This is the time of year for reflecting and believing.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a little kid anxious to see Santa Clause, you’re attending church or making New Year’s resolutions, believing in something or someone is powerful thing.
For me, and I assume most of us, it’s a time to reflect on your life. Think about the past, be thankful for where you are and look ahead to the future.
For the past couple of years, I have been thinking about those who believed in me over the years. It began with my parents who gave me the encouragement and the support I needed at that age. I may have taken that for granted, assuming all parents believed in their kids, but I now know that isn’t always the case.
Knowing someone believes in you gives you an undeniable sense of self-confidence.
My high school basketball coach, Frank Smith, gave me a chance because he saw something in me. Maybe it was because I worked hard, did what I was told and was coachable. I think his belief and confidence energized me and gave me a stronger will to be the best I could be on the basketball floor.
That carried into my profession. Early in my career, Ken Premo at Stratos Boats believed in me enough to give me a job in customer service. I am grateful for him believing in me.
I had an opportunity for another position when Randy Hopper, who was president of Ranger Boats at the time, hired me back as general manager of Stratos after Genmar purchased that company. It was a risk for him to do that, but he helped me be successful. I will always be grateful to him, even today when he is owner of a competitive boat company, Vexus. We remain good friends.
If those two men hadn’t believed in me I wouldn’t be where I am as a founder and owner of Phoenix Boats.
It was 24 years ago when I shared my dream with Teresa Johnson of building a boat company. She trusted me enough to say, “Let’s do it!” She has remained my trusted friend and partner all the way. As Greg Hackney likes to say and laugh, “She runs the place while you’re off fishing!”
Greg Strahm, a friend and veteran boat designer who believed in me and shared my vision, has been my boat designer ever since. He is the reason our boats perform like they do.
There are others, such as the dealers and customers who believed in me and Phoenix Boats enough to trust us with their businesses and hard-earned money to buy our boats and promote them. I am so grateful, and I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.
These are only my personal examples of how important it is to touch someone’s heart, to show your belief and confidence. It doesn’t matter whether it’s you believing in your kids on the T-ball field, the kid across the street to mow your yard or a new employee to run the company.
It’s a simple but powerful thing.
There is a person in all our lives that needs and deserves someone to believe in them. You never know how powerful that can be unless you take that chance.
Go find that person.