A little over a week ago, Gary, Scotty, and I celebrated our two-year anniversary for Grow. Taking a moment to reflect on what has changed and where our growth has been was refreshing.

Things have changed a lot between year one and year two, and here we are, another year wiser. Here are the three big takeaways that would apply to those looking to start or build their business.

  1. Prioritise

Time is finite. Money comes and goes but time is fleeting. We have the same hours in a day and it’s how we choose to use them that makes the difference. Yes, yes, yes – we’ve all heard this before. But have we ever considered what the cost of the time we spend doing other things is?

Recently, I learned that you need to take time out for what really matters. One example that I use is – there’s no difference in answering an email at 5 am vs 6 am. Instead, in that hour, I go to the gym and get a head start on the day.

Another example is date night. If you know you’re going to spend Wednesday evening with your Partner going to a show, or dinner, or just lazing around the apartment enjoying each others’ company, then you know that you need to pull a few extra hours Monday and Tuesday to cover for it.

How are you choosing to use your hours? Is it really the best use of your time?

The trouble is, you think you have time – Gautama Buddha

  1. Be Passionate

Passion goes a long way in everything that we do. There are several business owners I know who light up when they speak about what they do and why they do it. They may not be the vivacious person in the room, but you can see their eyes light up, their body language shift, and their demeanour change when they talk about what they do. If my work was up for tender, these are the people I would call.

How we convey that passion differs between us. Being able to convey that passion is important though. Everyone from my partner, to my mentor, to my parents, to prospective clients can see that I love what I do, and it drives me. This is important. This makes a difference. This matters.

Driving that passion in Grow is crucial. When we were looking for a Padawan, we met many great people – some with years of experience, others without. In my gut, I saw in Scotty a burning passion for what we did (or what little he knew about it). That passion has lead him to smash the last 6 weeks and bring an unquenchable thirst for learning and self-development.

Skills are cheap. Passion is priceless – Gary Vaynerchuk

  1. Get Back Up

It’s hard. Business is hard. Winning work is hard. Listening to your accountant tell you that you need to pay your taxes is hard. Sometimes, we need to lick our wounds and take a breath; other times, we need a little longer to recover. Regardless, you need to pick yourself up and move forward.

In this last year, we’ve had our share of losses. We’ve won some massive engagements. We’ve had some huge wins and that’s attributed to our advocates and our tenacity. We keep each other accountable and make sure that we drive towards success. At the end of it all, you just need to keep moving forward. Tenacity and drive will take you a long way.

My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again – Richard Branson

Having a crystal-clear vision of what we wanted to achieve helped. We were both ecstatic when we had Scotty join because, as every business owner out there understands, it’s a big milestone. It’s a big physical, tangible goal that has been achieved that you can attribute to your blood sweat and tears.

I don’t believe that any of my thoughts two years in are overly profound. At the end of the day, love what you do, focus on what matters, and don’t let life knock you down.

It may not be profound, but it’s real. Keep it real!

Tony

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