Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 81252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
I could’ve punched the air. “Really? That’s a relief,” I said with a light laugh. Now, I didn’t feel so unsure about the direction I was going. If he had said anything differently, I would’ve considered scrapping all the work that I had done and starting over.
Tyler smiled. “Have some faith in yourself,” he told me.
I shrugged, knowing he had a point, but that was easier said than done. It took a minute for me to gain confidence in anything that I did. I was glad that I was getting the hang of this, though. If I wanted to graduate, I couldn’t exactly give up on my final project. Plus, I didn’t want to let my friends down.
“It’s just a lot. I feel like I’m out of my league trying to pull this off,” I admitted. I had help, but we were all new to this. There was a lot of competition too, so we had to separate ourselves from them and prove to everyone that we were better. I didn’t know how we were even going to start.
“I felt really overwhelmed in the beginning too. I had a good support system, though. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to get Ashland Consulting where it is now,” Tyler told me as he angled his body to face me better.
My eyebrows lifted out of interest. I was curious about his rise to success. I hadn’t really done my research on him, wanting to find out about him through conversations instead of through the internet.
“You started right out of college, right?” I asked him. He wasn’t much older than me, and Ashland Consulting had been around for at least a few years. So, he had to have started around my age.
Tyler nodded. “It was my capstone project too,” he said with a grin. “I went to so many conferences, dinners, and conventions to meet as many people as I could. Getting funding was the hardest part.”
I stretched my legs out over his lap as I leaned my side against the back of the couch, getting comfortable so that I could listen to his story. It was admirable how he started where I was and built something amazing. If he could do it, who said I couldn’t do it too?
“Did you have a partner?” I asked him. I couldn’t imagine him doing all that work alone. I had two friends with me and his help, and this project still seemed pretty daunting. When it came to business, any and all help was welcome because there was always something left to do or improve.
Tyler looked away from me, his grin wavering. He took a moment before replying to my question. “I picked up people along the way. I had a small team when my business first launched. We got our first client, and then we grew from there,” he told me.
“You’re pretty inspiring,” I said, making his smile brighten again. I really liked his smile. Then again, I liked a lot of things about him. There was more to him than the jerk that I initially thought he was. I was glad that was the case because it hadn’t been fun being at odds with him. He had the chance to make my life much harder, but he made it brighter and more fun instead. I liked how I felt around him.
Tyler shrugged. “There are better people to look up to,” he replied. “I could be a better boss, a better businessman.”
I gave him a pointed look. He didn’t have to act all modest around me. He could be proud of himself. He deserved pride for all of the hard work that he had done. It was inspiring how it paid off, and a lot of people could benefit from hearing his story and knowing that he started where they were. Besides, who didn’t love a success story?
“You don’t think that you’re a good boss?” I asked him.
Tyler looked unsure as he stared ahead, avoiding my eyes. “My business could be doing a little better. I feel like I’m not leading my team well enough,” he admitted to me.
It was rare to see any vulnerability from him. I didn’t want him to hide from me. I had opened up to him. He could open up to me as well. I wanted him to feel comfortable enough to do that because I wouldn’t judge him. We all had insecurities and fears. It made us human, and I liked seeing that side of him. It meant he was lowering his walls around me.
“You can be a little harsh. I’m sure everyone is trying their hardest, but you could stand to loosen up a little,” I said with a gentle laugh. I knew that he liked to push people, but that didn’t always motivate people to work harder. He couldn’t light a fire under people and not expect some of them to feel burnt. Gentler approaches could reap big rewards.