Effortless Networking

I’m in Argentina currently — perhaps dancing Tango as you read this! So while I take a break, here’s a guest article from Kim Castle about how to make the most of each step you take (when you’re building your business, not dancing!).

From a business networking perspective, here are 2 points to note as you read this article:

• First, the trusted “power team” that Kim refers to is your core network. And, you can use networking as a means to build this “power team”.
• Second, if you know where you’re headed, both networking and business development becomes easier. If your business objectives are clear, you’re also clear about whom you want to meet, why you want to meet them, and what to say to people when you meet them.

Enjoy!

How to Make the Most of Each Step You Take for Your Business
by Kim Castle, BrandU®

My first call with a new branding client, Janie, a down-to-earth realtor from Atlanta, GA, began like hundreds before, with Janie saying, “After spending 18 months and $12,300 on designing my logo, collateral, and website, I’m not any where close to communicating my business the way I want to. I’m afraid all my decisions to this point have been wrong and I’m afraid to make anymore.”

After several minutes of listening to her get her disappointments off her chest, both of the people she’s hired and in herself for the way she handled them, I told her what I always tell my clients, “There are no wrong steps, only better ones.”

The ability to see the power in where you are currently at in your business lies in how you look at the steps that got you to this point and your vision of the future.

It’s an attitude adjustment of the now and is vital to insuring your success moving forward— especially as you’re developing a brand.

Skipping the rah rah and the woo woo of positive thinking, which is still underrated, here are four ways to make the most of each and every step you take in your business.

1. Every Step Got You Here — It’s easy to see the mistakes and the mishaps that you’ve made as bad when you want to be in a different position. Every person you’ve met, every decision you’ve made, and every wall that you’ve hit has been crucial in establishing your base of knowledge. It is precisely this foundation of know-how that enables you to make your next decision. I’ve learned more from a “D” on a test than an “A”. It’s a fact, you learn more from mistakes than from successes.

   The paradigm shift: Success is how you experience each step and not the step itself.

2. Create a Trusted Power Team — Despite the good intentions of multiple hats wearing entrepreneurs around the world, a successful business is NEVER created alone. By establishing a team of people whose intention, vision, and approach match yours, you will be confident that you have people that you can bounce ideas off of and run decisions by. As you strengthen this confidence, your ability to take bigger risks and faster steps will surprise you and will pay off big time.

   The paradigm shift: Assembling a trusted team to help you gain more confidence in yourself.

3. Know Where You Are Heading — 80% my clients who were fearful of making a wrong step, didn’t have a clear idea of where they wanted their business to be— beyond “I just want to make mo*ney, or “I just want to be famous.” 15% didn’t know that they could choose it ahead of time, and the remaining 5% just didn’t care. This is by far the issue that I find takes down most small businesses today— no vision. Without a clear understanding of why your business exists, your path to get “there” is long, unclear, and plagued with ‘mistakes.’ By having a big vision, you don’t even need to know the step right in front of you.

   The paradigm shift: The small steps in front of you only mean something to the big picture head.

   This is why branding is so important in business. Done right, branding sets the path right in front of you by establishing the big picture. Define your brand right from the beginning.

4. Enjoy the Journey —When it comes to moving forward in your business or personal life, this has never been so true. There are times in my business that I get overwhelmed, frustrated, and even scared— especially when I extend myself outside the bounds of my own closely held comfort zones. But each and every time, I eventually realize how hard I made it on myself needlessly.

   The paradigm shift, “every step of the journey IS the journey. If you can’t enjoy that, then what are you here for.”

By combining the wisdom you gained from the past, with your vision of the future, and the confidence of yourself in the now, you simply cannot make a mistake. There is no such thing.

No go out there and take steps, and remember, “there are no wrong steps, only better ones.”

© Castle Montone, Limited

Brand Visioneer and BrandU co-founder, Kim Castle teaches entrepreneurs and small business owners how to turn their business ideas into a moneymaking marketable brand. If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank™, get your FREE branding tips now at www.whybrandu.com.

Doing anything new can be challenging and anxiety-provoking.

In professional situations, it can be even more stressful — probably because the consequences of not doing these “new” things, or doing them badly, can be significant.

Yet, doing them may lead to great success.

So how can you get past your stress and anxiety of doing something new?

Well, here are two very simple things you can do:

1. Find a role model to emulate, and
2. Learn to observe yourself objectively.

Ideally you’d want both, but in a pinch, even one of these can be very useful.

Here’s a story that shows how and why this works:

Our 2 year old son used to hate brushing his teeth. We tried various ways to get him to brush his teeth — pretending to find a bug in his mouth, getting him a fun toothbrush, reasoning with him, singing songs about brushing teeth — nothing really worked consistently.

Then I had a brainwave (yes, I get those sometimes!).

I invited him to come brush his teeth with me. We sat next to each other, facing the mirror so he could see both his face and mine. I brushed my teeth slowly so he could see what I was doing. And I asked him to brush his teeth — just like I was. It worked like a charm!

He was fascinated with the whole process and brushed his teeth without a fuss. And he did a mighty fine job too!

Why did it work? Because:

1. A role model demystifies the new thing or process.

   In the case of my son, when he saw me brushing my teeth, it was no longer a “strange and unknown” experience that his parents insisted he go through everyday! If his mother could do it and not cry, perhaps he could too.

   So if you want to do something that’s new to you, find someone who currently does or has already done what you want to.

   Even if it’s not exactly the way you want to do whatever it is, having a “role model” to observe gives you a roadmap of sorts.

   Observing your role model, even from a distance, can give you ideas about how you might approach the topic, including what not to do or what to do differently.

2. When you’re able to see yourself in action, you gain control.

   Being able to see what he was doing in the mirror, gave my son more control. For instance, he didn’t hurt himself by accidentally brushing his lip, or poking himself.

   Similarly, seeing what you’re doing can help you adjust and be more precise in your actions.

   So practice observing yourself — especially when you’re doing something “new”.

   Knowing that you have the ability to notice and correct yourself as you learn and do something new can be very reassuring.

   At the same time, being able to recognize immediately when you do do something well or correctly, naturally increases your confidence to continue.

So learn how to observe yourself objectively — without getting self-critical or overly analytical! It’s a very useful tool to have.

Check out the Effortless Networking self-coaching program– it shows you how to acquire this skill in the networking context.

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you — post them below and I’ll respond.