At holiday time, we all have a moment to think about what we are thankful for in our lives and in our small businesses. I am so grateful for my son JoJo and my wonderful family. I have an incredible team of people who make it possible for me to be your SmallBizLady. Thank you to Karen, Anisha, Sweetie, Misty, Sonia, Morris, Jamila, Akisha, Jin, and Josh for being on team SmallBizLady. It takes teamwork to make the dream work. I am so thankful to have my dream job as America’s #1 Small Business Expert. It is really true what Oprah said,”God can dream it bigger for you than you can dream it for yourself.” 2013 has been my best professional year ever. I am busier than ever, but it is a crisis of abundance. But, still I want to tell you why I am so grateful for the life I have today.
Back in 2007, I was at a real low point in my life. I had a one-year-old baby. I was a glorified single parent, as my husband travelled 3 weeks out of every month and my marriage was failing. And to top that off, I had a business model that wasn’t working anymore. The market was moving away from what we were most comfortable doing. This new thing called social media was just getting started and nobody knew if it was a fad or something worth investing in long term.
I was someone who grew up in church, and went every Sunday, but I didn’t pray outside of church. One day had lunch with my pastor and told him about what was going on and how unhappy I was everywhere. He asked me had I prayed for direction. I was honest and told him, “No, not really.” I decided to take his advice and start praying. Lord knows I didn’t have answers anywhere else. After about three months, I had a vision in a dream. The third time I saw the vision, I realized that God was showing me my destiny to help people all over the world live their dreams as entrepreneurs. Ever since I answered the call to become SmallBizLady, God has moved every mountain out of my way. And he sent a team of angels, also known as my staff, to help me accomplish this task. I share that story because I want you to understand that I am just like you. In my nearly 15 years in business, I have seen it all. I have been through the fire, the wind, and the rain, but God brought me through it all so that I could appreciate what life is like today.
My personal mission is to end small business failure. In 2013, my brand reached more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. I write a regular column on small business and social media for the New York Times, my dream job. I also run the longest running twitter chat for small business owners on twitter #SmallBizChat every Wednesday 8-9pm ET. In 2012, I started the Melinda F. Emerson Foundation to support small business success. I am a member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum. I have the opportunity to bless people all over the world with information to help them grow profitable and sustainable small businesses. In fact, the most popular blog post I have ever written is 10 Bible Verses Every Small Business Owner Needs.
I am so grateful that God chose me for this awesome task to become an international beacon of hope and inspiration for millions of entrepreneurs. Thank you for being one of the loyal readers and fans. Please know that I appreciate you following and sharing my content. I have a Thanksgiving present for you. Go to www.succeedasyourownboss.com/freestuff and get a copy of my e-book 15 Ways to Better Communicate With Your Target Customer. It will get you on the right track for the New Year in your small business.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and remember EVERY day is day of Thanksgiving.
“Happy Harvest” courtesy of Carlos Porto /www.freedigitalphotos.net
Leave a Reply