5 Lessons I Learned After Firing Myself from Disney

Here are 5 lessons from my leap of faith moment that you can learn from if you are looking to start your own business and take a leap of faith.

1. Show Me Instead of Telling Me

• I’ve discovered that people will tell you what you want to hear instead of discussing the results that they’ve produced. Over the years, I’ve been approached by a ton of people who wanted to work for me, collaborate with me blah…blah…blah…and I am a pretty good judge of character. Some people have a way of pulling the wool over your eyes. I can vividly remember an instance of when I was going to hire someone for a full-time position only to find out that she was the girlfriend of a potential investor. I quickly ended that business relationship.

2. Trust Few and Watch Everyone Else

• When it comes to money, people will do whatever they have to do to separate you from your hard-earned dollars. They will smile to your face and tell you that you are the best thing since sliced bread. They will pitch you on ideas and tell you that everyone in your field is doing it. Their information is a mile wide and an inch deep. Now, today, I size a person up in 3 seconds. In that time, I am determining if I know, like and trust an individual.

3. An Open Hand is Always Full

• I’ve learned in 19 years that those who do well in life and business are givers. They are not stingy, cheap, or the epitome of a tightwad that requires the jaws of life to pry open their wallets. Confession my friend: that was me once upon a time. But I quickly realized that I needed to change my tune if I was going to have any longevity in business. Our favorite charity to support is the www.usdreamacademy.org. I love their mission and everything that they are about. They believe that a child with a dream is a child with a future.

4. The Answer is Yes

• What exactly do you want me to do? I love people who come to me and are willing to do a few things for gratis to prove their value. One of those individuals is Jessica Vick. We met via LinkedIn after she had taken an online course called Building Business Relationships. She asked me to mentor her, and I agreed that I would do it. After I talked to her for 12 months straight via phone, I decided to ask her to do a small project. She did it with speed, excellence, and creativity. I threw a few more things her way, and she continued to exceed my expectations. Today she is Content Strategist for our company and does an amazing job.

5. See the World

• I was born in the ghetto of Buffalo, NY, and the only country that I had ever visited prior to leaving home was our neighbor to the north – Canada. My Jamaican Grandmother lived there, and our family drove two hours to see how she was doing. Here’s the point: the greatest education one can ever have is to be dropped into a country where you know no one and have to figure it out. Thank you Disney for sending me to Brazil at 29 years of age. It changed my life.

To read the full article click here to view the blog on my website.