Thanksgiving is the most important holiday of the year in our family. My wife and I both
take time to reflect on our blessings. Our kids know that this is the one non-negotiable holiday of the year. We all come together from our different corners of the country. We all spend too much time all year doing things on our own. But, Thanksgiving is different. For us, it is where we totally ground the family each year. It is our control/alt/delete moment in our relationships each year.
So as I’m pondering relationships, what do these personal connections with others mean to me as a business owner?
Every business consultant, professor, guru or advisor in the world will tell you that you need capital to succeed in business. They will make you do cash flow statements and put together a business plan for a banker. Or if you have a big idea, angel investors. Or investment bankers for the IPO. And, they are right.
But, what only the best advisors will tell you is that the most important kind of capital is relational -- measured by the relationships you make, create and maintain. At some point in every business success story, there is a “you have got to be kidding me” moment where someone in your network at some obscure point in the story comes through and saves the day. It might be in the start-up phase of a small business, or maybe it's when you are having a particularly tough operational challenge.
All of us have that story. But, we never know where it will come from. The best advice I can give you is this: if you try to force it, forget about it. Relational capital, be it from relationships or reputation, is earned, not forced. If you want to succeed, just remember what your mom always told you: Be nice to everyone.
You never know where the twist in your business ownership success story will come from. Do you have a story to share about a surprising connection?
