In 1992 I decided to go into business full time. I grew up in a Blue-Collar home in South Louisiana. My father had a varied professional life in Sales and as an entrepreneur, but ended his journey as a 20-year master carpenter. Along the way he gave me many experiences and pieces of advice, but one of the more special is a hand written note of 24 Rules I needed to follow to be successful in my Entrepreneurial Journey.

I share these with much Love. At the time of this writing, my dad is 94. He passed away on July 2, 2025. I am eternally grateful to him. Thank you for reading!

1) Make a planner for each day
My Dad believed in being organized and having goals set for each day. If you are going to accomplish anything, you better have a plan for how you are going to get it done.

2) Wednesday Deadline does not mean start on Wednesday
Dad believed in being well prepared and finishing items ahead of time. It allowed for unexpected interruptions that will come into your schedule and made sure you always hit your required due dates.

3) Return phone calls promptly – not tomorrow
Dad always believed in quick responses. Showed the customer your cared enough to stop what you were doing and make it the most important task in your day at that moment.

4) Do not waste time – I’ll do it later
Dad hated procrastination with a passion. If you have the time, get it done immediately. You never knew what was coming so don’t put it off until tomorrow what you can do today.

5) Do not be distracted – Especially when using the computer
This one kind of cracks me up since he knew I was going into the technology business. Dad wrote this to be sure I didn’t spend too much time behind my screen instead of visiting customers and prospects. He knew there was no replacing human interactions.

6) Answer the phone when it rings unless in church or with a client
Again, great advice. Nothing is more important than my faith and a customer’s time.

7) Team work means each does his own work
Dad required each one of us to pull our own weight. He was a big stickler for you putting forth the level of effort, on your own, to learn how to do something before interrupting another employee. He also wanted me to own my own decisions and outcomes.

8) Do not Daydream – Stick to your work
Dad expected output. If he caught me day dreaming, he would “correct” me in his own way, but it was always with love.

9) Your job is not to entertain your coworkers
Dad was a happy, joyful person. Just wanted to be sure that it didn’t turn into a distraction from getting the job done when it was needed. Don’t be the cause of someone else not getting their work done.

10) Concentrate on the job at hand
Dad always believed in staying focused. Flaming squirrels didn’t exist in my dad’s world. He simply put them in a bucket of water and kept right on working.

11) Refer to planner. If something not done, write it for Tuesday first thing.
This was how my dad made sure the important tasks never fell off the list. If you stayed focus on your daily tasks, everything seemed to get done when needed.

12) All executives have a planner
Now a days we have CRM’s but unfortunately the “Art” of tasking has been lost in recent years. Dad knew the human mind couldn’t remember everything so writing it down to be reminded for later tasking was critical.

13) Check ahead in your planner to see if information is needed.
Again, this is a task and customer preparation remainder. Before important meetings getting prepared is a key step. Making sure you don’t show up unprepared is critical.

14) Make a memo of all calls and date for reference
Dad knew how to prospect from his early days of working with his father in sales. Tracking activity and logging in the customer files was a key component. It always makes me laugh when I hear sales people complain about all of the useless data they have to enter into CRM’s today. Imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth if they had to manage a planner book! LOL!

15) Keep a memo book
Dad knew we would need to track new tasks to be scheduled and we can’t remember everything. Keeping a log of items to be scheduled was key to making sure you didn’t let anyone down, customer, boss or employee.

16) Dress comfortably, but nice.
Early in my career my dad told me to wear a tie. He said that if I got down on my hands and knees in a tie to crawl under a desk, they would pay me whatever my rate was. You know what, he was right. I can’t tell you how many people said, “oh goodness, its filthy under there, I hate to see you mess up that tie!”

17) Carry a handkerchief
Man, a lost form of chivalry. I do still carry one from time to time. When I pull it out, people are generally stunned, but appreciative.

18) Time is valuable
Dad knew time was something you didn’t get back. It was the most valuable asset. Work on the most important things, not just what you enjoy.

19) Your aches, pains and allergies are your problem
Dad has no patience for complaining. He said, “Business could care less about how you feel, you get paid to do a job”. Not quite the same in today’s world, but he isn’t wrong either. While we have learned how to have empathy, I think still holding ourselves to a professional standard is the norm.

20) Be on Time
Dad hated to be late for anything, especially when it rotated around a customer. He basically said excuses are lame and irritating.

21) Your employer expects you to be interested
I Love this one. Dad was making a point to get invested in your company’s products and services on a deep level. If your employees see you disinterested, they will follow suit.

22) Have a pen or pencil in your pocket
Yes, my dad had a pocket protector and yes, he carried a pen and pencil every day of his life. I never knew him to be without one. He knew he could always write something down so he wouldn’t forget it.

23) Discipline Yourself – Stay on track
Dad knew to get ahead of the competition you needed to demonstrate value. One way was to show discipline. By staying on task and meeting deadlines, he showed his professional pride and detail to the customer’s needs.

24) Do your Job well – They hired you to do it and you told them you could
Man, I Love this one. Basically, holding me to account for my actions every day. He ends this one with “You can Fire yourself”. What awesome advice!

For more great words of wisdom, visit www.dubos.me!