I was 17 the first time I started running the office of a business.
I remember getting the phone call from my boyfriend at the time who had found himself sitting in a pile of paperwork at year-end, saying… “I need some help.”
He was a few years older than me and had been running a successful business for a couple of years at that point but was handling all of the office work by himself and as it tends to work out, things grow and it becomes more than just one person can handle.
You see, I had been working at the local veterinary clinic for a few years at that point and was in charge of a lot of paperwork, invoicing, sales transactions, etc. So I had sufficient experience to start organizing and getting a system put into place within his business.
I remember it all started with just sorting papers. Asking what everything was and then spending a lot of time watching tutorials on Quickbooks and asking his accountant for guidance as needed. A few months later I had instilled a system and everything was now tracked in the computer. All invoicing was done that way, proposals were no longer handwritten, and payroll was handled properly.
I loved running that company. There was always a lot going on, new jobs, some jobs with like 27 different tickets, some clients with over 30 properties we were currently working on. It was a constant test of my organizational and office management skills, that’s for sure.
I’ve never really told you guys about that first business management position before. It is really cool looking back to where a lot of the skills I possess that I still use now to help clients and make me really good at what I do all started. Problem solving, project management, business management, office management, crew management, it all runs REALLY deep for me.
Hell, I’ve been doing it for over 13 years.
A lot of the things I know about business were learned in that veterinary clinic and the basement office for the landscape construction business.
Looking back, I can’t help but be filled with an insane amount of gratitude. Not only for having those opportunities present themselves to me, but for the courage to take them, immerse myself into them, and carry the lessons along with me.
I was never really sure where my path was heading but I just followed what felt right. The landscaping company was when I fell in love with small business, which lead me to pursue my degree in Small Business Management and Marketing.
Which lead me to the world of property damage claims, then onto the automotive industry, then onto event planning, then onto consulting and coaching other people using all of the skills and experiences I had acquired over those 10 years before I decided to go out on my own.
Come to think about it, my days in the landscaping world were filled with freedom. I used to get in early, crank out my work for the day and then take the phone out to the pool and answer calls from the cordless landline phone while lounging in a chair, soaking up the sun.
Hmmmm….looks like things come back full circle sometimes and makes it even MORE clear that I was always meant for this life. 
It’s important to remember where you came from. Don’t dwell on it, but pay it homage every now and then.
Then get back to the task at hand with a refreshed sense of pride and accomplishment.