You aren’t welcome back here
“You aren’t welcome back here”
These 5 words ended up being the catalyst to my success in starting my business 20 years ago. These were the words of a woman I admired, she was always honest, always admirable, and was running a very successful and profitable business. She was also my boss.
These words were uttered to me in a nerve-wracking meeting where I nervously told her I was leaving her company to branch out on my own and start my own business. She wrapped these words with well wishes and support and happiness for me, however, these words stuck out to me
This was the same woman who gave me raises when I deserved them.
This was the same woman who gave me educational opportunities so I could grow.
This was the same woman who trusted me with a brand new branch of her business to start from scratch.
This was the same woman who gave me honest feedback and reviews about my performance.
No, My boss didn’t change overnight, she wasn’t just moody.
My boss, someone I truly admired for her grit and tenacity, wanted me to know that she believed in me. She wanted me to see my own damn potential. She also knew that if there was a tiny whisper in the back of my head that I could come back there if my business failed, I wouldn’t have been in it with my whole heart. ALL IN.
She knew that once I started my business that things would get scary. She had walked the path as a woman business owner before me, so she knew about all of the hurdles, scary proposals, gut wrenching hiring and firing decisions, calculated growth decisions.
If she hadn’t said to me “you aren’t welcome back here”, I would have seen my old job as a parachute that I could save myself with when things got scary. As any business owner knows, times get scary.
Get rid of the parachute. Get rid of the safety harness and net.
Seek. Strive. Be in it with your whole heart.