If something has value, it has cost. Right? We perceive college education as valuable because it is so expensive. Oftentimes, the most expensive tuition is paid at the school of hard knocks.

Quick story on knocks and stocks.
After the financial crisis in 2008, everything was tight and I was thrifty. My wife and I had been working and saving money for a few years. We were really proud to build a 60k nest egg and I thought we were really doing well. I made the mistake of losing focus on the business and started looking for a way to make some easy money. I’m a risk taker but not a gambler…so I thought.

“O, I wish I had a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem.” King David was held up in a cave outside the city. The enemy was stationed there and ready for war. David was tired, thirsty, and wishing out loud, as we all do. Three of his men overheard and went into action. They fought their way through enemy lines, made it to the well, and retrieved the water for their King. David was so moved by the love and honor shown by his men, he would not drink it. He proceeds to pour out the water unto God.

This is one of the all time great stories of humility, honor, love, and respect. The fact that David poured out the water, for which his men risked their lives, is a testament to the reason they went in the first place.

This level of humility begs the question. When was the last time I received a blessing I thought I was unworthy of? 

If being a servant is beneath you, being a leader is beyond you.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.

This has been my achilles heel as long as I can remember. I think all entrepreneurs are soloists to a certain degree. That mindset is absolutely necessary when working 80 hours a week just to get traction, but it will kill you if you want to build a company. There are several things I have done wrong along my journey as an entrepreneur. Here are a few, hope you take note and don’t make the same mistakes.

I know this is not the correct use of the Shakespearean quote “Parting is such sweet sorrow…”, but it came to mind.

Yesterday, I got to witness a young man take the next step in his journey. I am very happy and excited for what life has in store for my friend, Garrett. At the same moment, I am saddened by the fact that we will not be working together anymore. We have worked together for over 14 years, through good/bad, ups/downs, but more importantly GROWTH.

I love being around people that have a growth mindset. Instead of trying to get more of the pie, they make the pie bigger. Our core value, “Others First” is an extension of this mindset. If we are taking care of the people around us, we all win.

At SignMaster, we don’t give gold watches or grandfather clocks as tokens of service. I’m not knocking them, we just don’t do it that way. I have always viewed the people I work with as my extended family. Nobody works for me, they work with me. We learn and grow together. So, if we ever part ways, we are left with something far more valuable, love and respect. It’s always bittersweet to end a chapter, but it is easier to swallow when it’s a win-win!

I was in Chipotle a few days ago with my son. Lunchtime crowd and the line was at a standstill. I glanced over at the register to see the cashier and a customer face to face. The cashier was stoic and calm, but the patron was rather agitated. After a heated lesson on the value of her business to Chipotle, the exchange ended with “Give me your name and this store number! I will report this to corporate!”. 

I eat at Chipotle a couple of times a week so I know most of the people that work the line and cash register. When I was checking out I asked, “What was that all about?” Her reply, “She wanted an empty bag.” What?!! “Yes, it is our policy that we can only use the chip bags for chips. We cannot give them to customers.” There was no time for more questions.

When we sat down in the truck, I looked at my son and gave him the only advice I could think of at the time. The Bible says, “a soft answer turns away wrath”. How you respond to a sticky situation will determine the outcome.

Lots of times there is no right or wrong in confrontations. Maybe the lady was a little “hangry” or she got cut off when she was pulling in the parking lot. Maybe the cashier was just following company policy or she had just received news that a family member had passed and she was waiting on her replacement to arrive. Who knows? I don’t, you don’t, and the parties involved don’t.

When a situation arises where we believe we have been mistreated or disrespected, we can choose to do one of two things. We can demand justice or we can give grace. 99.9% of the time, if we can swallow our pride and see the person instead of the transaction, we find grace is the right choice.