When your parent is self-employed, you don’t just hear about work. You live alongside it. My dad was a building contractor, so my childhood included plenty of job sites and the occasional stack of blueprints spread across the kitchen table. Sometimes I would tag along while he measured or checked on a project, and other times I would simply overhear conversations about clients or deadlines. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. Looking back, it’s clear that this is where my work ethic was formed.
Lessons I didn’t know I was learning.
My dad never gave me speeches about responsibility or perseverance. Instead, I watched. I watched him treat clients with kindness and respect, whether it was a major remodel or a small repair. I watched him handle problems with patience and persistence until he found a solution. I watched him occasionally coming home late to finish a project because he promised it would be done by morning. I even noticed how he kept calm when things went wrong — a delay, a misunderstanding, or unexpected weather — and how he always found a way forward. Without realizing it, those everyday moments were shaping how I would approach my own career.
Balance mattered just as much.
What stood out even more was that, despite the demands of his work, my dad always made time for family. He might put in a long day on a job site, but he still showed up for dinner, school band concerts, or weekend camping. I never felt like his work took priority over us, even when I knew he had a lot on his plate. He found a way to balance building his business with being present at home. That balance is something I deeply admire and try to carry into my own life, because in the end, success does not mean much if you cannot share it with the people you care about.
Carrying it forward.
When I became self-employed in 2000, those lessons came with me. Clients often tell me they appreciate that I am responsive, dependable, and detail-oriented. That is not a system I invented. It is simply the way I saw my dad run his business. He showed me that your reputation is built one interaction at a time, and that people remember how you treat them long after the work is done. That mindset became part of how I work, and it is the reason I do things the way I do today.
Why it matters in my work now.
Being self-employed is not easy. There are long days, unexpected setbacks, and plenty of “what now” moments. But I also see the freedom, satisfaction, and pride that come with building something yourself. That is what my dad showed me, and it is what I try to carry with me in how I run my own business.
Whether it is collaborating on a web project, helping someone find a solution to a problem, or simply delivering on a promise, I want people to feel the same reliability and care I saw in my dad’s work. For me, a strong work ethic is not just about the hours you put in. It is about showing up, keeping your word, and still making time for the people who matter most.
