A couple of years ago I spoke to a group of women business owners about how the lessons we learned as young ladies made us very fit as business owners. My intent was to help the women who had not been the original founders of the business but now found themselves with the responsibility due to death or divorce. I said that I owed my business success to my ability to cook and the courage to protect what is mine to protect.
You might wonder how on earth cooking has anything to do with running a successful business. It has everything to do with it. When you know how to cook you know how to combine ingredients to create a meal. Great meals don’t necessarily come via an elaborate grocery list or ingredients. They come through skill and creativity.
When I was younger and raising 5 children, there were many times when money was in limited supply. Many times I wasn’t certain how we were going to make it to the next paycheck. Often in the few days before we had the money to buy groceries again my refrigerator and pantry became by most standards very empty. It was at those times that I was determined not to let my family feel poor or ungrateful. Indeed many, many people in the world have far less then we had. I was always able to produce a great meal through creativity and, of course, effort. Time was a resource to me even if money was not. I baked pies, made homemade pasta and even ketchup sometimes. My children never caught on to the fact that I didn’t have the money to take them to the doctor if they were sick or even to buy a box of cereal.
The lesson I learned was to skillfully use my resources. I learned to barter for and create what I needed when I didn’t have the money to buy it. I am very grateful for the lesson because I am able to apply it in business today to really leverage my company’s resources.
I believe strong businesses are built by resourceful leaders and that resourcefulness is not necessarily being cheap or pinching pennies. It’s looking at the value of what you have today and applying creativity to get what you will need to not only sustain but grow your business. I believe we are watching that happen all around us especially today. When times are bad, only the most resourceful will survive.