When I was 8 years old, my parents uprooted everything I had known and changed my life forever. They moved us into our family business of nearly 60 years, which is a roller skating rink. In the 13 years that we lived and worked there, I learned a lot about business, customer service and my goals for the future.
My grandparents with my dadd |
When I turned 20, my dad decided that he was ready to pass the business on. He has 5 brothers and sisters, and at that time, no one was super interested in taking on the business just yet. So for several months, I went to college full time, coached part time and ran the rink at every other moment I had. It was in those months that I learned that I was not ready to be a business owner, that I wanted to finish college and use my degree. Thankfully, my aunt stepped in and said she would take the business over. It was relieving.
The Rink Currently |
However, those years growing up, working in that rink, dealing with any situations that arose and learning about business and customer service provided me with a great skillset to use in both the classroom and in this blog business. From my years handing out skating and slinging nachos in the skate room and snack bar, I have a really strong work ethic. As a DJ, I learned how to be confident when speaking to large amounts of people. In management, I learned how to calm parents, work with kids, be consistent, work with money and nearly everything customer service related. Growing up running a skating rink, is the best experience I could ever have had to prepare me for life.
Our family in the rink |
I look back on those years fondly, thankful for the work that my parents put in, thankful that we were able to live an completely extraordinary life full of learning and fun, and thankful that we were able to build those skills and use them in our current lives. Running a business is not always easy, you will often need help, but having the right people in your corner makes it an awful lot easier. I am thankful that we have kept this business in our family and I hope that one day we will be back at it running sessions, raising our next generations and enjoying the magic that only a skating rink can bring.