By: Deb LaQua, BusinessBuildingShortcuts.com
I didn’t expect to learn a lot about starting an online business from the ducks and ducklings who summer on the river in front of our cabin. But I was surprised to find that I did.
We’ve been at our cabin in SW Colorado all summer, and have had the never-ending joy of watching ducklings grow from fuzzy balls floating on the river to developing feathers to learning to fly.
Yesterday, as I was sitting here at my computer and looking out at the river, a group of two duckling families floated by…or maybe I should say whizzed past…on the river. Some of the ducklings were older and more skilled, and some barely had their adult feathers.
They were moving fast, and making a wake behind them as they appeared to be trying to take off and fly. Some of them got above the water for a second, and then plopped back down. They were really working hard at this new skill.
The adult ducks were right there with them, buzzing through the water, getting a bit airborne, and then settling back in on the surface. Demonstrating what to do every step of the way.
It’s been a long time in duck years since these babies first got their feet wet in this business of becoming a duck. We’ve watched them learn where to walk and swim, discover whom to learn from, and find out how to cooperate to stay safe and alive. We’ve seen them try new things, and sometimes venture out on their own.
The adult ducks aren’t teaching the ducklings how to fly by swooping around high in the air, showing off their fancy high-altitude flying and advanced hawk-evading techniques. They are right there on the water, demonstrating the next logical step in the learning process.
I remember the feeling of being a duckling when it came to starting an online business, with so very much to learn. The struggle of paddling hard upstream to master a new skill. And then the joy of drifting downstream as it became second nature.
But I also get the joy of being adult ducks, teaching and demonstrating the skills we have learned so that others might also survive and thrive in this journey of starting an online business.
Somewhat unlike our duck family, there never seems to be a time to stop learning from others, so we continue to take courses that teach the next skill we need to learn. We continue to benefit from our coaches and mentors. We get together with like-minded people at live events.
Deb LaQua BusinessBuildingShortcuts.com
