Do you have a significant birthday for your family business?
As I type this blog post this morning the weather has turned distinctly chilly, down to just five degrees.
For me, cold weather conjures up all sorts of thoughts. I am not a winter lover and am always happier when spring arrives, so I tend to be in a reflective mood and associate with certain milestones at this time of the year.
We have several family birthdays in November, obviously, Christmas is around the corner, however as Linked In reminded me this morning we have a significant business birthday too.
It is the eighth birthday of the Family Business Practice!
It seems like yesterday that I gathered thirty-five businesses together in Hogarths Stone Manor with the simple intention of getting together regularly to share best practices, learn from each other, and of course network.
Eight years on we have seen some members come and go yet the core who attended that first event are nearly all still with us, our Christmas do’ is testimony to that.
One of the LinkedIn comments wishing us happy birthday was from an old business friend, a speaker pal who reminded me that it was a day of significance. Most businesses as we know don’t get past the first year and yet, here we are after the tribulations of the pandemic and of course all the other challenges business face.
This is also my twenty-sixth year in business for myself and during that time in some form or another I have operated six businesses, however, these days we are down to two, and frankly, that’s more than enough to keep us busy.
What’s the point, Peter?
It pays for us to stop for a few moments every so often and remind ourselves where we have come from.
To understand what our history is, how it has shaped our thoughts and how it will impact our futures. Too many times I see individuals and organisations not learning from their past in the haste to be a success (me included by the way!).
Perhaps it’s an age thing but I spend longer now trying to make sure I don’t repeat the mistakes of the past so we can have a brighter future. Something our worldwide politicians seem lacking to acknowledge or learn from.
But a birthday… now that is something to be celebrated particularly in business.
And of course, significant birthdays in business are a particularly marketable commodity, everyone loves to hear about it, so do make the most of it!
When do you have a significant date for your business?
What plans do you have to promote it across say social media, networking, events, etc?
Time to blow your own trumpet as my mother used to say.
Go on you know it makes sense!
If you need a hand, you know where I am…
Just say’in.
Until the next time.
