| Every successful entrepreneur needs inspiration. This can take many forms and there can certainly be multiple elements of inspiration throughout our careers and our lives. I’d like to tell you a story about one such inspiration that has been a constant throughout the past five-plus decades. Barb and I grew up in the college town of Manhattan, Kansas. We sang in the church choir and casually got to know each other as a result. On June 6, 1971, we were putting our robes away after church and I saw this newly minted 16-year-old very shy girl walk up to one of my friends and ask him if he would be her date for a dance that was being sponsored by an organization to which she belonged. He summarily said, “No.” She then approached another of my friends and asked him the same question. He told her he was going to be out of town (or some such excuse). Finally, she made her way to me with the same inquiry. I was third choice!! I promptly told her that I needed to check with my mother. A day or so later I called and said I would accompany her to the dance. On June 19, 1971, the big day of the dance arrived. It was a statewide event and was held on the Kansas State University campus. Now get this – there were 500 girls, 500 mothers, and three guys – I was in the group of three. At 17, I was a VERY experienced dater, and I must tell you that this was the worst date I’d ever been on. But there was something magnetic about this girl, and a couple weeks later we went to a movie and got a bite to eat – and it turned out to be a great date. And the relationship bloomed thereafter. Roll the tapes forward to January 5, 1974. It was a bitterly cold night – minus five degrees was the actual temperature and there was snow on the ground. On that night, an 18-year-old girl and a 19-year-old boy tied the knot . . . and that was back in the day when you had to wait nine months to prove to everyone you didn’t have to get married. We smartly waited seven years to bring our daughters into the world. The ensuing decades have been a whirlwind. Much laughter, a few sorrows, tremendous successes, and many wonderful memories have been made. Through it all, Barb has been the center of my universe to which I will be eternally grateful. We don’t talk about business very much though I tell her anything she wants to know. She was a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for 29 years before she retired. She has a wide range of interests and activities – but above all, she “levels me out” which helps keep my Type A personality in check. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a couple of days ago and I surprised her with a trip she never thought we would take, and a surprise party with our friends. Her tears of joy flowed throughout the evening, and I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that I had made her so very happy. As an entrepreneur, it’s fascinating to see how the twists and turns in my life have resulted in the kind of inspiration I have experienced since that first date in 1971. Barb’s calm, unflappable demeanor has been critical to the positive energy that I’ve channeled into my career. We trust each other unequivocally which has developed into a partnership of equals with shared responsibility and 100% respect for each other. I can practice my professional craft knowing that I have a rock at home who is my biggest cheerleader and advocate. Our love for each other grows by the day – and having such a deep foundational relationship has allowed me to express my creativity in a multitude of ways. If I fail at something, she does not judge me. If I succeed at something, she celebrates with me. This sort of unconditional love is an accelerant for my entrepreneurial instincts. I pinch myself every day knowing how fortunate and blessed I am to have been third choice! What an inspiration this beautiful, amazing, not-so-shy (now), wonderful woman has been to me! I love you forever, dear! This blog is being written in tandem with my book, “An Entrepreneur’s Words to Live By,” available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle (My Book), as well as being available in all of the other major eBook formats. |
An Entrepreneur's Words to Live By 
Congratulations, Lee! My wife, Susan, & I reached that landmark 5 years ago. I am more proud of that than any business achievement in my career.