If life is like a box of chocolates, then growing your business is like a cup
of authentic cappuccino. And by authentic, I don't mean the drive-thru,
overpriced coffee house or local bagel shop beige stuff that masquerades as
cappuccino.
No, I mean the real stuff: That creamy little shot of heaven downed every day
by Italian laborers flanked by corrupt politicians and local businessmen in
standing-room-only coffee bars all over Italy.
Where am I going with this? First, a little background.
Out of the Adriatic Blue
It was a week like any other week, filled with short-term deadlines,
long-term projects and daily commitments. Then the phone rang, with the kind of
offer designed by the Devil himself--a temptation orchestrated to replace
entrepreneurial duty with the pursuit of pleasure: an all-expense-paid trip for
a week-long, elite Mediterranean cruise from Italy to Greece.
The catch? We would have to leave in a matter of days, pay our own airfare
(do you know what a last-minute ticket to Italy costs?), and were warned that
once out of Italy and cruising the Adriatic Sea, we'd likely have no contact
with the outside world for over a week.
We would, in fact, be "prisoners of paradise." Crazy, huh?
Naturally, my husband--an equally serious and responsible owner of his own
carefully tended business--and I did what any truly committed and mature
business owners would do in this situation. We dropped everything immediately
and left for Italy.
Ten hours on a plane gave us plenty of time to contemplate the impact of our
impulsiveness. Giddiness gave way to concerns for how our clients would survive
our lust for adventure and crescendoed into panic when we realized we'd left the
power converter for our laptops at home. Did we expect to encounter Greek
fishermen with satellite access and a generous spirit toward work-obsessed
Americans? By the conclusion of our cab ride to our departure point--a small
Italian fishing village--we were worn with worry.
Then we smelled the cappuccino.
Bottom (Line) Up
As we stood watching the Italian proprietor's sausage-like hands prepare our
first taste of heaven, we slowly realized that we'd come halfway around the
world to be there--right there in that moment. We hadn't avoided our work, we'd
arrived at it: the work of slowing down, being present in our lives, co-habitating
with a cup of cappuccino.
Eventually we boarded our boat and began an unforgettable adventure.
Ironically, we never needed the Greek, or should I say geek, fisherman.
We had a state-of-the-art e-mail server in our cabin, although we rarely used it
except for electronic postcards to our family.
We'd left our desks and traveled to meet the moment. We drank it all in as we
planned future summers in Italy, drafted outlines for books and made coveted
business contacts with fellow passengers.
Souvenirs, Too
All business owners can expect to meet temptation like we did. Most
likely, it'll come disguised as an inappropriate opportunity to disrupt your
routine, skirt your responsibilities and, perhaps, escape your incredibly
significant career.
Most will be mature enough to say "no"; a few will make the wiser choice to
say "yes." Beneficiaries of the latter, we even brought back some souvenirs to
share with you from our venti escape:
- Sometimes our most important destinations are disguised as distractions.
- Being a business owner means not only taking care of business, but also
seizing those moments when it's time for your business to take care of you.
- Sometimes our strategic plan for growth can be found on a balance sheet;
other times it's waiting at the bottom of a cappuccino cup.