2012 – Make that your family business’s best year ever!

Welcome to all our valued members. From everyone involved in FABASA we would like to wish you a prosperous and profitable 2012. May this be your best year ever! While browsing the internet the other day, I stumbled upon a wonderful article by Annie Galvin Teich in which she shares ten valuable thoughts which may be just as applicable to your personal life as to your family business.  I would like to share them with you.

Reinventing yourself and your family business

• People don’t do business with companies. They do business with people they like. You can and will be surprised by how much support you’ll find in your personal circle, business colleagues, industry acquaintances and, of course, friends and family.
• It’s all about connections. Your definition of success will morph and change as you meet and learn from others. The opportunities that appear along the way are usually a function of who you know.
• We are stronger than we think we are. When you have passion, conviction and determination, you can bounce back off the mat. Sometimes all it takes is a hot bath, a cup of tea or a nap and you’re ready to go another round.
• People are kinder than we think they are. Don’t make assumptions about people. Sometimes they are just waiting to be asked to help. Be nice.
• You don’t have to imagine your future in detail to create it. Many of us stop ourselves from taking a gamble because we don’t have what we think we need to be successful. It really is okay to move forward without these things as long as you understand that the destination can change.
• Getting up every day to work hard at moving forward creates its own momentum. It is impossible to work 10-12 hours a day for 6 months or 2 years without getting somewhere. You may end up somewhere you didn’t plan, but that is usually okay.
• Friends keep you honest. They know you; they love you; they support you; they pick you up when you’re discouraged; and they keep your ego in check.
• If you think you understand how much work is involved, triple it. Click your heels together three times and repeat after me!
• Backing up to go forward is often a wise thing. Sometimes you find that you’ve gone off on a tangent that, as compelling as it was, is not taking you in the right direction. Part of this new learning is realizing that you are not always going to make the right decisions. As the GPS navigators say, “recalculate.”
• Being able to laugh in general and at yourself in particular is good medicine. This new landscape you’re creating is exhilarating and scary. But you have to keep it in cosmic perspective. Laughter is good for you. Don’t take yourself or your learning moments so seriously that you cannot have a good chuckle. Life is too short.