What Are You Thankful For?

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Whether you’re an experienced entrepreneur, a startup business owner or just in the planning stages of launching your new business, there’s plenty to be grateful for this year. Be thankful you have the opportunity to create your own destiny as an entrepreneur. The job market is tough right now. If you can’t find a job, you have the chance to create your own as a business owner. If your boss is driving you crazy, wouldn’t it be better to put your energies into something of your own instead? Be thankful for your customers. Customers have so many choices today that we have to be thankful for every single one who chooses to spend their hard-earned dollars with us. But don’t just feel thankful—show your customers how much you appreciate them by providing stellar service, sending relevant communications (thank-you notes, emails and offers) and listening to their needs and wants. Be thankful for technology. When my printer won’t work at 2 a.m., I admit technology is the last thing I feel gratitude for. But when you consider how much technology lets small business owners do, how much it improves our productivity, and how dramatically it has lowered the costs and increased the ease of starting and running a business, you’ve got to feel warm and fuzzy. Be thankful for your employees. No man or woman is an island, and no entrepreneur can succeed without a team behind them. If you’ve got a staff, show them your gratitude with words (praise), deeds (giving them an afternoon off or a comp day) and actions (empowering them to learn and grow). If you’re a solopreneur, then you’re your own team and it’s just as important to show yourself some gratitude. Take an afternoon off, get a massage, play tennis or do something else that energizes you. Be thankful for your support system. Whether that’s your friends, family or significant other, they do a lot to inspire and energize you. Show them you appreciate it. And while you’re at it, be thankful there are organizations like SCORE around to provide support, advice and more to entrepreneurs at all stages of the game. Don’t have a SCORE mentor yet? Get one at the SCORE website and you’ll have one more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.