Guest Blogger: Tamisha Ford | tamishaford.com
If you’re a woman trying to grow a business of any kind, then you’re watching other women doing what you’re doing. It’s just the psychology of how we’re wired. However, today I want you to take your focus off of others for a moment and explore some new profound ways you can really strengthen your own personal growth and grow your business like nobody’s business!
Are You a Woman Entrepreneur Who Needs More Customers? Try This.
- Stop The Forcing Cycle
I recently created a simple graphic to represent the process we go through when we continue to force a relationship, which includes our relationships to our businesses. It starts with force – consistently trying to make things happen that aren’t working or you energetically don’t feel right about. This is different than persistence for a vision you know and have direction for. Forcing it is when you know it’s not right and you continue to press for results anyway. That force creates resentment, turns into bitterness, becomes apathy (numb and no care for what you’re working toward).
As women in business, we are very emotionally tied to the things we’re building or working toward, so it’s so important we stop the forcing cycle. Be empowered to re-group or revise when necessary and open to break some of the rules once you’ve learned them. Stopping the forcing cycle keeps your heart and mind open so your business, and you, can grow.
- Study and Learn Empathy Marketing
If you think the events of Newtown, Connecticut haven’t profoundly affected the emotions or logic of your potential customer, think again. This event created a subconscious, spiritual wave of attention in your market (whatever that market may be) that is much more high-touch than has ever existed before.
People (we) are cautious, making logical buying decisions, and emotional, making decisions we may not fully understand why we’re making, but it just “feels right.” As women entrepreneurs, we must learn this continuum and be able to step out of our own shoes and into the shoes of our potential customer. This is SO much harder than it seems.
Take a look at this Empathy Marketing experience if you think you might need help with this process. I don’t get paid for you to click on it – I genuinely just want you to understand the importance of knowing this to grow your business, and I don’t know anyone better you could learn it from in this great of detail.
- Don’t Underestimate the Power of Growing Slow
I love that the Market America business model only asks you to start with just two people. Really love it. You know why? It’s sustainable & foundational. I love that Oprah was a news anchor for all those years before creating her own brand, Apple started with one single computer, and Sara Blakely worked full time for 2 years before ever taking the public risk on her (now) billion-dollar business, Spanx.
Do not get side-swiped by people around you seeming to grow at lightning speeds, bragging silently about their accelerated success or acting like they have surpassed you (and okay, maybe they temporarily have). You’re doing things differently – building slow, doing the deep, empathetic and psychological work that’s necessary to have a sustainable business, powered by people you want to go with you.
You will reap the rewards in an unprecedented way – by the impact you will make in the lives of others, and the profitable exchange of high-quality value you’ll be known for.
