Is there someone you’d like to thank this Christmas?

Gratitude in business is a topic that comes up a lot in Flying Solo’s articles and forums. One of our first ever contributors, Grant Hyman, wrote about it back in 2005 when he asked, “Who’s packing your parachute?”

I recently wrote about nurturing your devoted dozen, that core group of friends, family and mentors who support you unconditionally. When thinking about that topic, several people came to mind; however, for now I’d like to single out one.

This year is the 10th anniversary of when I ran screaming from the ‘proper job’ and started bashing away on the kitchen table as a freelance copywriter.

In those days, according to Google, there were seemingly only two copywriters in Sydney; blogging was cutting edge and social networking meant real-life handshakes and canapés. So, finding my first clients became a series of meetings involving long drives, written quotes and lots of “Thanks for your proposal, we’ll get back to you.”

Want more articles like this? Check out the business relationships section.

That’s when I was introduced to Andrew Wall, the owner of an advertising agency called Jam. He was looking for a writer, and even mentioned a fancy idea called a ‘retainer’. After a lot of one-off jobs, the idea of stable work had me salivating.

Still very new to the process, I turned up to the meeting with my printed portfolio and eventually we got to talking rates. I’d plucked up the courage to aim high. And after nervously naming what I thought was an ambitious figure, Andrew did the unexpected. “I think we can do better than that,” he said, and promptly offered more.

That was the start of a decade-long partnership that got my writing business on its feet and has helped keep things ticking along through what was a tumultuous decade for the media and advertising industry. Along the way, I was also schooled in a few of his favourite phrases, such as “We’ll need something by tomorrow” and “Sleep is overrated”. For all of this, I’m forever grateful.

In the spirit of the season, is there someone you’d like to thank who has been a gift to your business? Add your thanks in the comments, and even add a link to their business if you like. I’ll go first.