When you walked through the door
It was clear to me (clear to me)
You’re the one they adore, who they came to see (who they came to see)
You’re a … rock star (baby)
Everybody wants you (everybody wants you)
Player… Who could really blame you (who could really blame you)
We’re the ones who made you

I never thought I would quote an Eminem song when talking about  business, but hey– it is what it is.

Our industry is a creative one– from photographers to florists, planners to musicians and designers, we sell our personalities and talents.  Some of us become insanely successful and popular, and in high demand by doing so.  But it takes you back to that old saying “you’re not good until someone else says you’re good”.

So when someone says that we’re good–do we begin to believe our own hype, or do we remember the focus and motivation for our work:  clients, colleagues, raising the bar for the industry, etc.?  When you’ve “made it”, you can’t cherry pick your fans, supporters, or clients, because all of them have helped you get where you are.  To remain cold, indifferent or utterly ignore them  in favor of others who have “made it” is a sure fire way to get “unmade”.

The same thing goes for our clients– we’ve seen it before:  a client comes in with a wedding that we simply adore.  Another one…not so much.    They both helped you pay your mortgage, buy that new gizmo or new pair of shoes.  They deserve equal treatment. I really feel this is true when  it comes to industry colleagues supporting each other.  Our industry is already competitive enough– support and compliments do not come easy. If we are to change the climate of our industry, we need to appreciate them as well as the people they come from:  not just from the successful industry vet, but also from the person that just started their business two minutes ago.

People not only pay attention to how well you do, but also what you do (and for that matter, what you don’t do).  The ride up front is always better when you’ve been in the back.  Remember where you are and where you’ve come from.  Know that you stand on the shoulders of others that worked very hard to make our industry and services mainstream.  Thank and engage those that support you– they don’t have to.  But also take time to support someone else.