Lesson 45: Growth

One of my goals in 2025 is to grow. Rev. Arnold is a minister at my church who gave me a job when I was younger working with his lawn care business. I would ride in his truck to a job with him and trim grass with a weed wacker as dust flew in my face. For hours we worked on lawns in the Georgia sun, and my shirt would stick to my back. This is the hard work of a small business.

This is my earliest memory working with a small business and it taught me the breadth of responsibilities a business owner has. His hands steered the truck, mowed the lawn, dialed the phone for sales calls, and typed the accounting records in Quickbooks. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty. Although I have experience with investing, I need to literally get my hands dirty to grow as an operator, like Rev. Arnold. 

One of my weaknesses is operations. My goal is to leverage my MBA to acquire a great small business so I will need to sharpen this skill over the summer. Like Rev. Arnold’s lawn care business, I want to own a business where people get their hands dirty. I have admired the work from afar and this summer I would love to see it up close again. Therefore, I need to spend my summer internship with a small business where I will help a team work through problems spreadsheets cannot fix.

For example, Sankofa Farms (pictured above) is a Black-owned business in Durham, NC with the goal of creating a sustainable food source for minorities in both rural and urban areas. Working on a farm and understanding the day-to-day challenges and expertise of the farmer would develop my skills in operations. This summer I want to get my hands dirty working hard to grow in one of my weaknesses. 

Growth can be challenging but not growing can be even more difficult. During the pandemic, the world saw supply chains for businesses get tongue-tied with disruption. If businesses do not grow and respond to these weaknesses then they will fail. In the article, “How to Create a Better Supply Chain,” Booth’s Nicole DeHoratius says how companies need to “understand the exact composition of their supply chain.” Like Rev. Arnold, operators are responsible for understanding every detail of how their business works and the supply chain around it. I need to intern with a business where I can become immersed in the life of the operator and get my hands dirty as I learn the business.

My values are to act with love, humility, and wisdom. Growth is made possible by the courage to be humble and honest about the areas in which we are weak. It is not a bad thing when you find a weakness - a weakness is an opportunity for growth. In 2025, growth is one of my goals. 

This is Lesson 45: Growth. Next week is Lesson 46: Guidance.