What Five Years has Taught Me

Kathleen Riessen
Partner - Measured Intentions

How do you a grow a business in a bad economy? How should I find clients? What can I offer my clients? Why would I quit a perfectly good job to go out on my own? How can I juggle being a mom and a business owner?

These are just a few of the questions I asked myself five years ago as I began Measured Intentions. This June, we celebrated our fifth year in business. Read on to see the top five things I learned that could help you succeed in your career as a professional, whether or not you are a business owner.

       1.  Surround yourself with people smarter than you. Within the first few months of the business, I added a business partner that had a different skill set than mine. We did this again a year later. These partners helped define the business and carry it forward. In my case, these partners were equity stakeholders; however, they don’t need to be. They could be vendors that act as partners or they could be mentors or advisors for you.

       2.  Network. Be a well networked person. Don’t just attend events – get involved. I spent the first few years of the business attending all sorts of events both in and out of my industry. Now, I don’t have as much time so I am selective on what I attend; however, I still understand the power of networking and make time each week to maintain relationships and build new ones. Sometimes people are hesitant to talk to me at a function since I am a business owner. I was in your shoes not long ago so don’t be shy. I wouldn’t be at a function if I didn’t want to meet you.

       3.  Give more than you receive. Figure out how you can help others. They will work extra hard to help you. Often times in our business we connect people that can be mutually beneficial to each other. Most of the time it doesn’t result in any direct benefit for us but that is okay. It always pays off in some way over the long term and it makes us feel good.

       4.  Know Your Value. You must determine that you and what you offer are valuable before you can convince someone to buy from you. This takes a lot of self confidence and can easily be rocked. Trust me, it will be rocked, which leads me to my next point.

       5.  Keep going. There are days when you feel like throwing in the hat. When you wonder why you are doing this. When you wonder if you can pay the bills. Those are the days you put one foot in front of the other and keep going.

When I look back at the last five years, I see the steep learning curve and all that we have accomplished. I am sure that in the years to come, I will look back and say the same thing. If I remember the five points above, then I know I will continue to be successful.

Kathleen Riessen is a Partner at Measured Intentions, a marketing consulting firm in Urbandale, Iowa.