All posts tagged small business success

As we come up on Mother’s Day (this Sunday for those who haven’t ordered flowers yet), we look forward to celebrating the hard work that our mothers, grandmothers and “other mothers” put into our upbringing. Whether it was driving us to the seven different activities we were involved with or helping us with a tough, last minute homework assignment; our mother (or mother-like figure) likely was, and possibly still is, an influential person to you whether you realize it or not.

But as you continue to strive towards building a successful micro business for yourself have you ever thought about how your mother helped shape your entrepreneurial thinking? The lessons that were taught to you growing up likely have helped outline your personality and the methods in which you conduct business. Many entrepreneurs will note their biggest influence growing up was their mother.

So that got us thinking… what type of entrepreneurial traits could be derived from our mother? Here is a couple we came up with:

• Be Yourself: A common theme that many mothers shared with their children growing up was simply “just be you.” They preached that being someone we are not was not productive to our growth as an individual. This lesson continues today for entrepreneurs looking for their niche within the marketplace. Rather than trying to be like the competitors, successful entrepreneurs will be themselves and create their own position within their respective industry.
• The Golden Rule: It is quite possible that your mother was the one to teach the golden rule: “One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.” An obvious rule that can be applied for different occasions, but for micro business owners it is about treating your customers how you would want to be treated (and possibly even better). The level of customer support and interaction you provide can be the difference between converting sales and losing customers, and treating them anything less than respectful is almost guaranteed failure for your business.
• Do not beg for things you want: We can all remember a time growing up where we begged our mothers for a piece of candy, a new article of clothing or the latest toy. By denying our constant barrage of requests mothers were teaching us to be independent and work towards the items we wanted, rather than pleading for them. Many strong entrepreneurs keep that line of thought that hard work is the only way to obtain what they want.
• Actions speak louder than words: An important lesson that may have been passed down from your mother. While talking about doing things can help you do them, the act of physically doing them is what will help you succeed. While there’s a ton of indicatives you may want to take-on within your micro business

Certainly all mothers are different, but in one way or another, they had an effect on your life and the way you maintain your micro business. So let us know, how did YOUR mother help mold your entrepreneurial mind? Please let us know if the comment section below.

And to all the mothers out there, Happy (Early) Mother’s Day!