July is often a time to reflect on freedom; the kind etched into history books and celebrated with fireworks and flags. The kind that many gave their life for and that makes this country great.
With all that’s going on globally, and nationally, as I write this month’s note, it’s difficult not to feel a little sad. Regardless of one’s political stance, no one likes civil unrest and lawlessness.
So, as I sat down to write, I decided to focus on a different kind of freedom. The kind we earn, not inherit. The kind fought for by us as business owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs. The kind we can control, to a certain extent.
Freedom, in our world, looks a little different than it did in civics class. It’s the freedom to choose how we spend our days, to work in a field that fuels us and to build a professional life that doesn’t revolve solely around the next paycheck. It revolves around doing what’s right, taking care of our teams, building something that lasts and having the freedom to find balance … even though I haven’t.
But make no mistake this kind of freedom isn’t free, either.
A lot of the business and community leaders I speak to share that real success isn’t with titles or balance sheets, it’s the freedom to step away when you want or need to, to travel to a place you never thought you’d see with your own eyes or to let your team to take off early, because they’ve been working their hardest.
To me, it’s almost as priceless as the freedoms we receive as Americans. I’ve sworn off ever working for someone else again, particularly in a big corporate job. You’ll read, in Bob Stahl’s cover story, that his dad said “don’t be like me (referring to working for a corporation) go out and do your own thing.” It takes a special kind of grit to chase an entrepreneurial dream, like he did. And speaking of building something lasting, he’s certainly done that. His legacy has spread to his children, 40 years after he started his company. You’ll enjoy getting to know Stahl and his family on the pages of TBBW this month.
And I, like Stahl, will take the freedom to choose who we do business with, the freedom to choose the way we do business – and to do it the right way – any day. Chasing corporate profits at the expense of the community, rather than enhancing the community I love, is a choice I’m happy not to have to make.
Over the weekend, I teared up reading a kind comment on LinkedIn about “what a gift” TBBW is to the community. It said, “So much heart in this! Love how you’re spotlighting real people making real impact. What a gift to the community.” That right there. That is exactly what we hoped to do when we took this entrepreneurial leap. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is freedom. Freedom to choose what we write, who we write about, what we draw attention to, the things we choose to celebrate, and the tone and intent of what the content is. Not the clicks.
We fought to have the freedom to be intentional.
It takes long nights, tough calls and a whole lot of grit to build a business, or a career, that gives back more than it takes. And even then, we don’t always get it right. But for those of us chasing that dream, not of just being successful, but of being balanced — the journey is worth it. I’m convinced that I’ll find it someday, and my granddaughter Iris might just be the catalyst I needed. I hope you find your catalyst too.
This month, as we share multiple stories of business leaders and changemakers, I invite you to think about what freedom in business looks like for you. Is it a flexible schedule? The ability to say “no”? The ability to turn your back on what’s popular for what might just make a positive difference in this world. Time with your family? A chance to take risks without fear of retaliation?
Define your freedom and then fight for it, no differently than our forefathers fought for it in the United States of America.
True success, I’ve learned, isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter, with purpose and passion. That, to me, is the new American Dream.
Here’s to the freedom we’re each building — one intentional choice at a time.
