New Beginnings | #MyFridayStory No. 254

I want to be a kingpin in my life, not a passenger.

As quick as it is to flip a switch, that’s how quick it is to go from disenfranchised to ‘in command’. Handing over control—whether by choice or by force—doesn’t mean it has to be forever. A mindset does not have to be cast in stone. A victim can soon become a teacher to those doing the victimising.

I recently started working with a new client, a lifelong best friend. When we were still in primary school, we got our first job together, working at his Dad’s factory. The job lasted one day, proving to be a lot more challenging than two ambitious little boys thought. His Cypriot father was an entrepreneurial genius that pioneered many ‘firsts’ in the manufacturing industry. Having a front-row seat in the ‘how-to’ of business, he and his older brother were eager students.

From spectacular victories to clandestine failures, their charismatic Dad allowed them full access. This training ground shaped their mindset on business—and life. Without the usual hang-ups about money and how it should be viewed—and used—they each carved their entrepreneurial path. Filled with spectacular victories and even more spectacular failures, they never waned from that same spirit that taught them.

As God would have it, I worked for—and with—them over the past 40 years. I was a part-time cashier at his bakery as a student to earn extra income. I took on a job of signwriting the windows for one of the shops he was opening and ended up working for him full time.

A few years ago, his older brother and his Son joined him. The three coming together created a fertile environment for innovation. The two brothers’ business paths were in symbiotic industries that complemented their ultimate coming together. The Son similarly learnt as his father and uncle charted their course in business. With his flair for business and as a natural leader, the nephew completed the team.

Their combined talents bely the individual genius that contributes to the outcome.

I’ve always said I want to work with people I like and that like me. I want to believe in the founder’s vision. I want to be a happy consumer of their products. I want to work with people whom I would be happy to work for free. I want to work with a company where future success is beneficial to more than a handful of people. I want to work with people that by doing my best work is the only way I can repay the privilege.

Thanks to God, I’m certain of where I am supposed to be.

To new beginnings.

Have an awesome weekend and please be generous! ??

As always, thanks for reading ??

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