Oh, my god…I’ve heard this said so many times, I could just scream!
And then, I became a grandmother…or as I prefer to be known…a g-Ma or Gigi!
But I digress.
If you have been following Jake and me for any length of time, you know:
#1) I was a single mom until Jake was 13
And
#2) Jake just became a mom to a beautiful boy: Jameson!
Yes, it’s thrilling and wonderful AND I too was immediately aware of how much the whole
process is much like building a business…especially a business like ours.
First, there is the anticipation, which can be thrilling but can also be a little scary. What if I fail?
Can I really do this? Was this the right decision? You really don’t have any guarantees of how
it’s all going to turn out.
Second is the need to be patient. The last part of pregnancy seems like eternity; you can’t tie
your shoes anymore and you’re really uncomfortable and after the baby is here, REAL patience
is required! Similarly, in business, the beginning stages may seem to not move quickly enough
and later, there will be LOTS of opportunities to practice patience…trust me!
Third: you must remain flexible. In both childbirth and business building, you may have a plan
that you intend to follow but things don’t always go as planned and it’s important that we
adjust according. Raising the kid and growing your biz will be the same…we want to have a plan
but also recognize that we may need to “go with the flow”. Jake and I are big believers that
“everything is always working out”.
Fourth is the need to surround yourself with good people. Choosing your doctor or midwife is
something most parents spend lots of time and do lots of research on and then later it’s
pediatricians, schools, teachers, etc. We want to do the same with our business. If you’re in an
NWM company, the tendency can be to just recruit “anyone with a pulse”! Please refrain from
doing this! The people you recruit may end up being your partners for the life of your
business…you want to make sure you like them! You also want to avoid the pain of investing in
people who may disappoint you or simply disappear.
Fifth: recognize that there is work and planning to be done. I don’t think anyone goes into
becoming a parent without realizing this, but I notice that often people join our business with
the idea that somehow sales and recruits will come from the first handful of people they
approach and when it feels hard, they disappear! (#2 & #4!)
Sixth: one should pay attention to cues: in pregnancy, moms are SUPER aware of everything
that’s happening in their body and once the baby is born, both parents learn to recognize the
cues of something going wrong…and sometimes things going right! It’s similar in business.
Reports and feedback from our teams, customers and mentors can help us to identify what
might be danger signs and a need to correct OR a what might be trends that let us know we’re
on the right track. This is especially true when considering the 4 th point above. We can often tell
a lot about people before they join our team…pay attention!
Seventh is the need to always take care of #1: YOU! If your physical, mental or emotional health
isn’t top notch, you won’t be of much use to your baby or spouse and if you’re in business, you
will ultimately start to slip unless you make your health your number one priority. I can’t think
of one successful business person who wouldn’t agree and I think parents are starting to catch
onto this concept more and more.
Lastly, both having a baby and building a business can be exciting and the beginning of a whole
new world. Take the previous 7 points into consideration and we think you will be successful at
either!
