10 Lessons from 10 years in business

Wow! 10 years?! I can hardly believe it has been that long since that faithful day I decided to take a leap of faith and start my own accounting firm. What an amazing journey it has been.

It feels like yesterday that I started out this accounting firm from the comfort of our guest bedroom. A little bit of anxiety and a lot of excitement for what the future holds. Little did I know…

Looking back, I throw my eyes up to the mountain and I know where my grace comes from.

Being an accountant is not often associated with entrepreneurship, however, we have a front-row seat to our own endeavors of building a profitable business and the challenges our clients face to build their businesses into legacies that will last beyond us. This is truly a beautiful view.

I regard myself blessed that so many clients and businesses choose us to share this journey with.

In my time in this VIP seat of business, I have learned many things. It is quite a challenge to narrow it down to 10, but here goes my best shot.

People before profit

As accountants, our natural inclination is to look at the numbers. But if Covid and lockdown have taught us anything…people matter. Be kind. One day you might look back and with regret if profits won over relationships with your team.

Do yourself a favor – get to know yourself, I mean really get to know yourself

The most important component of your business is the talent on your team. To work well with your team, you need to recruit right. To recruit right, you need to know yourself well enough to know what kind of individual you can work with, what kind of leader you are and what your deepest values are. Without these you will continue to appoint talent that will not work with your personality

Don’t sweat the small stuff

As entrepreneurs we often carry the world on our shoulders. If not kept in check this can cause so much anxiety that you lose focus on what really matters

Excellence is not perfection

Perfection is a never-ending rabbit hole, but excellence is do able in every moment of every day. How? You may ask…

Well, excellence means doing better every minute of every day. Trying harder. Looking back at the end of the day and knowing you gave it your all. After all, your only competition should be you from yesterday

Cherish those that cheer for you

We can get so consumed by the rat race that we can easily lose perspective and take for granted those that cheer us on and support us. Our family and friends. Be intentional with your time. If it matters you’ll make time, if not, you’ll make excuses. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, today is a gift. Open it with gratitude.

Bless those that curse you

Brené Brown has a beautiful saying that it is very easy for those that are too scared to get into the boxing ring to criticize the fight. You are brave, you are inside the ring, you focus on your victory and not those too scared to enter the ring.

Love your neighbor as yourself

In this commandment we often focus on the neighbor and neglect the instruction to love ourselves. You can only love others to the same measure that you love yourself. You owe it to you and those you serve to take care of you first.

Produce, multiply, occupy and govern

These are instructions for kingdom entrepreneurs taught by Ps Eckhardt Olivier. Instructions from the Word of God on building businesses. I think a prerequisite to be an entrepreneur is that you have to have some degree of ADD. But you have to try and focus on what matters every day. Just because you CAN do something does not mean you SHOULD do something.

Produce – a solution that solves a need

Multiply – Teach, train and mentor

Occupy – take up your seat as king and priests in the marketplace. Study the subject and know the principles.

Govern – take ownership and accountability of what God has entrusted to you

It will all be okay in the end

If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. The storms and challenges are opportunities to grow into your greater self.

What does God know about business?

The book by Nico van der Merwe greatly impacted my daily walk-in business. We look up to great businessmen…Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet etc. We will pay big money to get to see them speak, what to say about meeting them. Yet we have access daily to the creator of business. We have the honor and privilege to call Him our Father welcome Him in as our business partner…He is the best partner you will ever have!

10 Years of grace and blessings beyond what I can ask for or imagine. Here is to the next 10 years of serving entrepreneurs to build their businesses into legacies, and beyond.