8 Things Every Startup Owner Should be Thankful For

It’s never a bad time to take stock of all the things in your life that help you run your small business every day. Perhaps there’s no better time than now however, to pause for a moment and give thanks to everyone who has brought you to where you are today with your small business — and everything too.

Small Business Trends spoke with Josh Wiesman, Co-Founder and CEO at Smilo. Wiesman is wrapping up his first year in business with Smilo. His company sells baby and child care products directly to consumers.

In the spirit of the season, he reached out to Small Business Trends to share the things he’s most thankful for after enduring Year 1 in business.

Things Small Business Owners Should Be Thankful For

Here are eight things Wiesman says he’s thankful for this year as he looks toward a second year in business.

Having an Impact

Entrepreneurs impact the lives of many people — not just their customers and employees. For example, many entrepreneurs should be thankful they can donate any new found wealth to local charities and help communities. Others can become mentors and have an impact that way.

Some, like Wiesman, are thankful for the good their specific products do.

“Our anti-colic feeding bottle can be the first successful feed a family has with their newborn,” he says. “Our pacifier can lead to hours of calm soothing that allows mom and dad to finally sleep themselves. This is so motivating.”

Mobile Devices

Any ecommerce business relies on the internet and mobile devices to access and have discussions with customers and even complete transactions. These startup owners should be grateful for all the hardware and software that runs the mobile devices and tablets they use to make money.

Free Trials

Startups need the room to make their own mistakes and fix what’s wrong. Being able to offer a free trial allows entrepreneurs the ability to tinker with their product without spending a lot.

“The free trial period for software and services has been a great way for us to make smart choices, save cash, and end up with the product or service that is really right for us,” Wiesman says. “Startups need to be smart with their cash and scrappy with their resources.”

Other Products and Brands

Trailblazers in any industry forge a path whether they’re acting as mentors or just being inspirational with their own successes. Entrepreneurs can be thankful for the founders and brands that have gone before them and the lessons they can learn from them.

Mistakes

Small business startups need to be thankful for the mistakes they make. Regardless of the business or industry you’re in, learning from mistakes is the quickest way to get better. Mistakes help you uncover any unrealistic expectations and incorrect assumptions, things you need to address in the early stages of your business.

Your Team

Taking the time to look at the big picture means being thankful for the team that helps you run your business. Wiesman says he understands there’s a wide range of people with a variety of talents making  up any good small business team.

“I have amazing co-founders, employees and business partners (including investors) that I work with every day and have worked with since founding Smilo. I am very grateful for all of these relationships,” he says.

Your Customers

Your customers are much more than just the people who buy your products or services. They can also be the bellwether relationships that help your business to grow if you listen to them. Being thankful for customers can mean having interactions with them and keeping social media communication lines open.

Your Independence

You should be thankful for the freedom you have to follow your own path as a startup owner. And this includes more than just the freedom to be your own . With all the modern innovations available to you today, you can run a business from the far corners of the globe or right at home.

Today’s startup owners should be thankful they can work across times zones and international boundaries to make their businesses successful.

Image: Smilo

This article, "8 Things Every Startup Owner Should be Thankful For" was first published on Small Business Trends