A Valentines Memo To All Entrepreneurs
As we enter the most romantic week of the year we thought it would be a good time to share a loving open letter from an important figure at RTOWN, our Mayor’s spouse, Grace.
TO: All Entrepreneurs
FROM: All Spouses of Entrepreneurs
RE: Valentine’s Day — Please Execute
We know you don’t have time to deal with Valentine’s Day. You’ve got a million things burning and Valentine’s Day doesn’t even make the last item on your to-do list.
We know you are busy and overwhelmed. No one knows this more than us. We know because we are your confidants.
We’re on this roller coaster ride with you with blindfolds on, while you tell us to have faith that you know where the track is taking us.
As we tumble along behind you on this journey, we pay bills and worry about our finances while you worry about your burn rate, payroll, and sales. We cook, clean, and fix while you hire, fire, and re-organize. We deal with our kids, our parents, and our friends, while you maintain relationships with employees, partners, investors, and customers. We go alone to teacher meetings and soccer games while you attend work events. Some of us even work while you’re working. Then at the end of our day, we listen to you tell us about your day.
We handle everything else in your life so you can dedicate yourself to your business. We do this because we love seeing your passion and want you to succeed in realizing your vision. We do this because we’re a team and we understand this is an investment in our future. But really, we do this because we didn’t know what we signed up for (not your fault, you didn’t really know either), and we have no choice but to hang on for the ride.
You know how lonely it feels being an entrepreneur? Well, it’s equally lonely to be us.
This is because you are a ghost. Your mind is constantly occupied by thoughts of your business. Your hand is permanently tethered to your phone. Even when you’re at home, you’re not really here. We have learned to accept we must be second to your business most of the time.
We understand the fact that we feel ignored, taken for granted, and tired seems trivial in comparison to the trials and tribulations you face on a daily basis. And as an entrepreneur you don’t appreciate having problems brought to you. What you need are solutions to those problems.
Well Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity for you to solve our problem of feeling neglected. You may ask, “This holiday is contrived. Who needs a special day to show someone you love them?” Apparently, you do.
Think about the last time you did something nice, thoughtful, or meaningful for us. Think about the tremendous daily effort you put into your business and the last time you put a fraction of that amount of effort into us. You need Valentine’s Day because you haven’t appreciated or solved this problem during the regular accounting year.
It’s not enough that you tell us you love us and you appreciate what we do. Those are merely ideas. As great entrepreneurs say: Success is 1% idea and 99% execution. When was the last time you truly executed for us?
Here is our solution to our (and your) problem: Block off 15 minutes of your day today and think about what you’re going to do for us for Valentine’s Day. Message someone who knows us well and ask what we would like, and then go buy it. Or print out a recipe, get the ingredients, and cook dinner for us. Or get reservations at a nice restaurant and commit to leaving your phone alone and not talking shop. Or just turn to someone in your vicinity, ask what they are doing or would want to do for Valentine’s Day, and steal their idea.
We don’t care if it isn’t your idea. We just appreciate that you value the problem enough that you’re taking time out of your busy schedule to execute on an idea for us.
We wish you great success on Valentine’s Day and every day that follows.
Written by Grace Chen
