Business Growth: Are You Putting Yourself Out There?

Does the idea of “putting yourself out there” strike a bit of fear and anxiety in you? I know it does for many of us, yet it’s an essential part of growing our businesses and achieving our dreams.

In my latest audio blog, “Putting Yourself Out There”, I share why visibility and personal connections are so important. We focus so much energy on social media and traditional advertising, but what about the people we see every day? Do they know what we do and why we do it?

Why You Should Listen:

• Relatable Stories: I share a personal story about a surprising discovery at my gym that could lead to a beneficial business collaboration. It’s a reminder that opportunities are all around us if we’re open to them. This will likely spark a similar opportunity for you.
• Practical Tips: Learn how to talk about your business in a way that feels natural and not pushy. It’s all about casual, genuine conversations.
• Mutual Benefits: Understand the importance of supporting others in their business endeavors and how it can come back to benefit you tenfold.

Key Takeaways:

• Be Seen and Known: The Importance of Visibility
  • Visibility is crucial for any business owner. An overwhelming majority of people trust recommendations from friends and family over any other form of advertising. By being visible and known in your community, you turn those around you into advocates for your business. When people know you and understand what you do, they’re more likely to recommend you to others, creating a powerful word-of-mouth marketing effect that money can’t buy.
  • Make sure the people you interact with regularly know what you do. You’d be surprised how many opportunities you might be missing out on.
• Overcome the Fear: Authentic Self-Promotion
  • Talking about your business shouldn’t feel like bragging. When you frame your business in terms of the passion and solutions you bring, you build trust and credibility. Authenticity is key – when you genuinely believe in what you do, it resonates with others and helps build a solid foundation of trust.
  • Talking about your business isn’t bragging – it’s sharing your passion and offering solutions.
• Build Relationships: Genuine Connections Lead to Opportunities
  • Engaging with people you see regularly can lead to unexpected opportunities. Harvard Business Review reports that people with strong networks are more likely to be successful in their careers. Casual conversations can uncover potential business opportunities or collaborations that you hadn’t considered. Building genuine relationships based on mutual interests and respect can open doors you didn’t even know existed.
  • Engage more deeply with those around you. You never know how a simple conversation can turn into a valuable connection.
• Support Each Other: Mutual Benefits and Growth
  • Helping others leads to benefits for you, too. When you support others, they are more likely to support you too, creating a supportive network where everyone helps each other succeed. This sense of community and collaboration can significantly enhance both personal satisfaction and professional success.
  • It’s not just about you – helping others can lead to mutual growth and success.

How to Start Putting Yourself Out There:

1. Start Small: Begin by having more in-depth conversations with the people you already see regularly. Ask them about their interests and share yours.
2. Be Genuine: Focus on building real relationships, not just on selling. People can sense when you are genuinely interested in them versus when you have an agenda.
3. Offer Help: Look for ways to support others in their endeavors. This builds goodwill and encourages reciprocal support.
4. Stay Consistent: Make it a habit to engage with people around you. The more you practice, the more natural it will become.

Listen to the episode now and start putting yourself out there! 🎧 Listen Here

Transcription – Here’s the full transcript from the audio recording:

Putting Yourself Out There Final

[00:00:00] Hello, hello. Today I want to talk a little bit about putting yourself out there. That’s something that strikes a little bit of fear in most of us, I think, right? What does that actually mean? When I say putting yourself out there, what I’m really talking about is the fact that if you’re a business owner and you’re selling a product or a service, who knows about it?

[00:00:35] I think we all think we need to be spending all this time on social media, Maybe doing some traditional advertising. We’re always looking for ways to put ourselves in front of people in ways other than actually physically putting ourselves in front of people. The question I have for you today is do the people in your life, the ones you see all the time, do they know what you do?

[00:01:02] Do they know why you do it? Are they thinking of you when they run across somebody who is in the market for what you do? The reason I want to talk about this today is because even though I am very aware of the need for putting yourself out there, sometimes I find that I’m not doing it either. You know, I’m looking at the time I spend on social media.

[00:01:27] I’m trying to post regularly. I’m trying to be visible. I’m making sure my website is as up to date as I can, you know, make the time for. But, Do the people I see on a regular basis know what I’m doing? Not always. And that was driven home to me recently when I was at the gym that I go to four to five days a week and I am a regular.

[00:01:54] If there’s one thing you’ll know about me before long, if you don’t already, it’s that I am very much a creature of habit. I do. Very similar things on a regular basis. So I go to the same spin classes a couple of days a week. So I see the people that were in this room almost every week. And after class, I don’t even know what sparked the conversation, but I discovered that not only did the spin instructor have a business of her own.

[00:02:32] But she discovered that I did. We didn’t know that about each other. And it was so interesting because we found out that the businesses that we have are complimentary. There are things that I might be able to help her with. And there are things that she might be able to help me with. How crazy is that?

[00:02:54] In reality, it’s not so crazy at all. I think if we were to really pay attention. And start looking at what’s going on around us and who we’re talking to about our business and who we’re not, we’d be surprised. I think sometimes we find ourselves getting into that mode of, Oh, I don’t want to talk about my business because that’s going to sound like I’m bragging.

[00:03:17] That’s going to sound like I am selling to the people I run into. Yeah, that could happen depending on how you approach it. But. If you are consistently communicating with people just in casual, typical conversation and getting to know people around you and it doesn’t come up, that’s on you. You want to make sure that you’re talking to the people around you so that they do know about you.

[00:03:46] If you’re developing a relationship with somebody on a regular basis, you run into them all the time. First of all, if you don’t know their name, ask. I’ve been there. I will see the same people over and over again. And finally I’m like, okay, this is really crazy. And I hate that it took me this long to ask, but I see you all the time.

[00:04:05] What is your name? And then that opens up an even bigger door to conversations. You start connecting a little bit more personally, you start to learn about each other. And that includes talking about your business. That doesn’t mean you’re talking about your business in the hopes that you can turn them into a client right that moment.

[00:04:25] That’s not what I’m talking about, but I’m talking about the fact that if you have a business in your community or that serves people far and wide, it doesn’t matter what you do, let them know. Not only will that help them get to know you a little better and maybe how you tick and understand a little bit more about who you are.

[00:04:46] But if they happen to run across somebody, or they themselves need something that you offer, it will give you an opportunity. And that’s all we can ask for. We all know how hard it is to find new clients. So we need to start paying attention to those around us, and we need to do the same for those around us.

[00:05:08] So this isn’t a one way street. You can’t just go out looking for people to help you in your business. But also you want to be proactive in that effort. You know, ask people what they do so you can help them. There might be opportunities for collaborations. There might be opportunities for them to help you.

[00:05:29] There might be opportunities for you to refer them to somebody else. You know, who needs what they have to offer. The small business community is small and we’re all in this together and we’re all trying to Live that small business life, the American dream. So being able to help each other do it, to me, there’s nothing greater than that.

[00:05:53] I love helping small businesses. I love helping other small business owners thrive and grow and live the life of their dreams. You know, that’s what I talk about all the time. I want to help people get time back, but you know, beyond that, I want to connect with other people and find out who in the room is a small business owner.

[00:06:13] How can I help them? And conversely, maybe how can they help me down the road? But it’s not all about you. It’s not all about me. When we’re the ones talking to those people out in the community, let’s come at it from the standpoint of what can I do for you? How might I be able to help you? And we all know that that comes around many times, tenfold.

[00:06:35] Take care of others and you will also be taken care of. But again, the focus today is just to think about that. We spend so much time advertising, whether that’s through social media or other means, or finding ways to try to get business into our door. And we might be overlooking people that are right in front of us.

[00:06:58] So I want you to think about that when you’re at the gym, when you’re at the grocery store, when you’re at that favorite coffee shop that you go to five days a week. Engage a little bit more with those people that you see all the time. Learn something. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did. Thanks for listening.

Deb Mitzel is a Small Business Operations Consultant & Coach, as well as a 17hats Implementation Specialist. Deb is passionate about helping her clients get time back so they have the bandwidth to bring their personal and professional dreams to life. She believes that an Integrated Life – one where your life and business are designed to serve you best – is not only possible, but achievable. If you need help with your business and would like to chat with Deb, she offers a Free Discovery Call to learn more. Click below to schedule your call!