Be The Initiator In Business Networking

A Quick Summary

To recap the last post on business networking let's review a few points.

1. The goal of business networking is to bring more business.
2. Good business networking is built on strengthening relationships by focusing on the human being more than the human doing.
3. For business networking to bear fruit you must be in the right groups.
4. Most of the time we are in the right groups. It is up to you to change your approach to get the most out of your business networking through building great relationships.
5. Successful business networking is about consistently showing up and being persistent in learning about other human beings.

Be The Initiator

How often have you gone to new business networking group and you feel uncomfortable. That has happened to most of us. We stand back. We observe. And, hope that someone finds us interesting enough to come over to engage us.

If you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or an executive or manager with a larger company it is imperative that you take the initiative. You must be the initiator to start gaining benefit from your business networking.

Especially if you are running a small business you are the face and the main marketing asset of your company. People aren't going to see or know that asset if you stand in the corner.

When you go to a group make a point to be the initiator. Go and introduce yourself to at least 2 people you don't know. The goal at the end of a networking event is not more business. The goal is did you either establish a new relationship or strengthen an existing relationship.

Being the initiator will almost guarantee that you time is well spent. After all, you can spend more money, but you can't spend more time. Your networking time is valuable.

Don't Be The Initiated

If you have ever joined a fraternity, sorority or an organization with formal rituals for induction you know that the initiation process can be intimidating. Too often, small business owners and individuals look at going to a networking meeting like an initiation process.

An initiation process in that they somehow hope they can break into some of the cliques and groups that already exist and feel more a part of the business networking event. Everyone wants to be accepted.

But do you want to be accepted on your terms or someone else's criteria? In the generally free flowing business networking environment it is better for you to chart your path.

You could wait for a long time to become part of the group and benefit from its members. Generally, if you leave it up to someone else they won't have much interest or much planned for you.

Action Cures Fear

The next time you have a business networking event be the initiator. Step up and step out. Be the initiator of the conversation. Focus on the human being. Take an interest in who others are, not just what they do.

In so doing, you will build better relationships. Better relationships increase the probability that when the time comes for others to use your product or service they will think of you. Be consistent and persistent in your business networking and it will be more likely that you will see good results in your business and life.

More detailed information can be found at http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com. Created by Steve Scott. The definitive guide to a better business and a better you for entrepreneurs, solo professionals and self-employed individuals striving to reach the top and who are serious about their success.

Let Go Of Yourself And The Fear Of Falling Apart

Trying to hold yourself and your business together for fear of falling apart is a tough way to go through life. It's tough because the fear of falling apart and failing can never be put away by adding more pieces of success.

When you have the fear of falling apart, you will wear out faster. How come? In your mind as you add pieces of success will now even have more conditions you believe you must control in order to keep your business and life together.

When you have even more conditions you believe you must control you become wound tighter and tighter. That's why learning how to let go of yourself is important. If you don't know how to let go of yourself then you are destined to hang onto things that are making you miserable. Learn how to let go of yourself and you can conquer the fear of falling apart.

How to Let Go Of Yourself

Whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or an individual seeking better performance is about understanding one basic premise.

Anything that you have to control, controls you. And, anything that causes you to be afraid of losing control is already out of control. It very easily can be an accident waiting to happen. For those of us seeking small business growth and small business success we definitely understand that one of the fears in running your own business is that things will get beyond your control. The first step in how to let go of yourself is to understand exactly what it is that you feel you have to control.

Let Go Of Yourself-What Makes You Angry

A key step in personal growth and learning how to let go of yourself is to understand what makes you angry. What makes you anxious? For most of us it is when things don't go the way we want.

When things don't go the way we want it means that the security seeking pictures we have are not being met and they are further confirmation that we are leading a shaky life.

The key to let yourself go is to understand that who you are can never fall apart. What falls apart for all of us are the self-pictures we have that flatter us or give us security. Once you understand that these pictures are not the solution, but are the source of your shakiness and unhappiness, only then can you start to let go.

Take a look at each one of these pictures. How are they working for you? Take a sword to the ones that truly aren't necessary or don't work. Alter your picture in other cases.

Let Go Of Yourself-A True Story

A real life example as a business performance coach is the client that felt the more things he acquired for his business the better it would be. The problem was that there weren't the processes and the people to utilize the things he was acquiring.

What he did was create clutter. The clutter was distracting to him and his employees. It got in the way of their efficiency. Plus when these things went unused it was a constant reminder that he was failing and he experienced the fear of falling apart.

Over time he realized his picture of acquisition was the problem. He started to pare things back. It was painful for him to sell or dispose of some of the things he acquired. He was changing his picture. He was letting go of himself. He let go of a false image that he thought was carrying him to success.

Learn how to let go of false pictures. When you do you will learn how to let go of yourself and the fear of falling apart and put yourself on a path to the serenity and success you desire.

More detailed information can be found at http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com. Created by Steve Scott. The definitive guide to a better business and a better you for entrepreneurs, solo professionals and self-employed individuals striving to reach the top and who are serious about their success.

It Is About Freedom

The Freedom Myth In Small Business

When the self-employed business owner is seeking small business growth, better small business performance or personal growth it is very often because he or she feels a loss of freedom. They feel stuck, overwhelmed or on their way to burnout.

What causes this to happen? After all, virtually everyone who is self-employed and running a small business started with the desire to one day have greater freedom and abundance. And now, the excitement of starting your own business is replaced by the reality that what you created has put you in bondage.

Freedom-What Are You Going To Discard?

There are many different types of coaches. Whether you are a business growth coach, business performance coach, a personal growth coach or a personal business coach like me we all must be focused on one thing. We must teach our clients to recognize the ideas they have that are not working.

Then after they have recognized what isn't working they must take the big step. They must discard it. It is truly easier to discard equipment that is no longer working than an idea whose time is past.

How come? There are many theories. But what I have seen, especially as a marketing business coach, is that ideas and our ways of doing things are most personal. In our minds, to give up an idea, especially one that is not working is to admit failure.

So what do we do? We keep holding onto the failing idea and fail some more. Hopefully, at some point we see the error of our ways and we change. Why not give yourself the freedom to discard bad ideas just as you would bad equipment. When a piece of equipment fails you replace it. Start practicing the same discipline with your ideas. True freedom is only promoted when we learn how to recognize bad ideas and to discard them.

Freedom Lets The Good Come In

When you have given yourself permission to discard bad ideas it creates space for new and better ideas to come in. Just as you would discard clothes that no longer fit the same is true for ideas.

The key to letting go of bad ideas is to realize that bad ideas are not you. And, they are not part of you. They were just visiting for a period of time and like some visitors they need to be told when to leave. True freedom is letting go of ideas that are keeping us in bondage.

How do you discover the bad ideas and ways of doing things? More often than not look at where you feel or experience unhappiness. This unhappiness is a good clue. If you want to feel more freedom then you must get rid of unhappiness.

Personal development and small business growth are built on your commitment to freedom from having bad ideas and ways of doing things dominate your life. Create more freedom in your business and life to take you where you want to go.

Always remember that to create true freedom there are two steps. Freedom requires that you embrace ideas. And freedom requires that you discard ideas that are no longer working. Embrace what works and watch your freedom grow.

More detailed information can be found at http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com. Created by Steve Scott. The definitive guide to a better business and a better you for entrepreneurs, solo professionals and self-employed individuals striving to reach the top and who are serious about their success.

Your Power Is In Your Dream

Neither one of those happened. It's good that I didn't try the first one because I wouldn't be here today.

The second dream was to be the best tennis player in New York State. Although it didn't happen the dream propelled me into becoming a very good player in the top 25 in the state. During my freshman year in high school my tennis coach, Bill Snyder, always drilled into us to visualize what success would look like. He asked us to focus on what it would look like and feel like to win.

It All Starts With Your Dream

I dreamed about not only winning but what I would have to do to become a winner. A profound change came over me when I became the first person to ever earn a varsity letter in any sport as a freshman. The change that came over me was that I realized that dreams do come true.

Another part of your dream is to do it in detail. A general dream brings some momentary excitement but generally will not bring the sustained enthusiasm necessary for it to become a reality.

Whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or an individual your dreams and what you visualize will determine in large part your personal and small business growth. To improve your business and your life you must have a dream about your improved performance. Without it, not much will change.

Dream Weaver

As a personal business coach I can personally attest to the magic of dreams. Where the real fun begins is when your business dreams and personal dreams start sharing the same stage.

Too often the business dreams overtake or suffocate the personal dreams. Running a small business in reality is running two small businesses. The first small business is your business. The second small business is your life.

It's important that you have two separate dreams, one for your business and one for your life. Too often when running a small business or starting up your own business your business becomes your life and your life becomes your business. Have two separate dreams and then weave them together. If your life is your business then you have made your life pretty small. Business is just a splinter on the piece of wood that is life.

Share Your Dream

Would you like your dreams to become reality? Share your dream for business and for life with others. When you do that you are more likely to achieve what you dreamed. How come? When you articulate to others what you want and what you see only then can them support you and help you get where you want to go.

I shared my dream of being the best tennis player in New York State with my friends and family. When I did they supported me in reaching for my goal. Now you may be saying was it all worth it because I didn't achieve my goal. The answer is an unqualified yes. Because of my dream I became much better than I would have been without it. I gained mastery of a sport. I got to meet people and interact with people who I never would have met if I hadn't become very good.

More importantly it taught me a life lesson. With my dream I lived my life on purpose. High school was a good and exciting time. My dream taught me the secret to building my self-esteem. My dream was the foundation for my personal development. As Napoleon Hill said, "What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.

Discover Your Dream

Discover your dream. Start taking action on it. The present will become an exciting ride. After all, once the future is finished in your mind then what you need to do in the present becomes absolutely clear. Harness the power of your dream and start on your path to a better business and a more rewarding life.

More detailed information can be found at http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com. Created by Steve Scott. The definitive guide to a better business and a better you for entrepreneurs, solo professionals and self-employed individuals striving to reach the top and who are serious about their success.