This week, we're celebrating our 10th anniversary at Lifetime Creations. I was 23 years old when I became a founder/partner. I was just a year out of school and full of the youthful confidence that makes many people feel they can accomplish anything they are willing to put enough effort into. As the son of accomplished entrepreneurs, I grew up watching my mother and father take their business to the next level. I knew that it could be done. What I didn’t know is how it was done. Here are a few important lessons I’ve learned along the way.

You need a great team.
The first few years of running the company, I spent most of my time working within the business and not on the business. I took to the mindset that I could save more by doing more myself. If a larger order came in, I would work endless hours to complete it instead of hiring help to get it done faster. The business was my baby, and I was going to make sure that every personalized gift that went out the door looked perfect. I believed in myself so much that I believed I could do it all, and boy was I wrong. Every minute I spent on graphic design, photography, website editing, or any number of other tasks I wasn’t great at, was time I wasn’t spending on bigger picture tasks such as new product development, negotiating with suppliers, or building new business relationships. Our first hire was going to work a mere eight hours a week and I was nervous. I have since learned that you need to hire good people and give up some of the control.

We now have a full team that works together to fulfill orders, create new products, and manage inventory among a host of other things. They are all trained in specific areas of the process and are given the authority to make decisions on their own. Each morning our graphic designer begins by creating files for the orders that came in the previous day. Once the files are ready for engraving the order moves on to production where orders are sorted by product type, engraved and cleaned. Fulfillment then takes over ensuring each order is engraved correctly and packaged safely. The final step is then to verify all order deadlines are met and the appropriate shipping labels are created. Together, the team does more than I ever could, better than I ever could, and in a shorter amount of time than I ever could. Having big goals is great, but you need great people to help your company get there.

Great customer service isn’t that hard.
When reading reviews or shopping online, it is very easy to find examples of companies that have poor customer service ratings. It is a concept so important to the consumer that it blows my mind to continually see companies struggling to provide good customer service. I’m very proud of the fact that 2,900 reviews later, Lifetime Creations has a 5-star Etsy rating. In my experience, providing our customers with great service isn’t a hard thing to do. The trick is simple: we treat our customers in the same manner in which we would want to be treated ourselves. We are not perfect, but when you put yourself in the other person’s shoes it becomes easier to solve problems.

Over ten years, there have certainly been mistakes made or something gets damaged during shipping. When that happens, we believe that no customer should have to put forth extra effort because the company they bought from, or the transit carrier, goofed up. More times than not, when you are honest with the customer and work quickly to resolve the issue, everything works out. We actually are more likely to get a great review after providing great service and resolving an issue.

Don’t be like everyone else.
At Lifetime Creations, this often falls within the conversation of product design and development. One thing we are always asking ourselves is what makes us different than everybody else? Why should someone buy personalized gifts from us instead of one of our online competitors? Being able to answer these questions is what has helped Lifetime Creations establish itself in the industry of online personalized gifts. Our mission is to provide timeless personalized gifts, with unbeatable customer service and unrivaled turnaround times. Ten years from now, we want those items to not only be in your home but also still be in style. We stay away from trendy items or designs simply because they won't be in style in the near future.

Our line of custom engraved bar mirrors is an example of an item that few other companies can offer. We have put a lot of time into sourcing materials and fine tuning packaging and shipping in way that makes it affordable for a customer to purchase such a unique item. The designs on our mirrors and on all products have been created in-house and are original to us. Along with our graphic designer Elizabeth, we work hard to make sure every product design meets our style guide checklist. In earlier years, I would look at competitors and try to be like them - but now we seek to be better by highlighting our differences.

There are going to be ups and downs.
Challenges come up within every business, and sometimes those challenges can get the best of you. There have been times I’ve under-quoted and lost money, overspent on a marketing campaign that didn’t pan out, or over-invested in a new product that didn’t sell. On the flip side, there have been times we hit home runs and suddenly felt on top of the world. Over time I have experienced that running a business is a nonstop roller coaster ride. The important thing to remember is that a roller coaster never stays too low or too high for very long, and it's important for me to be self-aware and mindful of this concept. It helps me enjoy our successes when they are present, while staying positive and confident through turbulent times.

Attitude is everything.
From your customers to employees to vendors, the attitude you bring to work every day and how you treat people is important. Your customers will see right through you if you are not genuine, honest, and upfront about what you can do for them. It’s okay to charge what you or your product is worth, but the moment you come across as disrespectful or greedy your customers are going to turn and run. Similarly to my point on customer service, treat your customers the way you would want to be treated.

In the workplace, good and bad attitudes are contagious. So are optimism and pessimism. So are good and bad work habits. Whether it’s working hard to lead by example or keeping a positive attitude on a rainy day, I know that as the founder/partner in Lifetime Creations I am the one who sets that tone. Within any position there are skills that can be taught, but without the right attitude full potential is never realized. Attitude is what separates “A” players from “B” players.

There is always room to improve.
No matter how great things seem to be going, there are undoubtedly aspects of your business that have room to improve. And as your company climbs the ladder even higher, this becomes even more evident because you constantly keeping an eye on what your competition is doing better than you. Over the past ten years, Lifetime Creations has undergone close to ten website overhauls. In the past year alone we have updated our websites with professional photography, added equipment and staff to reduce turnaround times, increased product options and improved shipping rates - all of which still have room to improve. Internally we ask our team, "What parts of your job suck the most, and what can we change to make those tasks go smoother?" Don’t get so blinded by short term success that you don’t see how much more your are capable of.

I have learned a lot in my ten years as a business owner. In addition to the lessons here, there are many others I could only have learned through experience. Even so, I still hold many of the same beliefs I had on day one. I still believe that we can accomplish anything we are willing to put enough effort into. Each year our business goals move a little bit higher, and I have complete confidence that together with our team we will continue to rise up, meet the challenges in front of us, and keep moving up to the next level.

Nick is Founder & Partner at Lifetime Creations, an online retailer for personalized gifts. We're a customer-loving shop focused on delivering an unbeatable shopping experience. Follow Lifetime Creations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.