“Business is in My Blood”
Business is in my blood.
I get excited talking about goals, objectives, key performance indicators, metrics, business ideas, and new concepts.
My Dad was an entrepreneur, and he was a huge influence on my desire to own my own business. He used to tell me, “Always have a business on the side. If you’re lucky, your side gig will become your main job.”
When I was 13, my Dad and I walked into a CEO’s office to share a business idea. I pitched my idea of a Kids Klub with a mail-in membership to build a fan base and loyalty with children so the organization could expand their target audience. The CEO declined my pitch. A few weeks later, that business started a membership based on my idea. When I heard about it, I wasn’t upset. Instead, I was really excited that my idea was a good one after all. I learned how to pitch an idea and negotiate terms.
When I was 15, my best friend’s mom was a professional clown. It was the early 1980’s when clowns were cool. I loved the white face, the funny colored wigs, the bright colored clothing. The red nose. The jokes and laughter. I loved it all. So, I decided to become a clown. I learned all the tricks of the trade, balloon twisting, face painting, and magic tricks. I became Spunky the Clown and entertained children at corporate events and birthday parties. I learned the value of laughter.
When I was 42, I started a flower business, called A Dancing Flower, when my older kids were in high school. I figured I could save a few dollars by making the boutonnieres and corsages myself. My oldest son named the business, A Dancing Flower since the flowers were designed for school dances. Eventually I designed flowers for holidays and weddings too. After successfully running that business for 6 years, I sold it to my good friend Julie who still runs the business today. I learned that hard work pays off.
When I was 49, I thought, why not? Let’s start another business. So I took my 30+ years of corporate experience and started a business concierge service. I spent most of my career supporting CEOs and business owners, with HR, payroll, marketing, public relations, communications, tradeshow and event coordination. I traveled to Asia, Europe and around the United States. The concierge business has allowed me to work with clients in the following industries: finance & accounting, health & wellness, technology, manufacturing, aviation & aerospace. I learned that value of servant leadership to truly help others.
When I was 50, my best friend Jackie decided to partner in the concierge business, and with all of our spare time, we started a nonprofit too! We both have experience helping our elderly family members so we decided our nonprofit should help 55+ seniors tell their stories, preserve their memories and go on bucket list adventures. To capture the excitement tucked inside the hearts of seniors, Golden Roller Skates, a 501c3 nonprofit, was founded. I learned that running a business is better with friends.
Building a business is challenging. It’s both highly rewarding and entirely exhausting at the same time. But, I love it. And I wouldn’t change it. The freedom, flexibility, creativity and blessings, is great. I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from pitching deals, learning to laugh, making a profit and running a business with friends.
- Lisa Gates