I’ve written before about how I owe a lot of my hard work ethic to my mother but my father’s attitude to work is on a whole other level. He seems to always have a project he’s trying to tackle, either at work or at home. Sometimes it’s building a deck, installing a tap system in his home or meeting with new clients about projects. I can never think of a time where he’s said that’s enough. He’s always up for the risk and challenge and moves forward without fear. He works hard and plays hard.

My dad was definitely an inspiration for starting my own business. Over the years I’ve seen him build his own business and take other companies that he’s worked for to the next level. Molding these companies into something he was proud to be apart of and to call his own. He wasn’t happy being an average employee, he wasn’t satisfied until he was the one calling the shots.

When you’re the boss you have a lot of control on how to move the business forward and you need to be strong about those choices to gain respect and become the best. I’ve learned a lot from my dad over the years but the lesson that’s stayed with me the most is to not be afraid to take on new challenges in life and in business and to trust your choices and gut. If you don’t have faith in yourself then no one else will.

My mom taught me lots of lessons growing up but there was one thing she helped instill in me that has helped me greatly over the years. It was a solid work ethic. My mom possessed a fantastic work ethic, something that she learned from her parents and worked hard to instill in me and my sister. Looking back on it now, it’s amazing that she worked a full-time job as a teacher, had a couple of part-time jobs and still managed to raise me and my sister into a couple pretty awesome individuals. Whenever I think about how hard work is I think about what she had to do and the amount of hustle she had. Hard work and passion have a huge pay off and I thank her for that mentality because without that I don’t know if I’d have the drive to work as hard as I do. The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Men are what their mothers made them” and in my case I couldn’t agree more.

To my mother and every mom out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy mother’s day to the woman who helped form me into the person I am today. I love you mommie dearest.