Let Us Give Thanks: One Year In, and Still Counting Our Blessings
August 1st marks one year since Barbara and I joined Doescher Group. I have to be honest, I am not entirely sure where that year went.
When we made the decision to bring Doescher Advisors into the Doescher Group family, we knew it was the right move. But knowing something is right and living it out are two different things. This past year has been a reminder of that. There have been new relationships to build, new rhythms to find, and new ways of thinking about the work we have always cared about. It has also been one of the most encouraging years I can remember.
So as we hit this one-year mark, I find myself wanting to do what I did back in 2012 when we completed Doescher Advisors' first year: stop, look around, and say thank you.
Some things are worth repeating.
We are thankful for our clients. The men and women who have trusted us with their businesses, their leadership challenges, and their futures — that trust is not something Barbara and I take lightly. It was true in 2012, and it is just as true today. Probably more so, because we have seen enough now to know how rare genuine trust really is.
We are thankful for the people who refer others to us. When a colleague, a friend, or a trusted advisor points someone our way, they are putting their own reputation on the line. We do not forget that. Our promise has not changed: we will do our very best to take good care of the people you send to us.
We are thankful for owner-operated businesses. I have said this before, but I will keep saying it because I believe it deeply. The men and women who build companies, create jobs, serve customers, and carry responsibilities that most people never fully see deserve wise counsel, honest perspective, and someone willing to tell them the truth. That is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
(Editorial comment: I realize "gets me out of bed in the morning" might be setting a low bar. But if you have ever owned a business and carried payroll on your shoulders, you understand what I mean.)
We are thankful for the people who make those businesses work. A company is never just an idea or a balance sheet. It is people — leaders, managers, team members, customers, vendors, advisors, and families. None of it happens without people who care enough to keep showing up.
We are thankful for our Michigan roots. Barbara and I have spent most of our lives here, and this past year — new chapter and all — has only deepened that gratitude. The change of seasons, the resilience of the people around us, the businesses that have weathered decades of change and kept going. There is something about this place that stays with you.
We are thankful for the freedom we have in this country to build, work, disagree, dream, and try again. As complicated as things can seem, I still believe we should not take that for granted. Not for a single day.
And we are genuinely, deeply thankful for this first year with Doescher Group.
Joining a larger team meant we could keep doing the work we love: executive coaching, mentoring, walking alongside leaders in the hard moments, while connecting that work to a bigger mission: helping business owners build stronger, healthier, and more valuable companies. Companies that can thrive beyond them, not just because of them. That alignment matters. It is not something we stumbled into. It is something we prayed about, talked through, and said yes to with clear eyes.
One year in, we have no regrets.
As you read this, I would encourage you to take a few minutes of your own and think about what you are grateful for in your business and leadership journey right now.
Who helped you get here?
Who took a chance on you before you had all the answers?
Who is on your team today, making things work in ways you may not fully see?
And who are you pouring into now?
Gratitude is not just a nice seasonal impulse. For leaders, it is a discipline. It keeps us humble. It keeps us paying attention to what — and who — actually matters. And it has a way of reminding us that none of us builds anything meaningful alone.
So from Barbara and me, one year in: thank you. For the trust, the referrals, the conversations, the hard questions, and the opportunity to keep doing work we believe in.
And yes — still thankful for Detroit sports. Still believing. Still occasionally disappointed. But still believing.
If you are thinking about your future — your leadership, your succession, what it will take to build a business that can stand on its own two feet — we would love the opportunity to come alongside you. That is exactly why we are here.
