Why am I thankful?

?As each month draws closer and a new one begins, I ask myself, “What will I write about this month?” This time around I’ve decided to let go of the struggle and write a blog about things that I am truly grateful and blessed to have.

Experience

Many of us have been there before, fresh out of college job searching or perhaps you are moving into a new field. Resume in hand and references ready, we scroll down the page of requirements that reads, “2–4 years’ experience required…” This requirement has always frustrated me because I feel that no company can justly make a judgment call based on experience alone. I’ve met plenty of people with “2–4 years” experience in a given field and have left those positions with no more than a few years of pay stubs and perhaps a skin ulcer. But alas, I digress. What I really want to talk about it how thankful I am for the one form of payment that I have lavished myself with over the past 2.5 years of full-time entrepreneur-ing: Experience!

3 countries, 1 international speaking engagement, 11+ factories (4 international in China/Vietnam), 4 products, ~$50,000 in funding, thousands of no’s, a few yeses, countless hours of fine-detail planning, hundreds of new friends, 20+ blog posts: these are just a few of the experiences that have been my compensation. Not a day goes by that I can’t stop to take a look at all I have gained, and say wow, I’ve been blessed. Don’t get me wrong, if you have read any of the past blog posts you’ll see there’s been many a time when I’ve broken down to tears during the weighty frustrations of figuring out how to run a lean little startup. And yet, the learning curve makes this year's S&P and DOWJ gains look flat as a pancake. Here in experience land, we got da’ gains.

I’ve tried picking out 1 or even 2 experiences that have shaped me that are worth mentioning as greater than the others, but honestly, the whole journey would be next to meaningless without the collective whole. They have become an ever filling quiver of arrows that one day I plan to rain down upon the issues and problems of ventures to come, but for now, they are subtle reminders of the journey past and blessings had, which leads me to my next thought of thankfulness: friendship.

Friends

This world can be a very unforgiving place, and I believe that wherever you look you can find some sort of disdain, but something I’ve learned through these past years is that being able to see through the mist and into the light is what matters. Often times the light I receive has come from many new friends made.

When I take speaking appointments, there is one piece of advice I try to always leave behind: make appointments with those who don’t fall directly within your industry, often. Going through life with an opportunistic lens may prove to be beneficial at times, but I believe that meeting new people with no more intention than a desire to hear their story wields raw power. That said, I try and encourage everyone I meet to get out and introduce themselves to others and make many friends. For me, this has proved not only valuable but deeply fulfilling.

I have been able to make friends in industries ranging from healthcare to finance, technical manufacturing to economic development, and 99% of the time when I meet these people they’ve offered new introductions that have to lead me on my way to a more valuable network and knowledge base. All of that to say, you never know whom you might meet and how they might help you. I’ve been given introductions to private equity investors, manufacturers, and so many more. For all of this, I am thankful. Reach out to people more.

Not only have I made friends through my interactions here in the States, but I cannot say enough about the importance and value of my new-found relationships in Asia. What first started as a last-ditch effort to make a new product in a willing factory has grown into life-long friendships that have taught me more about culture, business, and what true friendship looks like. I’ve found a friendship that transcends language barriers and business goals, a friendship that teaches kindness, love, and mutual trust.

I think of my dear friend Ace whom I have known the longest. At first, meeting him I was skeptical about how we might effectively work together. As he picked me up from the airport for the first time in Hefei, China to drive us to his factory, I remember thinking to myself that he could literally be taking me out to the middle of nowhere to be held hostage for some sort of ransom (not that crazy, right?). Over our conversations, those feelings and fears were dismissed and I learned a very important lesson: people are people. No matter our age, skin color, nationality, religion, or diet, we are all trying to making a living in this world to take care of the ones we love. Another not so crazy thing is that we almost all enjoy genuine friendship. I’m grateful for Ace, his team, and the countless many others I have met along the journey. Friendship is the key to successful cooperation.

Encouragement

I have been bolstered by the encouragement of so many. I have listened to a plethora of stories from other entrepreneurs who built a business, against all odds, from nothing. Often they not only lacked encouragement from those closest to them, but they received extreme pessimism and discouragement. Without the uplifting words of those closes to us, it’s truly a difficult war to not only win but, to embark upon.

First, I need to place extreme gratitude toward my wife, Ashley. I cannot say enough about her, as my Chief Support Officer. Oftentimes she’s been the voice of reason as iron sharpens iron, a voice of light gleaming through the dark times. There have been times where Ashley has seen beyond what I could, and for that she arguably deserves more than 50% of the rights toward any success we have gained and will gain.

Next, I am thankful for my Father-in-law and my entire family. My newly found dad has frequently called me on the phone asking how things were going. For a while, I dreaded these calls because I felt I always had bad news to carry, but then I realized that he wasn’t after a quick success or even an immediate return on his investment. He made it known to me that his time and monetary investment was toward someone he believed in, and that all the risks were weighed — essentially he wasn’t in it for the money, he was in it to support me. Knowing this is one thing, but he made me believe it.

Thirdly, my mom. She has helped me so much during this process. Her willingness to help with customer order processing and timely updates is something that I hope and pray one day I will be able to pay her what she is worth. She is a champion networker and has taught me so much.

Finally, my everyday friends. Even though most encouragement comes by way of teasing and poking a bit of fun at my Instagram updates, blogs, etc., at the end of it all, they have been true and have given me the necessary pushes to ride this ship into the void again and again. To Daniel, who listens how dire our situation may be and says, “You know, even though you are telling me it’s bad, I never worry because I just feel you always find a way.” To Mitchell and Moses who have spent countless evenings with me pouring the messiest and most boring financial situations, their feedback and guidance have added value and confidence to me and the business. To Richard, who is 10 steps and years ahead of our journey; his trust, friendship, and mentorship through all of this has been not only a blessing but has helped to fill a void in me that was once loneliness. And to the countless others in Chattanooga and beyond who have met with me and have been willing to sit down and tell me their stories and then ask how they can help me - you are all responsible for the best startup ecosystem I have ever known. 

So here’s to 2020, new struggles and successes, new mounts summited and to the greatest of gratitude.