No matter what you do or who you are, everything needs to be in balance. One of the first exercises Heather and I ever did with Inspiring Champions was "The Wheel of Life," which showed us many aspects of business and life. My wheel was quite lopsided at first, which makes everyday life more of a struggle, so working on areas that were more flat became a priority. Now I’m realizing that revisiting that balance wheel must be done at least twice a year to make sure that we’re well rounded.

For example, I had a great first two quarters this year and was constantly improving. Now I feel I need to revisit some of those first ideas we used again to keep up momentum. My networking slowed down because I was busy and comfortable, so now I’m trying to get out there again because the momentum has slowed. Some people may say this is the vicious cycle of business. Constantly building relationships is what makes a business successful. Those relationships may not be an instant referral, but just like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, people in communities are all connected in some way or another.

My best example of this is one of my clients who is a great advocate for me. Her neighbor came to see me, her daughter goes to elementary school and is taught by another client of mine, who also teaches art downtown. She refers her art students to the salon, one of which is another great advocate of mine, and she recommended one of her neighbors, who is the art teacher’s sister-in-law...and they both ran into each other the other day, not knowing I did both of their pedicures! Wow!

Having great relationships with all of these ladies is key. Doing great services comes second. I know I am not a competition-level nail tech; taking pictures of nails recently has made me cringe and revisit some of my technical DVDs. But my clients are happy and that is what is most important.

—Adrienne, nail tech