Business Edition: A Mindset of Service to Others Is The Key to Success

     While owning a business is arduous at times, it is one of the most personally, civically, and financially rewarding endeavors you can pursue. However, the right "thoughts" about business is the key to enjoying long-term success. It is the only way that you can sustain and grow your business.       Here's a fact that most people don't hear often about entrepreneurship: there is really no such thing as "working for yourself". A business can only be impactful when its primary goal is to work hard for and SERVE others. The truth is that money from business comes as a result of genuinely caring for people. In order to supply what your prospective customers need and want, you must be willing to have a sincere mindset about empowering people with the best there is to offer.       Additionally, you must be flexible, humble, and respectful. Be open to listen to your customers. It's reasonable not to follow everything they suggest, but at least be humble enough to hear what they have to say. Trust me, their ideas could be positively transformative and save your business. It's also critical that you are willing to make adjustments and improvements to how you do things to make your customers' experiences better. Be respectful to people even when they are not. As Michelle Obama once said, "When they go low, you go high." The customer is not always right, but you must strive to be at all times. Doing the right thing, even when it's hard, will lead to a reputation of integrity.       Most importantly, you must have passion and an unwavering belief that you are doing something you were divinely called to do. At the same, be protective about your dreams and goals. Everybody is not going to support your business and ideas. People might say discouraging things based on their own bias and sometimes from their own ignorance about business, but when you have an unshakeable faith in the Creator's providence, no one can destroy your hope. Only allow good, encouraging people in your inner circle; they are essential for staying focused on the right things. Their unconditional love and support allow you to soar above and beyond your most beautiful dreams.