Life Lesson

You may feel inclined to keep things hush hush when you’re first starting out.

Perhaps you feel journalists will be more inclined to cover your story when it’s new and right out of the gate.

Maybe you think investors will be likelier to back you up once they see that you’ve established yourself.

Reasonably you might wait to talk to friends, family and people in your prospective industry before you launch because you fear what they may say.

This is not the best process.

It’s better to reach out to publication outlets and journalists before you start so you can establish a connection and they can get excited about what you’re working on.

Also from my experience, reporters are more likely to help you out before you launch because they know you’re not aiming for a one-off placement, amongst other things.

Moreover, contrary to what you may believe, it’s easier to get a series of small investments from folk who want to see you get started and be part of the startup process then people who know you just opened your doors and now need backing.

Not to mention, in this connection economy, people are desiring and empowering each other to start rather than continue.

Consider how much information is out there about keeping a business going (a ton!) and the demand by people who want to learn how to start their own business (a ton!) – this makes the economy wickedly well suited for those wanting to start a business.

Lastly, it’s better to learn how to deal with people being naysayers early on. They’ll queue you into what problems to resolve. They’ll help you consider angles you never have before. And, most importantly, they’ll surprise you with how much they’ll support you rather than hold you back.

Yours fears aren’t as real as you’re making them out to be.

 

Stay Positive & Go Start

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I’ve noticed in the branding world that there are businesses which want more attention, but don’t address why.

They think more attention magically produces more profit without acknowledging that the purpose of publicity and PR and marketing isn’t to make more money; it’s to get to do more of what you love.

More attention can drive expansion. More attention can show a desire to have your business in an area that you’ve never considered. Attention can prove to the investors that it’s in their best interest to cough up more money so you can grow – but always with the intention of doing more of what you love.

If you consider the word buzz. Everyone wants to get buzz, but buzz equates with busyness, not blind investments from customers.

More attention is a good thing when you’re passionate about doing more of what you’re doing, but if you’re only quantifying attention to dollars then getting more attention might not be worth it.

 

Stay Positive & People See (If Not Completely Feel) Your Intentions

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Often times we rationalize dealing with poor experiences by playing the would you rather game.

Would you rather deal with what you’re dealing with now or deal with something worse?

Others skip the game and say, “well, it could always be worse.”

Moreover, we blindly agree with the idea that if we all threw our troubles into a pile and saw what everyone else was dealing with, we would take ours back.

This is troubling.

Why is the circumstance your dealing with and a worse circumstance the only options? Why can’t you agree that, you know what, it could always be better. Why don’t we think that if we all threw our troubles in a pile that we would leave them there and start something better from scratch?

Rationalizing bad experiences isn’t about rationalizing bad experiences, it’s about turning your shoulder to doing work that matters, to accepting the call to rise above and figure out a better way.

Not sure about you, but if I’m going to spend any energy it’s going to be on making something better and not on trying to convince myself that things could be worse.

 

Stay Positive & Grass Is Greener On The Side You Water

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“I’m trying to open a restaurant” attracts a far different response from people than “I’m pitching a business idea to some investors.”

In the former, you’re asking for the critics to speak up. Naysayers take it as an invite to prod: “what kind of restaurant?” “have you thought about X?” “what about that one demographic, why are you leaving them out?”

With the latter, you’re asking for blind encouragement. “That’s awesome. Good luck!” You’re also looking to build your credibility and people’s interest. If they ask what the business idea is, just say “I’ll let you know once I get the investors.”

If you’re passionate, by all means tell others what you’re doing, but if you are vulnerable to fear, if you’re susceptible to criticism, and don’t want to explain what you’re doing to someone who will potentially slow you down, bypass it altogether.

It’s one thing to be in an environment of professional feedback. It’s another to put influence power in people who, at the end of the day, don’t provide any value to what you’re doing.

 

Stay Positive & Careful Who You Give Power To

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There are a couple of sources for passion. Your goal is to fuel up with both of them.

Passion can be from something you love. You care about it. You can’t live without it.

A brand that has passion is typically lead by someone who scratched their own itch. She really wanted something, desired something with all of her heart, and if no one else was going to build it, she would.

This kind of passion makes us happy. It offers self-purpose, self-motivation, self-determination. This gets us up in the morning, but what gets us through the day?

The other source of passion comes from frustration, dissatisfaction, and, yes, a bit of anger.

If what you’re interested in doesn’t exist yet, why the heck not? If it does exist, doesn’t it get you going that they aren’t doing a better job? Heck, a lot of entrepreneurs start a business because they know they could do something much better.

Have you ever wondered why looking at your competitors is such a critical element to a business plan? It’s not meant to depress you, it’s meant to get you fired up.

I don’t buy into the idea that it’s difficult to discover your passion in terms of what you love, but I do believe it takes some work to find the right mixture of fuel for your passion – combining both elements of love (what could be) and frustration (what isn’t).

 

Stay Positive & Fuel Up

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I was taught early on to only ever look down on someone if I’m extending my hand to help.

While practicing this concept has helped me make friends, build a following, and attract fans, it isn’t what has really set me apart. I’m not the first to be jazzed about helping people.

What has put me ahead of the pack is that I’ve helped those in front of me, above me, and better than me too. I extend my hand to those behind and ahead of me.

I help people move forward faster. No envy. No jealousy. No resentment.

Someone I really admire wrote me an email the other week when I shared with her my excitement about an award she won. The email read, “you are my biggest fan.”

I can’t begin to describe how good it feels to be told that. It’s a sign I’m making a difference in someone’s life and it’s a reminder to pay as much attention on being the biggest fan to someone as I do trying to create biggest fans of my own.

 

Stay Positive & Who Are You The Biggest Fan To?

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“The ability to stand in the customer’s shoes and to see the world as they do is the most underrated marketing tool we have.” – Bernadette Jiwa

You might not be right when you step into the customer’s shoes.

Thing is, they might not be right either.

The point isn’t to be right, it’s to step in their shoes and try to be right.

It’s often in the process of showing you care, of setting an example for your belief in understanding the customer that the more customers seem to show up.

 

Stay Positive & Showing You Care Enough To Listen Is More Important Than Being Right

*Edit: Being right certainly helps, but it’s not the end-all-be-all. By default, the more you practice stepping into others’ shoes, listening, caring the more often you’ll be right.

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