What My Mom Boss Has Taught Me About Life & Biz
“You look like you could be related to Darci!” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot over my years working at DARCI Creative. Every time, I smile and laugh. Surprise! I am her daughter. And, proud of it.
Then usually comes, “That’s amazing! I could never work with my mother.” … “How is it working together?”… Working together is wonderful and is something I am so grateful for. Not only is she the woman that raised me, but she is also my best friend, role model and the person I admire most in this life. However, to work for her requires all the skills she’s taught me in life and then some. Here are a few things my Mom Boss has taught me about life and business:
Trust Your Intuition – Growing up this was something my mother always said. And it always paid off one way or another. It’s just as important to follow your intuition in business, as well. She wouldn’t be where she is today without it and neither would I. This mantra allows her to produce her best creative work and allows me to provide our clients with quality campaigns that achieve exactly what they are looking for. That photo in the ad proof doesn’t look quite right… trust your intuition, work with your team to find the perfect image. The script for that television commercial isn’t flowing… trust your intuition, step away from it and come back with a fresh perspective to write something that really grabs the target audience’s attention. You won’t regret it.
Hustle With Heart – My mother knows how to hustle. She built this agency from the ground up. In the beginning it was just her – now she has over 30 clients, 8 employees, sits on a number of non-profit boards and is a large contributor to our community. None of this could have ever been achieved without her hustle, her heart and her drive to provide for her family and others. Working for someone with that drive is contagious and encourages the entire team at DC to work their hardest and exceed her greatest expectations. Growing up watching how hard she worked to do something she really loved was truly inspiring and has influenced me in every aspect of my life. When it comes to my family life, my work life and personal goals, I am dedicated to achieving my goals and dreams with a hustle and whole lot of heart. One of our favorite quotes is, “Do something you truly love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Sure, not every day is easy, but if you’re committed and truly love what you do, it’s all worth it in the end.
A Work/Life Balance Is Key – I recently listened to an interview with one of the original founders of Home Depot and current owner of the NFL Atlanta Falcons Team, Arthur Blank, and he said something that really stuck with me. He said, “I always made sure there was balance in my life. Because too many young executives, men or women, their attitude is that you got to work now, work hard and, you know, put my career on fifth gear and go, go, go. And I said when you return home in 10 years, you’re not going to recognize your kids and your spouse is going to look at you and say, ‘Who are you again?'” As I listened to this interview with this man who has achieved so much success in his life, I couldn’t help but think of my mother. As hard as she worked my entire childhood, she always made time to show up for my brother and I. And she taught me that you can have a career, raise children and be successful, but it’s so important to find balance in your life. Whether that means you work a little bit earlier in the day to make it to your daughter’s dance recital, or you work all day on a Sunday so that you can go on a field trip with your son’s 5th grade class – in ten, twenty years from now you’ll be happy you did.
I could go on and on about other important life lessons my mom has taught me, but I’ll stop here. Trust your intuition, hustle hard and find the balance in every day and you can achieve great things. Oh, and don’t forget to laugh!
Daniele Hosser
DARCI Creative
Senior Account Executive
