My mom was a stay at home mom. She was very hands-on when it came to raising me and my sister, Kinney. Even if she just worked just for a little while and then focused her life on raising us and taking care of dad, I learned a lot of lessons from her that I applied and continuously follow in running a business.
She was never really an entrepreneur but she was a really tough mom — tougher than any competitor in the market that we would probably encounter. Haha! She was also hard to please. This was probably the reason why I’m one tough cookie. Nothing really gets me down.
They say if you want to move forward and be a better person, you need to take a look at your beginning. If you want to be a better business owner, I invite you to think about some of the business lessons that you learned from your mom.
Business Lessons that I Learned from my Mom
The first of the many business lessons that I learned from my mom is to always be punctual. My mom was very strict and would get mad if we were a few minutes late to anything. When she’d pick us up from school, she would always be there early, and would expect us to be at the meeting spot right after the bell rang.
This is probably the reason why I expect my team to be on time when they commit to something. This is my number one pet peeve. I hate it when people are late.
When I am personally late to an engagement or to a meeting, I feel super embarrassed. I always feel the need to be at least 15 minutes early. This is the reason why I stress out EJ and Zeeka (haha!) whenever I hurry them up to go somewhere. I have a running timer in my head that I can’t let go of.
The reason why we should always be punctual, especially when it comes to work, is that I believe that it is a sign of respect for the other person. It’s showing that you value their time as much as you value yours. I think my team can attest that this is something that I always mention.
The next business lesson that I learned from my mom is that the only thing that stops us from doing the best work that we can is ourselves. Our mind stops us from achieving what we think is impossible.
My mom was a tiger mom, and she would probably say that she was glad to have pressured us when we were young! haha! She had always expected me to have good grades, to study the minute I would get home, and to have a long list of extra-curricular activities.
And that I did.
Looking back, what I realize now is that it’s not about the good grades or being editor in chief in the school paper or running for a position in the student council. It was really about having the heart, the focus and the tenacity to go after the life that you want.
Some people lose interest with a business idea that they have just conceptualized a few days back. They forget about it and move on with their lives. Others lose focus when they try to establish a business. And when things get too technical, tricky, and challenging, they give up.
You, see, when I was young, I could never just give up on something. My mom would always say “ginusto mo yan eh… tapos ngayon ka susuko” (That’s what you wanted, right? Why are you now giving up.)
The last of the many business lessons that I learned from my mom is to take pride in what I do.
Do things that will make you proud. If you really want to be successful, it has be because you’ve passed on value to others. You’ve helped them become the better people. HOW you achieved your goals are more important than the goal itself.
Here are other entrepreneurship lessons from other moms all over the world.
My mom and I had a really challenging relationship while I was growing up. I know that if she’ll get to read this, she’ll probably laugh and stress the fact that she was right to have made decisions along the way. Haha!
I acknowledge that part of who I am today is because I was raised by her. So thanks, mom. Advance Happy Mother’s Day!
How about you? What business lessons have you learned from your mom? I’d love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
