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Why Say No to Opportunities?
April 27th, 2021
by Bill Boyajian

Years ago I had a client who, when confronted with a question, would say the answer is “yes,” what’s your question? It worked for him and I’m sure his firm still uses it.

But I’ve found that one of the hardest things to do in business or life is to learn to say “no.” When we’ve worked hard to drum up business or live a life of success, it’s very tempting to say yes to almost any opportunity that comes our way. Yet it’s also a trap we fall into.

The reason we say yes to so much is we worry about missing an opportunity that may never again come our way or that strokes our ego and ambition to become involved. What most of us have to learn is that we must be doing something right if opportunities constantly appear before us. One of my retired friends jokingly says that he’s trying to stay out of the way of opportunity. It’s amazing how many opportunities keep finding him despite his efforts to avoid them.

If opportunities keep coming to you, that means you’re on the right path. It means your efforts and hard work have paid off. That should be enough for all of us to rest in who we are and what we’ve achieved. Every opportunity is not a “calling” for us to drop everything we’re doing and say yes. It may well be the wisest move to graciously say no.



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“I needed help orchestrating a succession plan for our business. I had heard that Bill Boyajian specialized in assisting owners to transition their business to the next generation. He knows how to bridge the generation gap and deliver what each needs to hear. I would recommend Bill to any business owner who needs advice on succession planning from a trusted outside professional.”

–Charles Denaburg,
Managing Partner,
Levy’s Fine Jewelry
Birmingham, AL

"Our family needed some guidance on business transition and succession planning. We asked Bill Boyajian to help us because we knew we could trust him to tell us what we needed to hear. Bill became a valuable resource for our company and our entire family. He has the ability to meet each of us where we’re at and it has served us very well."

–Ceylon Leitzel
Leitzel Fine Jewelry
Hershey & Myerstown, PA

“We needed a plan to transition our business to a non-family member and we asked Bill Boyajian to help us. His experience in the area has really paid off, but we didn’t expect the added value of putting us together with a financial planner who helped organize our retirement needs. We now have the fundamentals to transition our business successfully, and we have Bill to thank for it.”

–Ernie & Debbie Cummings
Kizer-Cummings Jewelers
Lawrence, KS