I help entrepreneurs leapfrog over the typical potholes that derail most small businesses with inspiration, motivation, education, and support across a wide range of business topics drawn from over a decade of running my own business, teaching entrepreneurship for the City of New York, and coaching and consulting privately with dozens of women and minority small business owners. Honestly, why go it alone when help is an email away?
Living on the Edge
This past Friday I had the pleasure of speaking with my friend Terri Watkins of Spin Frogs on her TERRIfic Tips for Business podcast.
We talked about a ton of stuff: successful pricing, defining the deeper value of what you deliver and how you serve your audience, and strategic networking, to name a few—we went wide, but we also went deep, and I encourage you to check it out.
Right at the end, Terri asked me, "What's the one piece of advice you wish you could give your younger self?"
My answer: "Get out of your own way!"
I told a story of how I used to be really lousy at asking for help. I would procrastinate forever, talk myself out of reaching out, justify to myself why I absolutely couldn't send that email or make that call.
And then, I would sweat over every single second waiting for a response, praying the person I contacted didn't think the worst of me.
If I didn't hear back in what I thought was a reasonable timeframe, then it must have been because they were mad, insulted, thought, 'how dare I', or something even worse.
What I learned when I spent a year of purposefully trying to get better at reaching out, connecting, and, specifically, asking for help is:
- Most people are more than happy to support you when you ask for something specific and give them the tools to do so.
- When people don't respond right away it's got nothing to do with you, it's about what's going on with them.
- It's okay to follow up with people—you're not their priority, so even when they have the best intention of responding quickly, things happen that derail that intention. A gentle nudge is appreciated.
- Just because someone doesn't respond doesn't mean they think less of you for asking.
- It really does get easier and easier the more you do it.
I love the way Terri summed things up on this topic:
I'd like to challenge you to take one action over the next week to help you solve a problem or improve your circumstances that's significantly outside your comfort zone.
If you've been avoiding sending an email, making a call, submitting an application, asking for help, pitching an idea, promoting yourself, or in some other manner standing in your own way, now is the time to get over yourself and push into your growing edge.
And, do me a favor, let me know how it goes and how it feels. And, if you need help, I'm here for you.
Last week I wrote about my cautious optimism as we enter the second half of the year. If you missed it, you can read it here.
Until next week, be fearless!
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Easily Said & Done
I help entrepreneurs leapfrog over the typical potholes that derail most small businesses with inspiration, motivation, education, and support across a wide range of business topics drawn from over a decade of running my own business, teaching entrepreneurship for the City of New York, and coaching and consulting privately with dozens of women and minority small business owners. Honestly, why go it alone when help is an email away?
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