Let’s celebrate our own Independence Day as business owners! Thought4TheWeek from Peter Roper

As I type this (late for me I must confess) it is the back end of Tuesday, July 4^th which is known to many as Independence Day, particularly for our friends in the USA.

A simple history lesson is that by issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain ending seventy-six years of British rule.

Understandably the USA has celebrated this tremendous day ever since.

Without in any way wishing to belittle this very important day I noticed a few fun facts about it:

• The Liberty Bell is tapped 13 times on July 4th. ...
• Massachusetts was the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday. ...
• Coney Island hosts a famous hot dog-eating contest every year on July 4th. ...
• Joey Chestnut currently holds the title of hot dog-eating world champion after setting the new record at Nathan's in Coney Island.
• It is estimated that according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes honestly!) Los Angeles alone consume about thirty million pounds of hot dogs on July 4th!
• There have been twenty-seven different versions of the US flag.

And the one I found most staggering, is that in 1776 there were just 2.5 million people living in the USA against an estimated 332 million that live there now with a birth every eight seconds and a death every eleven seconds.

Independence is the biggest of deals in the constitution of the USA and is therefore a founding block for business.

What’s the point, Peter?

One of the key advantages of owning your own business is the fact of independence. The decisions are yours to make and the results are your responsibility good, bad, or terrible.

Being an independent business owner is both wonderful and terrifying in equal measure and in my experience can be a very lonely place, far more so than in a corporate environment.

Believe me, I have been in both, and having the responsibility for staff on the payroll of your own business is by far tougher because it all rests on your shoulders.

However, enough of the gloomster stuff (where did I get that word from???) let's join in our own celebrations today and celebrate our own business independence.

Let’s enjoy the fruits of our labours.

Enjoy the freedom to make our own choices.

And however small celebrate our successes.

Here on July 5th with our very own Independent Business Day!

Go on you know you want to :)

Just say'in

Until the next time.

Peter

P.S. Enjoy the moment you deserve it!