This week, I thought about addressing the dumpster fire that is Twitter since Elon Musk took over earlier this month. His is a great example of how a business ethos built on the cult of personality will almost always result in a spectacular undoing — eventually.

I also thought of writing about the recent election and how both the polls and the pundits got it so wrong because they rely on an approach to data collection that is antiquated and, as such, seems inherently biased toward more conservative participation. It probably also had something to do with fictious narratives and echo chambers.

Ultimately, though, I decided to tell you about my dad.

This coming weekend will be three years since he passed away. That might be why I've been thinking about him so much these days.

For instance, I bought these pumpkin seed ciabatta rolls at Trader Joe's last week and after my first taste (so good!), I thought, Wow, I wish my dad was around. I think he'd kinda love these even though they're technically white bread.

When I took my dad to Trader Joe's for the first time—this was when I lived in Brookline, Mass and one of the first East Coast locations opened up right near my apartment—he literally went nuts for the raw nuts and unsweetened dried fruit (and the selection of whole bean coffee).

My dad became a health food freak when my brothers and I were still in grade school. This may seem normal now, but back then, it was the farthest thing from it.

Other than fruits and vegetables, there were very few truly healthy options in supermarkets, and health food stores were a rarity in the outerboroughs of Queens and on Long Island.

For years, my dad made his own bread until it was easy to find good, healthy bread nearby. He made his own cookie alternatives, also for years, that tasted horrible to everyone else, until supermarkets began to carry healthier cookies and snacks.

Everything that was weird about my dad's approach to food back then and in the years that followed are hallmarks of a healthy lifestyle now.

Several billion-dollar industries have grown up around a lot of the stuff he espoused and practiced back when it was unpopular and/or unheard of and certainly difficult to do.

Interestingly, that's what being ahead of the market means when you're an entrepreneur.

You recognize a need or have a point of view about something that's outside the mainstream, and it not only drives your business but is the foundation on which that business is built.

The most successful businesses are the ones that do this and continue to extend their business in keeping with the core tenets of that foundation.

I often have clients who come to me in part because they don't have role models of entrepreneurship in their lives. There's no one to show them 'how it's done.'

I didn't either until I considered how my dad, who was never an entrepreneur, demonstrated so many key characteristics of successful entrepreneurship throughout my life: innovation, passion, persistence, resiliency, and a willingness to experiment (to name a few).

His approach was always grounded in credible research and buoyed by an abiding trust in his own abilities, which probably describes most successful entrepreneurs out there.

Honestly, I always saw my dad as a kind of maverick, but it wasn't until recently that I recognized how valuable his example has been to me and the work I do in supporting other entrepreneurs.

These insights feel like secrets he shared (and is still sharing) with me even though neither of us would have thought of them as such while he was alive.

It's made me both appreciate him and miss him even more these days!

What about you? Is there someone in your life who exhibits (or did) all the signs of an entrepreneur even though they don't (or didn't) run their own business?

If you feel like sharing, I'd love to know what you've learned from them that's helped you on your own entrepreneurial journey?

SIDE NOTE

Last weekend, I celebrated two years of this newsletter. (You can read more about that here.)

So, this seems an appropriate time to express my gratitude for your continued readership and support.

Without you, there would be no reason for these weekly missives, and I do so appreciate the dialogue I get to have whenever someone shares their thoughts, opinions, and/or experiences with me.

So, please keep doing that!!

Until next time, be well and stay safe.

PS - If you missed There's an App for That, you also missed my free business tech audit resource. Grab it now.
​

Your success is our strategy!

No longer want to receive my newsletter but don't want to miss my special offers and announcements? Click here.
​To completely unsubscribe from all future communications, please opt out below.