My commitment to “loose diamonds” in 2024

I hadn’t worn my wedding ring for years, and the reasons were both practical and trivial. It had a loose diamond, which needed to be fixed before I could wear it again. I also had lost weight since my wedding and the ring needed to be re-sized. Finding a jeweler wasn’t difficult, in fact my close friends at Huntington Jewelers were more than willing to help. 

But this was a task that was easy to put off for other “important” things like tending to client needs or finding new business. You hear this all the time from entrepreneurs and business owners: “I can’t do it, I’m busy.” I’m no different. 

I did finally get around to having my ring repaired and re-sized. Now, I wear it every day and am reminded of how much I always appreciated it. Honestly, how long it took to rekindle my relationship with the ring almost feels embarrassing now. Why didn’t I get to this sooner? It sat in a safe deposit box for years!  

That experience has become a valuable lesson and inspiration for 2024. I’m now making the conscious choice to tend to loose diamonds in my business.

Here’s how that looks:

In the day-to-day of business, it’s easy to be consumed by pressing issues. A client needs something yesterday, a prospect is ever so close to signing up with you, and there’s that great little one-off project, a quick kill, low-lying fruit, with the allure of great pay. 

However, I’ve learned that a lot of low-lying fruit is rotten, and with some people, no matter how much attention you give them, they fail to recognize your value and try to nickel-and-dime you. It’s not that these situations all involve “bad” clients, so to speak, but the true detriment comes in how they consume valuable time I could put toward nurturing relationships with loose diamond prospects, friends and colleagues. 

So, who is that loose diamond in business? I have found it’s that person you bump into unexpectedly when you’re out and about or maybe even meet at an event. It can be an old acquaintance, a past client, or a friend who wants to reconnect over lunch or coffee. Connecting with others is a big motivator in my life, but when it comes to business, setting aside time to meet with someone in person can feel like a tremendous time ask for any busy person. Now, I’ve learned, it’s worth it. 

In late 2023, coincidently around the time I was having my ring fixed, I reconnected with an old friend who works in my industry. That coffee turned into a wonderful client project we worked on late last year. Now, we’re hoping to collaborate again in the future. That experience made me think: why did I take so long to reconnect with this person? She’d asked several times. Having coffee brought in business, but it also established a valuable connection where we could share resources and referrals to help one another in many ways, not only in business. 

I’ve always lived by the motto of “givers gain” but realized maybe I wasn’t giving enough in this area of my life. What was once seen as something I needed to add to my list is now something that adds meaning to me personally and professionally. That lunch or coffee outing is a loose diamond, and there are many of them everywhere.  

I am now very intentional about scheduling meetups. I’m humbled to learn how much I can help so many people, while they teach me so much about business and life. Who knows what referrals or clients this year’s loose diamonds will bring; but I already feel richer.