secure as they assumed. Or they’re tired of working long hours, only to have their efforts boost a stock price or feed the corporate bottom line.
These people wouldn’t be where they are if they didn’t have tremendous energy. But they want that energy to start driving results for themselves and their families. They want to keep the profits they generate, make their own decisions about when and where they work, and say goodbye to caps on their earning potential. In short, they want freedom.
That’s why I’m grateful this Thanksgiving: because I get to open the door and point the way to freedom for those hard-working men and women. The way looks different for different people. For some, it means taking on a new full-time job as the owner-operator of a franchise. For others, it means investing in a franchise (or several), hiring someone to run it, and taking semi- or full retirement. Some are interested in service businesses, while others want to sell food or a product. But regardless of the exact circumstances, they all want to be their own boss and control their destiny.
Why I Don’t Worry About Fear
I’ll admit: taking the first step on the journey is not always easy. As I’ve shared before, a lot of people are afraid of taking the leap from a “secure” paycheck to entrepreneurship. I’ll also admit: I felt some of that fear myself when I first started thinking about becoming a franchise owner. I don’t try to talk people out of fear. Fear is real, and it’s an understandable reaction to making a major life change. You don’t have to try to ignore it or get rid of it–you just need to harness it and overcome it. Think about what your fear teaches you, how it heightens your alertness and energy, and then think about how you can harness that energy to move toward your life goals.
As he led our nation through the Great Depression and a devastating world war, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
No matter what the rest of 2020 holds, I’m thankful. Thankful for my family and my home; thankful for my business partners, our general manager, and the incredible salon owners who energize and inspire me every day; and thankful for a year of meeting so many courageous men and women who have made the assessment that achieving their dreams is more important than fear.
One response
David,
Thank you for these words!!
I appreciate you so much in helping achieve my goals!
I agree with alot of what you said and I couldn’t imagine going through this year with my business with anyone else.
I appreciate you all so much!!