Gratitude (Part One)
Gratitude
When is the last time you truly expressed gratitude? When is the last time you received a handwritten Thank You note? How did it make you feel? Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I thought a multi-part newsletter on gratitude could make a difference this month.
The Two Year Mark
I learned years ago to periodically pause and reflect on accomplishments. At Agile Rainmakers’ two year mark, it is time to express gratitude. As an entrepreneur, I know that often it is about the next sale and pushing forward. There is nothing wrong with that, and I assert what is missing is appreciation and acknowledgement for the source of accomplishments to date. So much of Agile Rainmakers’ (and your) success is a product of the people around you, the current business climate, and many other circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Just as in surfing, so much must come together to ride a great wave. There are conditions you have no control over. I would like to highlight what I am grateful for today.
Emily Slabe joined me in co-founding our firm, and she brought grace, ease, and confidence to the earlier days of startup mayhem.
A dear old friend encouraged me to start a consulting firm in August of 2018, and then he became my first client.
My Landmark Forum Leader Jeff Wilmore supported me through the biggest failure of my life and then introduced me to my second client, one of the most unique and extraordinary companies I’ve ever known.
Fellow office mates at Industrious took an interest in me and invited Agile Rainmakers to consult for them. I love these hungry, optimistic entrepreneurs.
Deb Beroset from Moxie Creative & Consulting branded and designed our website in a fantastic and professional manner. No one else can do what she does.
A Fuqua Alumnus and friend called me from Los Angeles to introduce me to a technologically advanced futuristic client. It was the kind of call you dream about as an entrepreneur. Thank you for thinking of me.
Fellow Princeton Alumnus Yung Bong Lim introduced me to a utility service provider that quickly became an excellent client full of wonderful opportunities for our Summer Riptide program.
My twenty year chiropractor and friend hired Agile Rainmakers to help grow his practice. This client became the backbone of our healthcare consulting initiative.
John Lothian invited me to speak at Markets Wiki Education World of Opportunity 2019, and the video recording is now prominently displayed on Agile Rainmakers’ services webpage.
These highlights are but a subset of countless acts of generosity and contribution for which Agile Rainmakers’ success rests on today. Entrepreneurship is a full-contact sport. The idea of just getting up on the surfboard and letting the wave do all the work while you do very little is quite mistaken.
Entrepreneurship requires exercising every muscle you have as you balance your own ambitions with the constraints of your day to day life (partner, kids, well-being, relationships, service). To accomplish this you need others. Therefore, it is wise to express gratitude for your success, focusing on the contributions it has received from others. No one person can manage all of their concerns alone. This takes nothing away from one’s own hard work and diligence. You are just part of an ecosystem that you had no part in creating. Gratitude.
The Invitation
So in closing this first part of a series on gratitude, I invite you to write a handwritten thank you note and mail it to someone who has contributed to you. Acknowledging the difference others have made in your career and life will nurture your ecosystem.
Here's to you and your awesome future.
Until then, keep your feet on the board and keep riding your wave!
Robert J. Khoury
CEO Agile Rainmakers