This was the question, recently:

“What was my biggest takeaway from ‘living away from the old country’ these past twenty years?”

‘It’s the holidays! Come on …’ These weird questions come to disarm us at the time we’re most vulnerable don’t you think?

I couldn’t respond without giving this particular question a little thought, ‘so much water …’ I uttered. There were too many considerations in delivering the correct answer, of course.

If there was one thing it must be the gratitude for my partnerships that have prevailed, my family in particular. These partnerships wouldn’t have been possible without me living where I am now. Something else though …

Being self-employed for much of the past two and a half decades I’ve learned the lessons offered by showing courage. By taking ‘the bad with the good,’ and understanding that there will be tough times … (even though I didn’t realise how many) … courage can take us some way.

Being brave comes at a price. We should understand who we are, why we have the yearning of where we wish to be, and have the courage to take risks along the path that leads to fulfillment. 

Again, something else. Being brave can be taxing and so, today, more than ever, we definitely need to recognise strong relationships and … humour.

Living ‘away from home’ has allowed me to lean a little more on my internal instincts and reserves. I’ve learned to offer transparency. Good relationships share vision, business thrives on trust and so vision, and transparency are prerequisites.

So, what was ANOTHER takeaway, apart from the lasting relationships of the family? For me, it’s been the opportunity to observe how others live and thrive. Then being able to see how I might be brave enough to adapt and bring my own, independent expertise to the business of today.

What do you see as the greatest ‘takeaway’ your business offers the customer in 2023?

People buy from people because business is personal.