One of the unexpected gifts of building a business over the years has been the friendships that come with it.
When you first start out, you think about customers, projects, and growth. You focus on the work and the opportunities ahead. What you don’t realize at the time is that along the way you’re also building relationships that will last a lifetime.
Many of my closest friendships today started as business relationships.
A customer conversation that turned into years of collaboration.
An industry colleague who became someone you trust and respect.
A fellow entrepreneur who understands the challenges of building something and the responsibility that comes with leading people.
Over time, those professional relationships evolve into something much deeper.
You celebrate each other’s wins.
You support each other through challenges.
You stay connected even when you’re on different sides of the world.
One of the things I’m most grateful for is the global community of people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet through our industry and through the work we do. There are incredible leaders, entrepreneurs, and operators across so many countries who share the same drive to build great companies and serve their customers well.
What started as business relationships have become lifelong friendships.
And those friendships have made the journey far more meaningful than I ever expected when I was just getting started.