What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger and so the song goes. On January 21st, my life
Sharon Aks, CPA
changed forever after surviving being hit by a car while walking. The experience taught me that some things are truly not under our control but also the importance of taking control of what we can.
The important things:
- Relationships-joining the Woodard Institute and my chapter has been a meaningful decision in my life, not only on a business level but also on a very personal one. Our chapter has always been supportive with each other in business and knows how to have fun with parties. But after my accident I realized how truly blessed I was for these people that were in my life. My chapter went above and beyond, with hospital and rehab visits, making and delivery of meals and even providing me with a mound of gift cards to my favorite local eateries which allowed me to focus on my recovery and took pressure off my family members allowing them to spend time with me. These people are truly “family”, one’s I had made a conscious decision to choose, not like biological ones.
- Backup plans in business- What happens when you run a business and you are truly not able to work; do you have a backup plan? Previous to that afternoon of the 21st; I had been contemplating how I wanted to move forward in my business in 2016. Being limited as to what I could do while recovering from the accident forced me to develop an alternative game plan and of course, the timing of my accident at the end of January was not ideal. While clients understood my limited availability, I had to look toward others for tasks that I solely performed. Looking back now, this forced shift enabled me to grow in my business further.
- Ok yes, attending another Scaling New Heights conference- having attended the conferences over the past few years, I was uncertain what attending this year would add. My roommate from previous conferences whispered to me while recovering, she still had a room for me if I wanted to and felt up to it. When I was recovered enough to be able to go, I decided to go mostly as an opportunity to regroup and, of course, after realizing how lucky I was to be alive, to go someplace really nice. What I didn’t realize at the time was Joe would do his sales magic with a bundled package that would include the Gateway course I had wanted to take in January prior to the accident. Talking to Joe at the conference solidified the deal by providing me a “satisfaction guaranteed” verbal promise. As I am nearing the end of that journey, I have not been disappointed. In week 1, I learned true entrepreneurship intertwines both who we are personally and professionally. It is not mutually exclusive. The course has also forced me to develop both a vision and mission statement which speaks to who I am on both of these levels and is providing the impetus I needed to continue the process of moving my business forward into a “firm of the future”.
Thanks Joe for being an agent of transformation for my business already and thank you Woodard Network members for being a part of my life. In life, we may not have any control over what happens to us but we do have control over who we surround ourselves by and their ability to help us keep moving forward when the world tells us to stand still.
Sharon Aks is a CPA, owner and founder of SIMPLY Financials PLUS Group. Her passion is helping small to medium sized businesses get to next level by working with them to be able to create meaningful financial statements, establish best business practices and of course make their tax accountants happy at tax time and all year round. SIMPLY Financials PLUS Group
https://www.facebook.com/simplyfinancialsplus