5 Business Skills I Learnt From My Dad

It’s Father’s Day so I felt it made sense to write something about dad’s on their special day. In my case, I’m going to focus this post on my dad. Raising a child and a future entrepreneur is no easy task for a mother or a father. Entrepreneurs are an entirely different breed in general. We don’t like to be comfortable, we like to be agile. We don’t like to listen, we like to do. 

Being a parent you might not know early on if you’re child is going to be an entrepreneur. But if my children grow up wanting to be an entrepreneur, it will be just as good as wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer. Entrepreneurship is a challenging and rewarding profession that isn’t for everyone.

Now I’m not generalizing every entrepreneur here, I just want to shine a light on the fact that I know for myself I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my dad, and the values he instilled in me. Whether I agreed with these values or not. They have made me the person I am today.

1. Hard Work

This one is pretty straight forward. My dad grew up on a farm in a small town. He had to work for every penny or opportunity that he ever got. From an early age, he instilled this in me and my other siblings.

We are all hard workers and don’t take anything for granted. This is evident when we play sports or are at work. Why do something if you aren’t going to put in your best effort? Hard work is what separates you from your peers. The one’s who work the hardest will reap the most rewards in life.

2. Problem Solving

To be quite honest my dad is a cheap guy who uses whatever he can to do the job. This was a great skill to learn because it’s allowed me as an entrepreneur to be as resourceful as possible. When you are scraping along making no revenue, you need to be scrappy and come up with ways you can make money or crafty ways to solve problems.

My dad was definitely a problem solver and always found a way to fix that toy of mine or put together that new fence. As an entrepreneur, we have problems happen daily and sometimes we need an answer right away. Having a dad who was a problem solver has allowed me to tackle almost any problem in my business with a sense of ease because I know I can find a way to make it work.

3. Getting Up Early

This has to be one of the skills that took me the longest to master. I used to love sleeping in and sleeping my days away as a teenager and young adult. As soon as I became an entrepreneur I realized I had to put in the time and effort if I was to ever get anywhere. Getting up early was one of the ingredients I needed for success.

This sets you up for success because you are choosing your time wisely. Time is so important and as you get older you start to realize this. I sure did because I was a kid who used to sleep in till noon every chance I got. So if you are reading this and you are still sleeping your weekends away like I did. Wake up and start doing something with your time.

4. Discipline

Ever since I was 5 years old I’ve been playing hockey. Hockey is a physical sport and it can at times, get out of hand and test your patience. Playing a physical sport like hockey taught me to be disciplined both on and off the ice. As a young kid, I used hockey as a way to take out of my frustration and stress.

My dad early on instilled in myself and siblings that no matter what happens on the ice you need to stay disciplined. Don’t be a poor sport, and take selfish penalties that hurt your team. I try to stay disciplined every day by choosing wisely what I do with my time. Time is precious and I’ve realized it’s extremely valuable. The days of me wasting it are done. I want all of my days to count.

5. Leadership

My dad was a manager for several businesses over the years and at one point he had his own company. He coached hockey and football when I was growing up, and he helped raise five kids, I think that definitely makes him a leader

Leadership is something that was instilled in me from an early age. I was the class clown growing up, always doing my best to make everyone laugh. As I got older I started taking a leadership role on sports teams and my professional life. This is where I started to show my true colors as a leader.

I enjoy the added pressure of having others depend on me. I’d rather be the person someone could rely on, over someone they can’t. Being a good leader involves many different aspects and every day I want to strive to become the best leader I can be. I know one thing for sure, I wouldn’t be the person or leader I am today if it wasn’t for my dad.

Happy Father’s Day To All The Amazing Dads Out There!