No Guts, No Glory

A friend wants to start a business, and an opportunity to quit her job came around. She would make more money than she was making now, and it was only going to be part-time work. She was apprehensive because it wasn’t like her full-time job, where she knew her employer was going nowhere. Instead, this was for a small business, and though they have been around for more than a decade, they could decide to sell or fold at any time. That would leave her with nothing.

She asked for my advice.

What came to mind at that moment was a phrase my father always used to say. “No guts, no glory.” When I wanted to go for something that I thought was unrealistic or unattainable? “No guts, no glory.” Like me, vying for the one slot that became open on the Pom Pom squad my Junior year in high school. I couldn’t do a cartwheel, but I could dance, and that squad was the dancing squad. I beat out more than 80 girls who went out for the squad that Winter season, looking to gain that one spot. It was the best feeling in the world.

No guts, no glory.

I advised her that, although I was not an accountant, she could receive a consultant fee through her business and pay herself through the appropriate tax system, ensuring that she had the proper taxes deducted. She would still be eligible for her benefits. She was looking to free up her time, no longer having to work 40 hours a week, but her business was on the verge of taking off. Now she could focus the extra hours on the things she was most passionate about and could pour into her business. She would be on her way to making even more money from the income that would come in from sales for her business. She looked scared, and I shared, “No guts, no glory.”

It’s funny how dad’s phrases and sayings take us into adulthood. I’m sure she will thrive.

What phrases, sayings, and attributes are you instilling in your daughter?