CleverStart

so yes, tonight i watched the season premier of the "new’ 90210 on the CW with my wife.  and surprisingly, i was thoroughly entertained.  you all may remember the original 90210 (or you may not) with brandon, brenda, kelly, dylan, and the gang, which inevitably ran about 4 seasons too long and the 30 year old actors playing high school kids just couldn’t really pull it off anymore, so the show went down the tubes.  surely the enthusiasts would disagree.  well, this one starts out the same way with two new kids moving to hollywood and going to west beverly hills high.  anyways, i do not usually derive any pleasure from watching mindless television, but tonight something went off in my mind.  What happened was that i realized i was watching this show and liking it because it was selling me on the dream.  as it specifically relates to the show, it’s the dream that everyone looks good and flirts their minds off with one another and that high school is a fun, exciting, thrilling, invigorating time in everyones life, and the drama that you experience is next to nothing.  i actually liked that, because i remember those days when you went to school literally for that 45 minutes in 3rd period when you sat next to the hottest girl in school.  it was THAT simple back then! 

so i’m watching the new 90210 and the show depicts these kids driving up to school in their convertible bentley coupes, mercedes, and luxury italian sports cars (i guess steve sanders’ corvette just doesn’t cut it anymore), and another light went on.  the reason i’m watching this ridiculously dumb show (while having my mind blown at the fact that i’m thoroughly loving it), is the same reason that you and i have started a small business.  would we do it if we really knew the truth?  that you’re often times working 80 hours a week for yourself and making less money just so you don’t have to work 40 hours a week for someone ELSE?  or how about the moment you realize that you have to handle all of your sales, client support, delivery, on TOP of all your paperwork, bookkeeping, and taxes at the end of the year?  oops, can’t ship that off to accounting, or to shipping anymore, YOU are that person.  the answer is no.  we are taking on the endeavor of starting and owning a small business for the dream.  The dream that we will lead rewarding lives and have the ability to accomplish all of our personal, spiritual, family, AND financial goals through this vehicle that is our business.  You might dream of fancy cars and big houses, or that boat you’ve always wanted, having a secure retirement, or even just having fun and ENJOYING working your entire life.  We work because we want to live that life.  If you don’t have dreams, you run the risk of losing that edge, that driving force that motivates you everday.

So while the kids watch 90210 and are enthralled and entranced by the allure of what high school COULD be like, i’m sitting here watching it as well smiling at how this show is such a great parallel for all of us small business owners.  we all dream, and without goals and dreams and the light at the end of the tunnel, many of us would do the world a great disservice and not continue the good fight of succeeding as a small business owner.