AmiSight 7/22: The Joy of Watching the Next Generation Build
There are plenty of milestones in life that bring satisfaction. Building a business. Hiring your first employee. Landing a big client. Paying off debt. Watching your team succeed.
But I wasn’t prepared for how much joy I would get from watching my 24-year-old daughter, Charlotte, launch her own entrepreneurial venture, The Loyalty Lane.
As entrepreneurs, we spend years solving problems, making payroll, taking risks, and wondering if we’re completely out of our minds. We don’t do it because it’s easy. We do it because we love creating something that didn’t exist before.
Now I get to watch someone I love go through that same process.
I’m trying very hard not to be the overbearing entrepreneur dad. She doesn’t need me looking over her shoulder or trying to run her business. She needs the freedom to make her own decisions, make her own mistakes, and enjoy her own victories.
Instead, I find myself simply smiling.
Every time she talks about a new customer, a marketing idea, a challenge she solved, or a small win, I can see the spark. It’s the same spark that has kept so many entrepreneurs going through the hard days.
Do I hope The Loyalty Lane becomes wildly successful? Absolutely. As her dad, I’m rooting for her every step of the way. But that’s beside the point.
What matters most is that she’s learning to create value, take ownership, live with uncertainty, and bet on herself. Those lessons will stay with her for the rest of her life, no matter where this journey leads.
As parents, we spend years teaching our kids how to walk. At some point, the real privilege is getting to stand back and watch them run.
For me, that’s a pretty special feeling.
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