LIFE LESSONS FROM IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

I fell in love with angels and bells because of Clarence Odbody. Clarence was George Bailey’s guardian angel in Frank Capra’s movie It’s a Wonderful Life.

During the first years of marriage, before our daughter was born, watching It’s a Wonderful Life was our Christmas Eve tradition.

It is a post-WWII movie filled with life lessons.

Of course, the lessons we thought we learned then are not the lessons we experienced as parents and small business owners.

Like us, Clarence was also in the manufacturing field.

Clarence was a clockmaker.

It turns out our favorite holiday movie would serve as a reminder to start each day with gratitude… like George and Mary Bailey.

As a young family with a business acquisition and accounts receivables that never matched payables, I lovingly referred to my husband as George Bailey.

He would stay awake until just after midnight, refreshing his browser to confirm customer deposits.

Small business ownership is a small club. It is wrought with risks and never-ending leaps of faith.

Each Man’s Life Touches So Many Other Lives”

When you are responsible for budgets, taxes, FDA registrations (and fees), customers, vendors, and employees, the stress and weight of running a business is constant.

When George and Mary had to postpone their honeymoon because of the threat of losing their savings and loan company following a run on the bank, we could relate. There were months in the early days of borrowing from one account to pay for another.

You do what you need to do to stay afloat.

Our close friends own a dental practice, and we share the joy of owning our own businesses and the everyday decisions that impact customers, patients, and our bottom line.

If you want to find a small business owner in a crowded pool of sales, finance, and marketing executives, listen for the secret password- the entry into the small business ownership club.

Show me the way, God. 

There is a language among business owners. When we hear the words, we smile at each other- we know the small business connection by two words most people don’t hear.

It is subtle, powerful, and at times stressful, inducing eight letters:

cash flow.

These two one-syllable words are an instant connection during a friendly conversation with strangers you meet at a party or potluck.

The familiar recognition of cash flow is like meeting your long-lost best friend.

It’s an instant cash flow connection.

We drive new-used cars. And review health insurance plans in August.

I wonder if Frank Capra’s parents were small business owners. Mr. Capra captured all the emotions and feelings from his beloved classic, It’s a Wonderful Life.

George Bailey never thinks about himself

That is how it felt to meet George and Mary Bailey. Mary understood what she was getting into when she married George Bailey- a cash-strapped building and loan banker with big dreams and a bigger heart.

Watch over him tonight

Mary Bailey did not complain about their drafty house and much-needed home improvements on 320 Sycamore.

Instead, she created a home with everyday edits on a small budget.

Mary Bailey was an early pioneer of the concept of home decor enthusiasts and budget-friendly remodels.

Our first home improvement in our brownstone in the suburb home was replacing the white wood spindles with wrought iron spindles.

We labored through this project between Halloween and Christmas during the period leading up to the purchase of our now sixteen-year-old manufacturing medical clamp company.

Long past our kids’ bedtimes, we would measure, cut, and install each spindle. We worked side by side and discussed business planning, financing, and the risks of a loan with our home- our brownstone in the suburbs- as collateral.

It was a time filled with wrapping our minds around financing a million-dollar business acquisition with no human resource manager to manage our 401k’s and health plans.

It included calls to our inner circle of close friends who guided us through the legal and financial decisions.

Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”

When Zuzu got a cold we know what modern-day George Bailey was thinking.

Please don’t require a trip to urgent care.

I wish I had a million dollars

A friend once said we didn’t have to work every day because we owned our company. I told her that was the only reason we had to show up every day.

My husband, who managed and carried the stress of our company for the first ten years, showed up Monday-Sunday. Long past storytime and Goodnight Moon.,

The weight and fatigue of those first ten years weighed on him more than I understood.

I was the mostly supportive, not always silent, business partner. My husband leaned on friends with a knowledge greater than us when wrestling with decisions.

Failure was not an option.

Each Man’s Life Touches So Many Other Lives”

Through all of this, we raised three amazing kids, who are humble, confident, and disciplined. Their role models are the people with grit and determination.

We carried the weight of the risk until the year we made our last SBA loan payment. We celebrated like it was November 2016! I still remember that day. Ironically, that accomplishment opened up new ventures. Because once a small business owner…

Best selfie ever.

I am worth more dead than alive

There is truth to George’s internal dialogue.

I am the answer to your prayers

God Bless Clarence. We all have a Clarence in our lives. Someone who may or may not know the hardships, sacrifices, and fears that reside in all of us.

Sometimes, we have to just wait for Clarence. He always shows up. Just listen for the bell to ring.

What is your favorite holiday or Christmas movie?

Here is the book that inspired the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.

Here is the ornament inspired by It’s a Wonderful Life. I added it to Mugo pine steps from the front door of our brownstone in the suburbs.

Thank you, Clarence, for looking over our home and family.

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie that tugs at your heart this time of year?

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season with the people you love. We cannot always be with family, but we can hold them in our hearts because we can all make our lives a little more wonderful for others.

laura

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