Not excited about a new year for small business? Have a little Faith

I hope you are like many out there who are excited to begin 2016 and have a fresh mind and a newly found ambition for moving their small businesses to the next level…or as Emril Lagassi would say, “Kick it up another notch”.  I hope that you woke up on January 1st and couldn’t wait to start on your budget models, new product lines and service package refreshes.

I really wish those things for you.

But, the truth is, I know that some of you are not so excited to start a new year

<Gasp> Yes, I said it. Some of you woke up and realized you are headed into another year of worry, heartache, long nights and tough conversations…and that’s just to complete last year’s taxes.

For some, this small business thing has taken a toll, not just splashing water on their flame of passion for commerce but really stomping on them as if they were a flaming pile of….well, I think you get the picture. And, there are many coming out of this past year with little to no faith in their life’s work.

As I get started working on my plans for 2016, I stop and reflect on the goodness of the last few weeks of the holidays. I don’t know about you but, my past few weeks have been filled with family celebrations, trading gifts with friends and soaking in as much of the good of life as possible. There has been  lots of work to do (don’t get me wrong) but, I have tried to slow down and really focus on the meaning of the holidays and really soak it in.

What all of my thoughts amounted to is that the holiday’s are a time we take to celebrate, I believe this is both religious people or not, our hope and faith in something much bigger than us. This time of the year, we come together and share stories about impossible acts by mortal men, things that no one believed would happen, did in fact happen and changed the hearts and minds of those around them.

Stories of amazing events are not just shared in religious settings but of grandparents and aunts and uncles coming together reminiscing of times that were hard or situations that were grim but, how with a little faith, they pulled though whatever the odds were and are much better for it today.

It’s times like these that help remind me to – have a little faith.

Have faith for my small business and know that if I work hard, partner with the right people and don’t over spend, I still have to realize that I am only human and it could still fail but guess what?

I’ll be okay.

We have all heard the story of Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken who had his businesses fail, only to have success later in life. We have heard of other stories like Sam Walton and Henry Ford – all small business owners that failed with a few of their businesses. These entrepreneurs had rough starts and hard times but what they did not do was lose their faith.

All I am saying is this year, in 2016, have a little faith – in yourself, in your business and in those that support you. Give them your best and if it doesn’t work, figure out why and start up again.

You can do this. I believe in you. Now, you believe in you too!

Thanks for reading and happy 2016!