How Hard Work, Patience and Gratitude Grew My Business … and My Life

[Read Time: 7 minutes]

This post is dedicated to all the people who have made this entrepreneurship and business building journey possible. Everyone who has encouraged, uplifted, and helped me grow while doing the same for Propel.

It isn’t a surprise that business ownership can be hard. It takes grit, determination, and fortitude. For those who jump in with both feet like I did, the persistence to see it grow and thrive can feel overwhelming. But pushing through with perseverance is where the reward is the greatest. This is how hard work, patience, and gratitude grew my business, and my life.

It Takes Hard Work to Grow

The early years felt like a ‘sink or swim’ endeavor. Luckily, I am a good swimmer, and even if I needed to tread water for a minute, I would get back to the broad strokes quickly. And boy did I swam hard.

It meant late, late nights working on projects or attending events. And early, early mornings getting up for calls, networking meetings, or getting the inbox cleaned out and organized before the opening bell rang. It meant burning the candle at both ends.

But I loved it. I was made to do this. Propel was the baby I was birthing and raising in those years, and I was all in. The passion of supporting small businesses fueled me and I’m so grateful I had a husband who supported every minute while also reminding me to stop and rest regularly.

Working in a focused way for so long to grow Propel set a foundation for what it is today. A network of awesome people and businesses that trust us month after month and year after year with their business needs from startup strategy, brand development, website design, to ongoing online (except social media) and digital communications.

Growing the Business Helped Grow Me

I don’t think anyone can build a business and not be affected personally. It teaches you so much and shapes new habits, thought patterns, and opinions.

The fact of the matter is, growing a business grows the business owner, too.  These are just a few of the growth opportunities Propel gave me over the years, all of which brought me lessons I never knew I would need for a role I was destined for, today’s job of motherhood.

1. This business baby of mine, which I’ve nurtured and cared for since 2009, has taught me so much about life in so many ways. How to be self-disciplined, and selfless, while also standing doggedly for what I need and want. How to evolve and be flexible. How to show up and be present. How to see a need and find a solution. And how to apply myself in all the ways I was made to.

👉🏼 Today that means: giving of myself while also taking self-care moments, being resourceful and going with the flow, and truly being there for her.

2. Building strong relationships and building a team coached me on valuing others for who they are and what they bring to the table, not to mention how to always see and pull out the best in them.

👉🏼 Today that means: knowing how to value this precious girl, who is her own person, and raise and love her for exactly who God made her to be.

3. Doing excellent work showed me what it means to do something well, and to do it right, the first time. And if we error somewhere somehow, we take responsibility and make it right – every time!

👉🏼 Today that means: loving her in the present, parenting well from the start with the right heart, and being a humble example of correcting our mistakes.

Be Patience to Experience the Prize

Most businesses aren’t an overnight wonder or a success from day one. The majority of entrepreneurs must work the ground and care for the crops until the harvest is ready. And, as they say, anything worth having is also worth waiting for.

They also say patience isn’t something you’re given, it’s something you learn. And while many are out there spinning wheels or trying to push the boulder uphill, owning Propel has taught me to be the tortoise, not the hare.

That’s why I made our growth strategy about building good relationships, delivering excellent work, and asking for the referrals of our satisfied clients.

That takes patience, but the strength of that net is unparalleled.

Over the years, all that patience has seeped over into my personal life and the trust my husband and I had in divine timing of any family we would start. Being patient for that divine timing now means I can be the mom I really want to be at this moment.

What I also realize is I wouldn’t have had the beautiful experience I’m having now, 20 or even 10 years ago…

• When I was younger
• When the business was a startup
• When I wasn’t as ready to be a mom
• When I had fewer life lessons and experiences

Sometimes being patient with life will cause patience in business. In my case, learning to be patient and grow the businesses foundation with perseverance taught me patience in my personal life.

Overflowing Gratitude

A grateful heart is part of who I am. It always has been. From the start and over the years there has never been a time I haven’t been thankful for what this business has done.

Today, I’m grateful in a new way, and it all comes into focus with gratitude for:

• The people who saw a business owner in me and called me to it. My first clients, Chad and Karen, who paved a way and supported me for years as I began the journey. Little do we know all the ripples from that moment.
• A husband who never questioned this dream or any of the exhausting weeks I missed sleep to build this thing. He is my rock, my sounding board, my greatest encourager, and cheering squad leader.
• The amazing clients we’ve had the immense pleasure of serving and the network of supporters around us who believe in and trust us! What an honor.
• The team members I have worked with and all they have done to bring their skillsets to our client projects and deliver their highest quality work. I couldn’t do it without any of them!
• For a daughter and the family life we’re building. To have motherhood opened to me is the greatest gift I could have ever known.
• For the team and clients who were not only ecstatic for me to be a mom, but are also generous with their support by showing grace and understanding while flexing, laughing, and standing with me.
• The incredible opportunity to work from home and all that affords our family now. Instead of heading to an office and needing someone else to watch and/or raise my girl, Propel has grown into a well-oiled machine that allows me the honor of raising her and watching her grow up. I get that pleasure, not someone else. What a treasure to have the ability to focus on my daughter when I need to and handle business when I can.

The journey Propel has been on over the years makes me smile. I’ve grown so much, built products and services, learned a lot of lessons, and built amazing relationships with amazing people. And I would not only do it all again, I look forward to all the years I get to continue this passion!

And now that Propel is established and solid, nothing compares to the great joy I have doing what I love without compromising this gift of motherhood and experiencing family life in such a wonderful way.

I never knew THAT is why I was doing all of this. That I was building this business to set a firm foundation and work from home while raising our baby. How incredible it is to know there was, indeed, a divine plan for all the hard work, patience, growth, and gratitude. 🥹

Yes, my heart is grateful. So, so very overwhelmingly thankful for all the blessings and growth in my business, my home, my family, and my life.

~ Jamie