Stop and Smell the Roses!

It seems that writers are always haranguing small business owners to take time off and not work so hard on their business—“work ON your business, not IN your business” is the catch-phrase of the day.

Then I read a post today, by Jim Blasingame, in his The Small Business Advocate Newsletter, and it was so to the point that I wanted to share it in its entirety as follows:

Most small business owners wish they had a dollar for every time some “civilian” presumed to pass judgment on the way we spend our time.

Of course, we shouldn’t follow our dream to the detriment of family, health, or spirit.  But civilians should remember that “stop and smell the roses” is a metaphor.  And every human gets to define his or her own metaphorical “roses.”

In fairness, it’s not the civilian’s fault, because they are typically those who work someone else’s dream, as an employee. Since their “roses” are not likely to be found where they work, it makes sense for them to think a small business owner should get out of the business more, or to question why we work on weekends, or to encourage us to play more golf.

When you see small business owners working on their business on a beautiful Saturday, instead of playing golf, don’t presume that they aren’t smelling their roses.

Here’s what civilians often don’t understand about entrepreneurs: We don’t have to leave work to smell the roses.

Thank you for being part of my community. I’ll see you on the radio, and on the Internet.

Jim Blasingame
The Small Business Advocate

Small-business owners may work weekends, or into the late night hours…or arise before daylight to work in their business; but that does not mean they are not smelling their own metaphorical roses. Something that all the “civilians” out there need to understand.

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