What Do I Have To OFFER

Working, working, always working at the dailies. Dailies as in checking email, responding and deleting, moving information back and forth. Office time in and office time out.

Enjoying the job and position of small business owner.

One day, out of the blue, I was asked by a business acquaintance if I would sit in on a small business panel at a monthly entrepreneurs meeting that was held at the University. I asked for the agenda and found that I was not only expected to sit and listen but to bring to the discussion knowledge and proven success strategies I had successfully implemented in my business.

My immediate and spontaneous reaction was this: what was I expected to bring to the discussion as I was just a small business owner, promoting and managing a business, keeping up with things that business owner’s do, not paying much attention to distractions, always juggling the bouncing balls to keep up with the dailies.

I hesitantly said sure, I can be there, and since the date was weeks away I put it out of my mind. How time flies, and before I felt that I was prepared and ready I am sitting at the panel table, staring at the number of people in the audience and asking myself, how did I think this was a good decision? What do I, a small-time business owner have to add to all the knowledge and experience of the adults in the room? In over my head yet again.

Being in over my head was familiar territory to me as I jumped in with both feet to own my small business, and then proceeded to hire, fire, and organize it to reflect the culture and attitude I deemed important as a successful business, then took a few trips to support small women-owned businesses in countries other than the US, then found the perfect building to house the business and bought it! So, I guess I did have some experience to talk about.

As the questions began, the panel people who sat beside me referred to me more and more throughout the discussion, until I finally realized that I WAS THE ONLY ACTUAL person on the panel who was an owner, yikes, the pressure was on. I kept answering the many questions asked, usually relating my experience and the lessons I came away with and enjoying the interaction of panel and audience. What a grand time!

Before I realized it, the event was ending, the time had flown by. As I walked out I looked back at the panel table and rows of attendee chairs and was thankful I had said yes, weeks before.

Is there anything more satisfying than an evening talking with other professionals about similar interests, opportunities, and experiences? What we have to offer isn’t always what we see, but maybe about what we learn when we listen to one another