What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn't Fail?
As I step in as NAWBO California president, I'm experiencing a swirling mixture of emotions:
excitement and
optimism for sure - opportunity for women business owners has never been greater, and I feel inspired with goals for advancing NAWBO CA, our chapters and the influence of women business owners in general across California.
There is also anxiety; with such room for growth, how can a real difference be made in just a year?
I also feel blessed and a little intimidated to be following the footsteps of the amazing Hilda Kennedy, who leads with such grace and wisdom.
It reminds me of the swirling mix of conflicting emotions I felt when I set out to start my business.
What inspired me and gave me direction then was a challenge that came to me in the form of homework during a course in money management:
What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
My detailed response became my vision for starting a business.
Of course, as we all know, failure certainly is an option. Around half of new businesses do not make it to the 5-year mark. It could even be argued that a sure way to invite failure is to act as if it is not possible.
So what's the difference?
For me, creating a vision based on unlimited possibility for success opened up my thinking to options I would never have imagined or hoped could come true:
- Why NOT set about creating the perfect job for myself as long as I'm creating a business?
- Why COULDN'T I create good in the world and still make a profit?
- Why NOT imagine a healthy, open, creative workspace where positive energy, color, natural spaces and fresh air inspire creativity?
It was all a fairy tale anyway, right? But a funny thing happened. Creating an audacious vision inspired me to set my sights higher and to take action. Having clearly seen the vision of how I
wanted to live and work became a roadmap that has guided every step and decision for how and where to set up the workspace, which clients to seek, how to serve them, and whom to hire. And it continues to be a central part of our culture and success nearly 13 years later.
So . . . back to NAWBO California: What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
I have many goals for NAWBO California for the coming year. But the most important one is creating a shared vision among all the leaders and members of NAWBO across California. We'll start in September with a strategic planning retreat among board members and chapter presidents.
I look forward to sharing the goals and vision we create together as we work to answer the question:
What would we do for women business owners in California if we knew we could not fail?
