As a business owner and entrepreneur, I often forget about including the biggest and the most important support network I have….My Family

My wife and kids don’t often understand what it is that I do, and I generally don’t include them in our business.

I often crank the music up on the hour journey from the office on the way home and try to destress before I walk in the door and be a positive role model for my family, even when I have had a terrible day at the office.

Comments from my son like “I haven’t seen dad for 3 days now, is he ok?” and when my daughter can recite my entire itinerary for a 3 week overseas trip visiting 12 countries, it starts to play a toll on anyone!

When we wine and dine customers, clients and vendors instead of being at home, or travel the globe, the biggest advocates and supporters are at home, always putting up with our absence, crappy moods, time zone differences and crappy internet connections for face timing the kids to say goodnight!

This winter, we have released our new corporate hoodies, and I couldn’t resist it when I seen them in kids sizes, I had to order them, and the kids (and wife) along with the staff have worn them almost non stop for the last 2 weeks!

This alone, has brought a smile to my face, and everyone from our extended family and friends, to our local footy club has asked if they can have one, needles to say, we have now ordered over 200 hoodies to distribute over the next week.

The fact that a small token such as a hoodie that has been branded, can drive so much excitement and support amongst my family really cemented that as an entrepreneur, and as a company we are bringing happiness to people who support RIGA.

What I’m trying to articulate, is when I see my kids proudly, and always asking to wear their RIGA JOURNEY Hoodies on a daily basis, that little gift of a jumper, and that small token of appreciation, they now say “this is my families company” with the un-conditional love and support they give me, is purely priceless, and it took a jumper for me to stop questioning if I am doing the right thing by them.

The moral of my story is: always include the family, no matter what is going on, they will always love and support you and the business.