I suppose the person who truly inspired me to start my business was the person who fired me from my job.
I don’t harbour any ill will or bad feelings towards her.
I clearly wasn’t right for the role, and frankly, I probably made her life difficult.
But that manager, who told me I didn’t “get marketing”, probably did more for me by letting me go, than anyone else.
I’m grateful that I was young and brash.
I’m grateful I lost my job.
Even losing my house and car and lifestyle.
Because it showed me what I really value in life.
My top core value, above all else, is Agency.
Not “agency” like running an agency or the agency model.
But agency as in:
“Agency may either be classified as unconscious, involuntary behaviour, or purposeful, goal directed activity (intentional action).” Wikipedia
Control over my time, my actions, my direction and motivation.
If autonomy is giving someone control of their task.
Agency is control over what tasks get done.
The other two people who inspired me to run a business, are my aunt and uncle.
Back in the 2000s, they ran a chain of very successful independent book stores.
I was blown away by how awesome it was to employ people and sell what you wanted to sell.
The energy, the decisions, and the environment.
Being around other people.
It just looked like an amazing way to spend your life.
It opened up the possibility of running a business, not being an employee.
Back at school, that was the only option – work from a large business.
For whatever reason, the idea of running my own company just seemed…coo.
And when I was finally fired, I figured I’d give it a go.
One, so I could shove it in the face of my past employers.
Two, so I could capture that feeling of agency and making my own decisions.
Who inspired you to start your business? I’d love to know.
