“John, thanks for coming back in”
I knew straight away. The only tie I owned got three levels tighter.
Two weeks ago I’d submitted my CV to Bain in the Sydney office. I was going for an consultant role. It was 2009. After things were bouncing back from the recession.
I texted Ruby when I got accepted to the final round.
“That’s exciting!” She replied.
“Yep :)” I wrote back.
That second meeting lasted about 2 minutes:
“Thanks for coming back in”
“I understand.”
“It was a close decision… it was just your answer to the final case study question.”
“Thanks for having me.”
Then I walked out, and pulled the tie off.
That day, I made up my mind to open my own small business.
“Let’s do the second store.” I said to my boss, where I was working part time.
Before the Bain rejection, my plans to do my own business were vague, at best. I knew there was an opportunity, but I couldn’t walk away from my past life as a corporate suit.
“Great! Let’s go” my boss said.
And we did. In that moment, I committed to a new path. It made me feel better. It also made me realise I can choose a completely different story for myself, if I want.
And you can too.
Especially if the one you are writing now isn’t working for you. You can choose to start something new, bring more energy into your business, write a book, change your job, connect with someone you look up to, or do any other number of things.
For me, not getting the job with Bain was a turning point.
Maybe this post can be a turning point?
What new story do you want to write?
PS – Enrolments are open for the current round of Creator Club, our small business coaching membership. If you’d like some help with the next step of your service business, we’d love to hear from you.
