Gone Too Soon

#GoneTooSoon

As many of all you out there are already made of aware of, Rachel Jacobs passed away unfortunately in the Amtrak derailment crash Tuesday night due to off-speed riding. Our thoughts and prayers go out to this entrepreneur who gave her life in so many ways by giving back to the community and serving Philadelphia. She will be missed greatly.

As a local entrepreneur myself getting the opportunity to profile local business owners in the Philadelphia region, I think it is imperative that we learn some lessons in light of this horrible tragedy and try to apply it to our every day lives, in both business and personal family life.

Lesson # 1: Don’t take each other for granted

As small business owners, it is our moral obligation to serve our community and help one another. That includes appreciating any business we might get, as well as passing things forward by helping out others once we become successful to those that are less fortunate as we once were. Always give thanks even to the little things in life.

Lesson # 2: Leave behind a legacy

Mrs. Jacobs has had nothing but positive stories written about her life in ways she gave back and united people of different backgrounds. What can you do today that people will remember years after your passing? What seeds of positive influence can you plant today that will outlive you after you are long gone? You have an opportunity to serve your local community and have a huge impact on not only your current customers, but on the lives of many others as well.

Lesson # 3: Always put God first

I know there are those out there that may say that I am getting “religious” on this subject, and I don’t want to stray off topic and turn people off, but I will say that I strongly believe that we all believe in some sort of “higher power” out there that we must submit and surrender to. Although I did not know Mrs. Jacobs personally, I do believe that she had a higher calling in life to not just advance herself and her career, but to please a Higher Being and always do the right thing.

In conclusion, may we all learn from this tragic event that took place and continue to keep Rachel Jacobs and her family in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. God bless her and her family.

As a native of Detroit, Mrs. Jacobs spearheaded the highly successful non-profit Detroit Nation, which was a way of uniting all Detroit expats who left their native city but still wanted to reconnect with each other on a single platform. Jacobs was living in Manhattan, commuting between the Big Apple to Philadelphia twice a week as CEO of Apprennet, an education technology company. She leaves behind a widow husband and 2 year old son.