Business Owners Share: Why I Love My Business Volume III

All month long we’ve been speaking with entrepreneurs about some of the greatest loves in their life, and one resounding fact has continued to hold true: Business owners really love their business.

Valentine’s Day may have come and gone, but there’s still plenty of love to go around!  In Volume III of our “Why I Love My Business” series, 25 more business owners are sharing why their business has such a special place in their hearts.

(Volume I // Volume II)

 Kat Loterzo, Business Coach & Leadership Guru

I Love My Business Because: I know I am doing the work I came here to do in the world. I believe that every single person has a purpose, a destiny, a calling, and gifts that are unique to them — however, very few ever lay on the line to actually build a business or a brand-based on doing that work. I get to wake up every single day and make money and an impact doing what I love, not because I was born for it, but because I made a decision some time ago to refuse NOT to be able to make money doing this.  There is no greater feeling than knowing that every day, you get to spend your time doing what you would have done for free if there were no other option, and I believe that anybody can have this — but you have to be willing to take the leap of faith, put yourself out there, repeatedly, and just keep going until you get there, in order to make this happen!

Andrew Fiebert, Co-Owner of Listen Money Matters

I Love My Business Because: I’m helping others get their financial situation straight. More specifically, spending time learning, researching, and testing different ways to budget, destroy debt, invest, and grow income and then sharing my findings as actionable advice to the Listen Money Matters followers. Being able to share the journey firsthand alongside our audience in this way is definitely what I enjoy the most.

Ashley Garner, Founder/Designer of Violet Wears

I Love My Business Because: my t-shirt line helps to inspire all women.  I love this because it is great for me to use my gift of designing to encourage people . With my t-shirt line, Violet Wears, I have created a line that transforms the symbolism and meaning of the color of violet into uplifting t-shirt sayings. Not many know violet is a symbol of wealth, power, and worth. I have designed powerful sayings relating to a woman’s self-worth based on this symbolic color. For every t-shirt purchased, I go to homeless shelters donating to women in need to provide them clothing and inspiration.

Nicole Witt, Executive Director of The Adoption Consultancy

I Love My Business Because: I get to do something that I’m passionate about while honoring my personal struggle . Going through my infertility and family-building journey forever changed who I am. It didn’t feel right to ignore that piece of me in my daily life. With The Adoption Consultancy, I get to be a voice for others experiencing similar struggles.

Stephanie Tilenius, CEO & Founder of Vida Health

I Love My Business Because: we bring out the best in people by exploring new ways of doing things, like real-time daily/weekly feedback instead of annual reviews. We’re thinking about how we bring out the best in people – how do we focus on people’s strengths and then help them develop and grow. For example, one of our cultural values is to bring out the best in each other. This means bringing out the best in our employees, customers, partners and it extends to the whole ecosystem. The core of what we do is help people to be their best.

Luciana Hanley, Co-Founder of AIR FORT, LLC

I Love My Business Because: I get to work with my dad every day! My dad and I started AIR FORT, LLC in 2015 right after I graduated from college. It is so fun to not only be a daughter to him but also a business partner. We have learned so much from each other by working together. We have very different strengths and we use those to help each other accomplish tasks and help AIR FORT grow. And trust me we have had our fair share of battles, but always seem to come to an agreement at the end.

Charles Dugan, Owner of American Image Displays

I Love My Business Because: even though I have been in the event marketing industry for years, being the owner of a business challenges me in new ways every single year .  The best relationships are the ones that challenge you and help you grow into a better person – I can definitely say my business expects that from me. Whether it’s keeping up on new trends that will affect my business or managing my amazing team, there is never a day that doesn’t make me a better businessman.

Ayesha Barenblat, Founder of REMAKE

I Love My Business Because: I get to share my passion for building sustainable supply chains with the world through Remake, a non-profit I started to educate consumers on who makes their clothing and how it is made. I love that through visual storytelling, Remake is doing its part in building a conscious consumer movement. Seeing the impact of our movement through the changes consumers make after discovering how fast fashion is made and learning about the workers who make their clothing is priceless. I founded Remake because I truly believe in the good that comes from human connections . The modern shopper wants to know more, and the maker is better off when we advocate our voice and shopping dollars for her wellbeing.

Bob Ellis, Owner of MassageTablesNow.com

I Love My Business Because: I am always driven by, and thoroughly enjoy creating, the ultimate customer experience . From appointing a spa-like online showroom to providing knowledgeable customer service, I love implementing strategies that bring this vision to life and help my business stand out among the rest.

David Dye, Founder of Trailblaze, Inc.

I Love My Business Because: I’m in business with my sweetheart . Karin and I had a business partnership, then friendship, then romance. I love that we get to use all the communication tools that we share with business leaders every day. We know they work – because they’ve worked for us in our careers and in our relationship.

Betty Brennan, President of Taylor Studios, Inc.

I Love My Business Because: Taylor Studios is always on my mind. I care and nurture it. It has broken my heart many times and filled it with joy. It fulfills, challenges, and excites me. It is dedication and sacrifice. It is sticking it out through tough times, good times, sickness, and health. The people are my family. The business is my baby. Sometimes it is letting your love go, so others can flourish and do what you used to do. It’s keeping up the romance by moving toward an inspiring future and spending time together to build the relationship. It’s an adventure as you embark on a new project, new product, or new market. We strive to inspire others and offer value. We laugh, we worry, we decide, we grow, we learn and we love what we do .

Jenny Dorsey, Managing Partner & Executive Chef at I Forgot It’s Wednesday

I Love My Business Because: running my own culinary consulting firm has been a liberating, challenging, somewhat psychedelic experience building it from the ground up. I love being able to use both my analytical brain, making strategic business decisions based on numbers and facts, as well as my creative and artsy mind, putting my heart and feelings into flavors and textures on a plate. To me, running is a successful business is just the beginning; I find fulfillment in being able to help others and realizing something greater than myself . Focusing on the experiential aspect of my business for both my consulting firm and my dinner tasting restaurant has been the biggest source of personal happiness for me. It’s amazing to see a group of strangers enter an environment you’ve created for them and shed their defenses to engage with themselves, each other, and the atmosphere in a way they didn’t anticipate.

Bryan Robertson, Co-Founder of Mindyra

I Love My Business Because: I love the mission of our company. Our goal is to improve health outcomes for patients with mental health disorders. We want to remove the stigma against mental health disorders and make it easier to receive care at an affordable cost. Because mental illness has traditionally been thought of as a character flaw, individuals with disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder are viewed as outcasts and judged negatively by society. Not many businesses can say they are doing something that has the potential to help millions of people in need. We can and it’s something that inspires me every day when I go to work.

Elizabeth Dodson, Co-Founder of HomeZada

I Love My Business Because: she is everything I have waited for her to be.  After waiting ten years for exactly the solution I needed, I decided to create what I needed to better manage my home. As it turns out others also needed better home management. When you build your company and provide value to others, what better gift can you give yourself!? I love my company, I love my solution, I love what it represents in the form of managing valuable data and for some, I make a difference. Working for yourself is rewarding, challenging and gets you out of your comfort zone which is great for personal growth.

Miranda Nahmias, Online Business Manager & Creative Virtual Assistant

I Love My Business Because: I’m able to watch other businesses grow and succeed . There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing all the work I did to help another person’s business turn into an awesome, long-term success. As an online business manager, I oversee all the little pieces and aspects of someone’s company. Watching all of that hard work that my team has done over the course of a few weeks or months, and then being able to see the results…it’s extremely fulfilling and that’s what gets me to keep coming back day after day, excited to jump into my work again.

Kean Graham, CEO of MonetizeMore

I Love My Business Because: it enables the location and schedule freedom for me to travel the world while growing my business during the best times of the day that I thrive. It has always been my dream to be able to build a business while traveling the world . Not only have I achieved this for myself, but I have also granted this to each of our 60+ team members. This is very fulfilling and I love my business for that reason.

Ken Jenson, Owner of Amada Senior Care Colorado Springs

I Love My Business Because: being able to make a huge difference in people’s lives is why I have the greatest job in the world. Amada Senior Care in Colorado Springs enables seniors to be at home and remain as independent as possible. Because of this, we are committed to enriching lives by providing nurturing, compassionate, non-medical home care. It is a blessing to go into people’s homes during crisis mode and help families turn the impossible to possible for their loved ones, whether it be their husband/wife, mom/dad, or grandparents.

Katie Mazzocco, Founder & Small Business Productivity Expert at FullSpectrumProductivity.com

I Love My Business Because: it enables me to spread love around the globe every day in a big way. Coming from me, a small business productivity expert, this may seem like a very strange answer to you. For me, it’s not. From my perspective, the entire reason behind systems and productivity is love because the more systems I help my clients to have in their businesses the more they can grow and transform more lives. No matter what type of small business my clients have every day I’m enabling them to share their gifts in the world, thereby transforming it into a better place. The world needs more systems because the world needs more love. I love my business because it’s a portal for love.

Nick Baum, CEO & Co-Founder of Storyworth

I Love My Business Because: of how meaningful it is for our customers to receive their family stories .  I started StoryWorth because I wanted to record my own father’s stories, who is 86 years old. My son is a year old, and I now have several hundred pages of my parents’ stories that I’ll be able to share with him when he’s older.  

Debra Cleaver, CEO of Vote.org

I Love My Business Because: I’ve been able to build an organization that blends my love of technology and democracy. Every day I wake up and think about how to increase voter turnout. Vote.org provides some of the fastest, easiest and cheapest solutions to do that.  I’ve always worked for other people over my career, working for yourself is both satisfying and a great responsibility.

Barbara Dolak, Founder of Bombelle

I Love My Business Because: I get to create something that not only makes women look good but also makes them feel a certain way; something that women can connect with on a more personal and introspective level. I love seeing my customer’s excitement when she tries it on and feels the material. Hearing feedback that the concept is clever and original, that’s the fuel that feeds my drive. You realize that you’ve found your golden ticket when working around the clock doesn’t feel like work at all . I eat, sleep and breathe Bombelle and love every minute of it. I’m learning things I would not have learned otherwise, challenging and pushing myself farther and forcing myself to live outside the box. And when my entrepreneurial celebrity idol posts on social media wearing my product twice, I’m reassured that I’m onto something.

Serena Holmes, President & CEO of Tigris Events

I Love My Business Because: I love having the opportunity to help others . We help our clients build their brands and we provide thousands of young adults with fun and flexible work opportunities. As an event staffing agency, a core group of our team are 19-25 years old and in most cases are just starting out in their careers. Over the years I have seen many of our team members come out of their shells through our events and develop as skills needed as young professionals. Witnessing their progression is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. It wasn’t too long ago that I graduated college and started working, so I know how challenging of a period it can be. Being able to mentor and provide work opportunities to thousands of young adults is one of the most rewarding aspects of operating our business.

Mark Babbitt, Founder & CEO of YouTern

I Love My Businesses Because: they allow me to love life . I’ve had the chance to raise my own kids – and truly watch them grow. I’ve been able to build my schedule around coaching sports and mentoring youth in my community. And I’ve had the opportunity to build businesses that aren’t just about products and transactions. They’re about causes important to me like mentorship and leadership and those “ah-ha” moments that inspire me to do more. Yes, I remain a committed workaholic. But in today’s economy we all work long hours – sometimes seven days a week. We’re always on; always connected. But even when the work side of my life gets crazier than I ever imagined, I’m grateful that I get to do what I love for a living.

Robin Graham, Founder of Q Canvas Prints

I Love My Business Because: it affords me the opportunity to exercise my creativity. As a person who is passionate about photography and art, I thrive off creativity. It’s what motivates me professionally. However, few jobs require creative work. This is one of the reasons I started my company. I wanted to build something unique in an area I enjoy pursuing. I love my business because I am able to map my own future and use my creative skills on a daily basis .

Seattle Sutton, Founder of Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating

I Love My Business Because: I am fortunate enough on a daily basis to touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of people nationwide . In the last 32 years since starting it, I have received so many kind words and letters letting me know how I’ve helped people improve their eating habits and overall health. From day one, that was my only goal. And, I achieved it and to date it is the company’s mission. I also have such fondness for the company, because I work with my family every day. It’s now a three-generation family owned and operated business, so I get to communicate with my children and grandchildren every single day. That’s not common for most 85-year olds.

Still in the Valentine’s Day spirit?  Check out Volumes One and Two for even more business love stories!

Why do you love your business?  Be sure to share your love letter with your business in the comments!