As impossible as it seems, we are about to start our 20th year in business.  I am proud, I am humbled, I am very grateful.   Not only are we still standing, but we are thriving and responding well to market trends and client demand.  We have a new name and brand, two locations, a world-class staff, an amazing culture and an entire faculty.   We are well positioned for good to great-ness!

So in this blog, I thought I’d share some lessons I’ve learned over these last two decades.   I’ll do it in Dave Letterman Top 10 (but 20) fashion ….

top 20

20.          Perfectionism is completely overrated – find a level that you can accept from yourself and your team.

19.          Laughter is the best stress reliever – have fun at what you do giving others permission to do the same.

18.          Never say never – you’ll probably eat crow.

17.          Don’t force solutions – those “solutions” never really work out.

16.          Mistakes happen (that would be the clean version) – make them learning opportunities.

15           Especially for the ladies:  You cannot do it all – prioritize and strike your balance, not someone else’s definition of balance.

14.          You create your own luck  – be where you need to be to capture it.

13.          You cannot grow an organization by yourself – figure out where you need help, budget for it and buy it/get it.  The alternative is total burnout.

12.          Know your numbers – if you don’t “think in excel”, find someone who can help you develop that skill, it’s the only way to figure out how to scale your business.

11.          Change is the only constant – embrace it.

10.          Embrace technology, or find someone who can embrace it for you (thank you Barbara!!)

9.            Time management is a myth BUT you can manage tasks and streamline to reduce time spent.

8.            Stay a student and we can help (click here)

7.            Have a written business plan – it doesn’t have to be fancy, but seriously folks how can you get there if you don’t know where there is??

6.            Think like an organization if you want to become one, even if it’s just you.

5.            Have guts 5 minutes at a time – or ask Nike says:  Just do it – make the call, have the conversation.  Trust me, get it over & you’ll feel so accomplished & pumped for the rest of your day!

4.            Treat people like you want to be treated – I seriously hope that needs no explanation.

3.            Lead by example – you cannot expect someone to work for you if you don’t work for them.

2.            Be a person of your word – your integrity is everything.

And … drum roll please ….

The # 1 Tip:

Be a go-giver because a rising tide lifts all boats.  Of course you are in business to make money (that’s the go-getter), but trust me, the more I give, the more abundance I experience – doors open, opportunities present themselves and exactly what I need shows up.  I am in awe of this process.  I wish the same for you.

Stay tuned


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