Five years ago, I was invited to give a presentation to a group of entrepreneurs and small business leaders in a program series entitled “Meeting of the Minds.” The host of the program, local entrepreneur Annie Singh-Quern, told me that I could talk about anything. I surveyed the previous presentations, and they were all excellent, but most focused on practical tips and suggestions. I decided to make mine more personal—some might say I was even vulnerable that night. You see, the conventional entrepreneurial wisdom is “fake it until you make it.” I don’t think that’s true. I believe most people crave authenticity.
On the evening of April 16, 2019, the “Meeting of the Minds” event took place at Darrin Flanagan’s excellent Launch & Go Workspace in Peachtree City. The room was packed with people—many of whom I knew, but surprisingly many that I did not know. Would they relate to my personal presentation, or would they get bored?
I had decided to make one of my favorite poems the basis of the presentation. Here’s a link directly to the author’s website so you can read the poem yourself.
The Invitation by Oriah “Mountain Dreamer”
The poem takes the reader on a journey through five phases:
• The dream, both shattered and realized
• The sting of failure, can you tolerate that?
• The joy of success, can you handle that?
• The discipline of doing what needs to be done
• The discovery of self
I cried as I read the poem. As I looked around the room that night, I was not the only one. Apparently, I had touched a nerve—in a good way. There was a vibe that night that I haven’t sensed in very many business presentations. We bonded in a way that no training class or seminar can. Indeed, I came to realize that most of us are on similar journeys. It’s true that I had been on my journey a little longer than most of the people in the room that night, which made the next part of the presentation even more relevant.
As I was drying my eyes, trying to gain composure, I told the audience of entrepreneurial brothers and sisters the five things I wish someone had told me when I started my business:
- The dream is more important than the plan.
- You will experience failure; can you tolerate that?
- You will experience joy; can you handle that?
- It’ll require discipline to do what’s needed.
- Running a business is one of the best ways to truly know yourself.
In conclusion, I’ve come to realize that running a business is not about income statements and business plans. It’s all about you as a person. Your personality and attitude affect the trajectory of your business. Indeed, personality patterns are like dragons. There’s an old Chinese proverb about dragons:
“Ignore the dragon and it will eat you.
Confront the dragon and it will defeat you.
Learn to ride the dragon and you will take advantage of its might and power.”
The key is to recognize and learn to use the strengths that are hidden in your patterns, not to be consumed by them.
Do you like the company you keep in the empty moments?
Here’s a LINK to a PDF copy of the original presentation I gave to everyone that night.
[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year. Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran. He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]
