As a young musician, I was lucky enough to discover the Denver Folklore Center, where I studied the tools of my trade from established performers who were kind enough to share their wisdom. I learned how to put together a set list, how to work the mic, how to keep the audience engaged while you tune up or change a string, and how to book a tour.

A few years later I was performing at a club in Bethlehem, PA, called Godfrey Daniels. After the gig we sat around swapping songs until early the next morning with a talented wannabe songwriter who seemed eager to soak up whatever he could from everyone who came through the club. That songwriter turned out to be John Gorka, who went on to a very successful career of his own.

My next stop was the Denver Zephyrs, a minor league baseball team where I learned how to fill a stadium with no marketing budget, gleaned lessons in life from baseball legends, and understood that no matter how good you are there is always someone just as good or better.

As a nonprofit PR director I was inspired by committed, driven leaders who taught me that healthy communities thrive when everyone pitches in. And I never would have gained the chutzpah to start Pushkin Public Relations 15 years ago without the guidance and support of PRSA colleagues who had already taken the entrepreneurial leap.

I can think of no better way to honor our 15th anniversary than setting up a fund to help young Denver public relations professionals get started in their careers. By helping these young pros attend PRSA Colorado programs and become active chapter members, I hope that they will be able to speed their professional development by learning the tools of their trade from talented, experienced mentors.

It helps to be smart, but achieving success in your career does not require you to be a rocket scientist. It just means being eager to learn, determined to improve, and willing to listen. Rise and shine people. Your future is calling.

Quiet is truly amazing. It’s the absence of noise. It’s serene, simple, and certainly hard to find in the big city. It’s beautiful and profound.

This month I teamed up with Eric Elkins from the social media consulting firm, WideFoc.us, on a webinar for the Community First Foundation. The topic was Using Social Media to Get the Most Out of Colorado Gives Day, an annual campaign the foundation supports to help Colorado nonprofits raise badly needed revenue.

This year Pushkin PR celebrates 15 years in business. It seems like yesterday that my wife led me by the hand into the deep end of the pool and gave me the encouragement I needed to leave the world of steady paychecks. I’m proud of how much I’ve accomplished and how much Pushkin PR has grown.

I’ve learned a lot more than 15 lessons in that time. But for the purpose of this blog, here are 15 lessons that really stand out.

Collaboration is cool.
Like a lot of independent practitioners, I started in a home office. Flying solo is nice but I enjoy working in teams. I found that collaborating with creative people to deliver quality work is extremely rewarding. It allowed me to be a full-service firm without having to hire employees. Perfect.

Partnerships are profitable.
It doesn’t have to be formal but partnering with talented specialists that I can rely on, learn from and trust helped me provide clients with an array of services such as video production, web design and graphic design that I could not offer on my own.

Keep it in perspective.
Someone told me when I first started that after five years I would learn to stop panicking if I lost a client. That’s bull. I still freak out. But at least now I know that I will find a new client or clients to replace the lost business and things may turn out better in the long run. Sometimes things happen for a reason.

Results matter.
If you are not producing results for your clients it won’t matter how great your team is or how cool your office is. It still comes down to delivering what you promise and meeting client expectations.

Respect goes both ways.
From day one I wanted clients I could work for with respect. I need to know that they are ethical people doing ethical business. What I’ve learned is that it’s just as important for the client to respect my accomplishments and trust my judgment. Without mutual respect the relationship is doomed.

Winning feels good.
You won’t find me spiking the ball or gloating, but I will admit that competing for a client’s business and winning the account feels good. Damn good.

Losing sucks.
There is a reason why most of us hate RFPs. They are a lot of work and when you lose it feels bad. Really bad.

Nice office.
It’s important to like where you work. I enjoyed my home office and the two offices I shared with a colleague. But I love my current office because it communicates what I hope Pushkin PR represents. It’s solid. It’s got some history. It’s unpretentious. It’s acoustic, not electric.

Reputation means everything.
Nothing is more important to the health of your business than your reputation. That’s a lesson that guides every decision I make every day.

Relationships are meant to last.
Whether it’s with our clients, our team, our partners or the media, public relations depends on long-term relationships. Make sure they are built to last. Base them on honesty, trust, and a solid ethical foundation.

Take time out.
Sometimes you need to put the closed sign on the door. Leave the office behind and enjoy some down time. Unwinding is good, especially for PR pros. We have a tendency to get a little wound up.

It’s OK to say no.
As a former working musician, I still have a hard time passing up a gig. But learning to say no when your plate is too full is OK. And if the client relationship is not working, walk away. Firing a client is better than the alternative.

It’s OK to say yes.
Just because your plate is full does not mean you are off the hook if a worthy cause really needs your help. The public relations profession has a responsibility to further the public good. Sometimes we might even have to work pro bono.

Delegate.
This is not something you do at a convention. It means trusting your teammates. Make the extra pass. Even if you are the star player you don’t have to take every shot.

Be grateful.
I have so much to be grateful for. Ethical clients. A talented team. A cool office. A supportive wife. A solid reputation in the Denver public relations community.

I took a leap of faith 15 years ago filled with excitement and trepidation. That’s still how I feel about my business today. I’m excited about the future but a little nervous about the uncertainty. Like a musician that hits the stage not knowing how the crowd will respond, running a business is like washing down a shot of stage fright with a pint of adrenaline. Sometimes it’s hard to swallow but I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.