From Entrepreneur to Employee to Manager to Business Owner & Back to Entrepreneur!

 

I believe I have been an entrepreneur ever since I emerged out of the womb. There were always times I was busy creating pictures or crafts to sell along with the lemonade at the stand I had as a kid. This naturally progressed to being the most in demand babysitter in my neighbourhood which the last time I babysat I was 19!! The families I babysat for loved me and how I interacted with their children. You see I was the go above and beyond babysitter. I noticed if some housekeeping needed attended to or if there was something I could do to hep out the parents while they were out enjoying themselves.

When I had my first ‘pay cheque’ earning job at a delicatessen I was a counter server… I loved this job! No really loved it!!! To help customers choose what they wanted and suggest new items for them to buy was exhilarating. I felt like I was an employee who thought and executed revenue generating ideas all the while fulfilling the basic role of being a valued employee. Here’s where one of the biggest lessons came to me at a young age which would forever stay with me into my years of management… Never have an employee work hard during their shift and doing all what was expected of them and FIRE them with no advanced warning at the END OF THEIR SHIFT (you see I was two weeks before the end of probationary period and this business owner felt it was better to have turnover versus keeping people on.)

Lesson I learned and practiced ever since is NO-ONE would ever be let go after working their shift and for that matter NO-ONE would ever be surprised, they were being let go or FIRED… they would be well informed and knew weekly if not daily how their performance was coming along and how they were a valued member to our team.

Now to be a business owner of MYBC Consulting and helping others with my entrepreneurial spirit this is a lesson I ensure to teach people who are beginning to plan how to build and run a successful business. It takes everyone on the team to feel valued, to feel acknowledged and to feel they are making a difference to the business successes! 

What lessons has your career given you? Share in the comments!