Chapter Five: The Oxymoronic Practice of Proactive Waiting

Actions speak louder than words. We know this. We know people can make grand declarations about their ambitions as easily as turning oxygen into carbon monoxide, adamant that someday it will all happen for them. At Noteworthy Communications, we love words. Words are our specialty. We understand the immense power of the written word. However, we also understand that words without follow through are just flimsy wishes, falsehoods we tell ourselves and the world, in the hope that is enough to make them reality, which it is not.

When it comes to our ambitions, the ones we are actually determined to bring forth in our lives, action is a base requirement, the bare minimum. Sometimes that action resembles a high energy rush of nonstop sweat and hustle. Other times, the necessary action may appear slower, quieter, and contemplative. This kind of action can be referred to as “proactive waiting,” which does sound like an oxymoron. The concept of waiting proactively may be mistaken for inaction when it is really a necessary practice if we want to achieve our goals.

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Don’t Quit Your Daydream

When we are brave enough to share our dreams out loud, there will always be naysayers. Naysayers are familiar with the dreamers who are all talk and no action. They know that most people never follow through on these dreams that are supposedly so important to them, and they are tired of hiring about it. Perhaps the naysayer is a former dreamer themselves.

So, what makes us different? We practice proactive waiting. We visualize. We multitask. We network. We study. We put in the work that any worthwhile dream requires. As long as we remain dormant, our dreams will only be just that, something we escape to when our day-to-day monotony becomes too much. The only way to prove the naysayers wrong is to act and turn that dream into an undeniable reality.

When Noteworthy Communications was still just a twinkle in our founder's eye, proactive waiting was essential. We visualized what running our own business would look like, even as we spent average working hours at a more stable job that paid the bills in the meantime. We sacrificed evenings and weekends to lay the groundwork so that someday, there would be no day job, only the daydream made real.

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Don’t Abandon Your Strategy

A dream is a start, but a strategy keeps us moving forward. Strategies should be well thought-out, but also flexible, because unforeseen circumstances are always lurking in the shadows waiting to throw us off track. Waiting for what we want is frustrating, especially if we must wait on other people before we can move forward.

We want to set up our website, emails, and social media accounts, but we must wait to open our business bank account to purchase the domains. We want to open our business bank account, but we must wait for our business registration to be certified by the state. Everything is on hold just when we are raring to get started!

As we are waiting for other puzzle pieces to land in their rightful places, we do not have to be immobile. Ignoring everything that is temporarily out of our control in the process, what can we do to be productive right now, right this moment? Can we draft the content we will eventually be able to share on our website and social media? Can we research articles, books, or lectures on our chosen topic of business to ensure we are as informed as possible? Can we attend networking events to expand our professional contacts? By not allowing ourselves to become distracted or complacent during the inevitable lulls in our progress, we can still manage to remain focused and stay the course.

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Don’t Drop Your Energy

Success is not accidental and certainly not instantaneous. The pursuit of our goals, and eventually the achievement of our goals, requires consistency, even when it seems like nothing is happening. The illusion of a lack of progress can be discouraging, but if we keep in mind that little steps lead to big strides, we can glance backward and see just how far we have come, and we can be proud.

Finding ways to continuously self-motivate is crucial, because we cannot depend on others to be our cheerleaders all the time. Nothing will ever just happen for us simply because we want them to happen. We have to make things happen for ourselves and own our individual dreams. Their manifestation is our responsibility, and no one else’s.

Whether we decide we want to achieve a specific goal right now, within the year, or as part of our five-year plan, we must all learn to take part in the process of proactive waiting. There is always something we could be doing to bring that goal just a little more within our reach. What are you doing right now?

As previously discussed in Chapter Four: We Get What We Give, we learned how the appreciation we show others tends to come back to us in myriad ways. The same is true in terms of effort. Through any endeavor, what we manage to accomplish is directly proportional to the effort we exude, even during, and sometimes most especially, through proactive waiting.

At Noteworthy Communications, we understand that any business endeavor constitutes a fine balance of wild momentum and proactive waiting. If you are ready to take a productive step forward, of any speed, Noteworthy is prepared to help turn your ambitions into achievements, and the waiting into doing.

Chapter Four: We Get What We Give

Over the past year, gratitude for certain industries and workers has ebbed and flowed with the priorities and frustrations of public opinion. Appreciation, however, should be a constant, a standard operating procedure in our personal and professional lives. We enjoy receiving appreciation, so why wouldn’t we want to share our appreciation with others whenever we can?

It would be only too simple to say we should show appreciation in our daily interactions just because it's a nice way to behave. Of course that's true, but as entrepreneurs, taking the time and making the effort to show genuine appreciation to the people who have touched our businesses in any small way can make all the difference in terms of lasting impact and overall success.

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Appreciation for Our Supporters

No one gets anywhere alone.

When a business first launches, there will be no bigger supporters than the family and friends of the person whose dream is coming to fruition. They were most likely the only supporters in the beginning, and they weren't cheerleading because they knew this business idea would become a huge success and take over the world. They were rooting for their loved one, plain and simple.

It is the people closest to us who give us our first vote of confidence when we take on a new challenge. When we overcome that challenge and realize we are stronger and smarter on the other side, we cannot lose our humility. We must be honest to anyone who will listen about who exactly provided their support in the early stages of our endeavors.

Who shared our content on social media to share their pride in us and further our reach? Who recommended our services to potential customers in their own friend group to help drum up business? Who offered a pep talk when we had doubts? These are the people who will always be on our team, whether we succeed or not, and we should let them know how much their support means to us every chance we get before we find ourselves standing alone with no one to celebrate with.

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Appreciation for Our Employees

No one builds anything alone.

As any endeavor grows and more employees are added to the team, appreciation should become even more of a priority in any business owner or manager’s daily life. Employees represent a team that if nurtured, respected, and encouraged properly, can go on to accomplish amazing feats, both for their employer and themselves.

Employees are people, and people can sense when they are not respected or appreciated, and their work will eventually grow to reflect that reality. A paycheck alone will not produce the result we desire if we do not make our relationships with those we hire a priority. Just as in personal relationships, if we take our employees for granted, it will only be a matter of time before they find someone new who will.

The workplace is where most of us spend 40-plus hours a week. That’s time away from our families, friends, and more entertaining pursuits. A paycheck is not enough to keep employees happy and dedicated. It is on us to make them feel valued and excited to show up every day and do good work, because they know they are showing up for someone who will show up for them and is rooting for them to succeed as well.

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Appreciation for Our Clients

No one maintains anything alone.

Our customers are looking for more than just a quality product. Superior customer service is just as important and will often be the factor that clients remember most and discuss with other potential clients. Showing appreciation for their trust in us and our services, and our willingness to be accessible to them, can make the difference between a potential client and a recurring client.

Businesses cannot survive without loyal customers, people who have such a good experience working with us that they just have to keep coming back for more. If we never bother to show our appreciation for those who keep us in business, we know that we won’t be in business for very long. We want to do well for people who we know genuinely appreciate our efforts.

Every interaction we have is an opportunity to show our gratitude and potentially make someone’s day. This is how positive relationships grow and last. A job well done deserves to be recognized. This is not about false praise or undue credit, but rather acknowledging the effort and quality of someone’s work, and, if nothing else, that they devoted their time to something shared between us.

As previously discussed in Chapter Three: What Happens When We Shop Local?, we learned how important relationship growth of all kinds can be for small businesses. Appreciation is a two-way street. We not only get what we give, but we have to remember to give what we get. When others support us, we cannot forget to return the gesture.

At Noteworthy Communications, we make an effort to show our appreciation in every communication we have with supporters, clients, vendors, or anyone else we may meet along the way. We want to be appreciated for our good work, and we want others to know we appreciate them. We build long-lasting relationships here at Noteworthy, and that often starts with “thank you.”

Chapter Three: What Happens When We Shop Local?

We have all heard a lot this past year about “shopping small” and “supporting local.” Of the many slogans and mantras that will define this time in history and the myriad ways people reacted, these were some of the more unifying phrases. As consumers, we collectively understand that when we shop local, our dollars are going right back into the community and provide opportunities for growth. As business owners, however, these opportunities are even greater.

Entrepreneurs make decisions every day about who they work with and where they source their needs. When it comes to the services or materials required to keep small companies afloat, business to business (B2B) transactions that prioritize other local companies are a vital link in the supply chain and in increasing the impact of local support.

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Network Growth

When local businesses partner with other local businesses, the opportunities for growth in our professional relationships are boundless. Whether for marketing or editorial services, such as what Noteworthy offers, or other day-to-day necessities, our vendors are the outside associates that keep our companies operating smoothly.

Recruiting vendors from within our own community allows for that personal service that is just impossible for larger corporations to match. When you have a question about an order or need to confirm a delivery, having the mobile number of your vendor at your disposal is certainly preferable to waiting on hold with an automated menu of options for an hour.

Working with other local entrepreneurs means that you are helping each other to achieve your goals. This all occurs as you are expanding your professional network. Referrals from trusted sources can be the lifeblood of any small business, and your vendors and fellow entrepreneurs can prove to be both a treasure trove of referrals for you and recommendations on your behalf to potential customers.

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Economic Growth

Choosing to spend our hard-earned money in local businesses, even if the price tag might be a little higher, is a long-term investment that ultimately comes back to us every day. We see the dividends in the number of jobs available in our community and the expansion of the local tax base, which allows for the funding and maintenance of public institutions such as schools, libraries, and emergency services, as well as infrastructure projects.

So often, the national economy is judged by components that rarely affect the average citizen, such as the stock market. The real wealth of a town, however, can be assessed by more practical measurements, such as the quality of the public roads or the variety of extracurriculars offered for students at every level of education. By shopping local, we can all help to keep the money local, too.

As individual members of a larger society, we all want to prosper and see that prosperity mirrored back to us when we step outside our front doors. This requires a committed investment and continuous economic circulation that powers our neighborhoods. When a town’s commerce is healthy, residents can sense it in any number of ways, from cleaner streets and safer neighborhoods to higher wages from local employers.

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Community Growth

Every town likes to tout its uniqueness as a matter of pride. Sometimes that unique quality comes through historic landmarks, or a beautiful mural, or a championship trophy, but when local businesses choose to partner with each other, that pride is evident everywhere.

A big box store offers variety and convenience, but a stroll through the business district can draw someone into the true personality of a community and the passion that drives its entrepreneurs. That is one of the key ingredients to any local flavor. All you must do is check out the sponsorship pages in the high school’s musical program or the billboards at the youth league park. This is really what keeps communities unique and thriving.

As previously discussed in Chapter Two: Making the Choice for Peace of Mind, choosing associates and partnerships that you will trust with your business is an important decision. However, these are also the foundation of the greater community spirit. As entrepreneurs, we must practice what we preach when we ask customers to support us by supporting local, and do the same when it is our business that requires assistance in our operations.

At Noteworthy Communications, we choose to make an impact locally through small B2B operating practices, and the more we do so, the more we come to discover and appreciate the hidden gems of our own community and the people that keep it running every day. As a business owner and as a consumer, this instills a sense of pride and comradery that we are working with people with similar goals.

Noteworthy Communications was born during a tumultuous time for small businesses, but we knew that was precisely why our services would be useful. We make it our mission to create positive conversation around the institutions that make our communities what they are, offering that personalized service unattainable by larger communications corporations to promote the hard work and passion of our neighbors in their own missions every day.