Part 4

During the month of November, I have been reflecting back on the past 25 years I have been in business and expressing my gratitude for the people and circumstances that have allowed me to own a company. Today I want to reflect on two groups: the people who worked with me and for me, and my family.

First of all, I could not do what I do without competent, passionate people around me. If there was one piece of advice I would give to someone who is thinking about starting a business it would be this: surround yourself with people who are very different than you. If you clone yourself, why are you needed? I depend upon other people to be the experts in their respective fields and to do their jobs well. For over half of my years owning a business, my administrative assistant, Jaime Whitlock, has played a key role in keeping me heading in the right direction. She has been the person behind the scene that handles the details and makes Yaney Marketing go. She is the opposite of me, which is exactly what I need. Where I am weak, she is strong. I have also had a wonderful business relationship with multiple people who have helped make us successful along the way: such as Bill Wolfe, Greg Alexander, Phil Smith, Scott Livingston, Tim Broyles, Ken Hatch, John Nixon, Lynn Coverdale, Mike Linville, Ross Wellman, and many others. Some of them have said things to me that make my blood boil, but after I think it over, I typically see where I have a blind spot. I also have been networked with many people in groups that have broadened my knowledge of business. Members of the Peer Action Group, Chamber Action, Info-Connect, Local Links provided me with a wealth of knowledge. I am grateful for your contribution to my success.

I would not have started a business if it were not for my wife, Lynn. She was the one who encouraged me to step away from my old job 25 years ago and step out on my own. It was a really good decision, but not one I would have done without her prompting. Here is another thing I learned about starting and running a business: if you are not pushed, you will become insignificant in a hurry. No one stands out when they run in the back of the pack. In order to stay ahead in business, you have to be pushed. My wife did that for me when I first started my business.

My wife was also very supportive with our children. I am proud of our kids. The three of them are now adults out on their own. They were the sole reason I started a business. You see, 25 years ago, our oldest child, Allison, was a toddler and our second, Jonathan, was 5 months old. Jordan was born two years later. I needed a way to have some flexibility with a growing family along with the ability to make a good living in the process. Starting a business seemed to be the way to do that. I could work around their schedule and still keep food on the table. That required me to work late into the night – many early years I did not sleep, but just worked one night into the next day. That was not always easy, but it was a blessing. How so? It gave me the ability to be involved with my children as they grew up. That has been a wonderful blessing that has come full circle. All three of them have become successful at what they are doing in their careers. I have seen all three of them step out and try things, and I have to believe that the fact that I started a business helped them have confidence to do so.

Here is one more tidbit I would leave with you that has helped me in my business: be thankful and express it. This is the final article on my four part series. It is fitting that the finale is happening on Thanksgiving Day. It is a special one for me, for it comes at a milestone year in my career. But Thanksgiving should not just be one day out of the year. It should be a discipline we live out every day. If you want to be successful in business, that is an important point. Let me leave you with an ancient verse that my wife often quotes.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.”

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.