“When you get, give. When you learn, teach” –Maya Angelou

Is this the year you are starting your own business?

Have you been in business for yourself and find yourself at a crossroads, seeking new inspiration to achieve success?

When starting any new endeavor it is important to reflect on where you are going as well as where you have been. It also helps to hear words of wisdom from fellow travelers who share your journey.

In honor of this we are embarking on our first annual Small Business Success blog series. This series will feature the stories of 21 small businesses and what they have learned on their road to success. All of these businesses are based primarily in Oregon and represent highly diverse industries. Each has a unique story, with individual struggles and triumphs, but they share two things in common: (1) they all had a deep desire to start their own business and (2) they have all made it happen.

When we walk through a process successfully it is a tremendous gift to the people around us to share our lessons. My hope with this series is that it will inspire you to begin your own business adventure, or learn new tools to persevere through your existing one.

We will kick off our first Small Business Success Story this week and I will post a new featured business once or twice per week after that. If you have additional business advice, questions or thoughts on the topic (or just really love the businesses featured) feel free to comment. We all have a great deal to learn from one another.

Here’s to a successful and prosperous year on every level!