How I was forced to climb past my fear

 My first entry as a solo business owner.  I am very excited about training and coaching dentists and their teams to a different and better place with their practice.  As I write this, it takes me back in time…………

I have owned a small business in the past.  I was co-owner of a carwash in Champlin, MN.  It was another real testament to overcoming obstacles.  As a mom to two elementary daughters at the time, working full-time and running a business with my then husband and his brother, life was non-stop.  I would see patients all day as a dental hygienist, pick up the girls at school, stop by the carwash to make sure everything was as it was supposed to be and then be a mom. 

The hardest days of owning a carwash were in the middle of winter.  As you know, Minnesota winters can be very harsh and the winters we owned the carwash were definitely cold.  I would get a call saying that the automatic doors where not working and someone had to go fix it.  Well, the garage door opener unit was near the ceiling as the doors were ten feet tall.  AND I am afraid of heights. I like to feel my feet planted firmly on the floor and this required me to get the ladder and climb it.  I cannot tell you how many times I would start up the ladder and come back down.  After the third or fourth try, I would get high enough on the ladder to press the reset button on the opener unit.  Perseverance and tenacity helped.  Also knowing that others counted on me to make it happen factored in.  It certainly helped the business when everything was in good working condition for our customers.

It was a long winter that first year of ownership, but it felt good knowing that I was able to overcome an obstacle that had been a barrier to me initially. 

Business ownership is like the ten foot garage doors.  It can seem daunting at first, and there will be some ups and downs, but with tenacity and perseverance, I know that anyone can be successful.