Every entrepreneur desires to start and grow their business
as fast as possible before anyone else has a chance to adopt their ideas or
develop a plan to compete with them. In
the quest for success, we want to put our dreams in a microwave, set the timer,
and voila! – a short time later you have an incredible growing business.
Businesses start and fail every day. What will make your business different and give
you the best chance for success?
Connecting with people.
Connecting goes beyond the exchange of business cards or
casual talk about weather and sports.
Connecting is about valuing and adding value to others. Connecting is about intentionality. You must
be intentionally mindful to look for ways to connect with others as you go
about your busy day.
Many think that connecting takes too much time and energy
that could be spent on developing fast business growth. Put two airplanes, a Cessna and a Boeing 747, at the same
position on parallel runways and have them start down their respective runways at the same time. At takeoff, the
Cessna will be off the ground, landing gear up, and well on its way before the
747 has even gotten all wheels off of the ground.
However, eventually the 747 will overtake the Cessna, taking its
passengers higher and farther than the Cessna could ever fly. That’s what connecting does. Yes, it takes time and energy at first, but
it will take your business higher and farther than you can ever imagine without it.
The following are four key groups with whom you must connect
if you plan to start, maintain, or grow your business in the long run.
Connect with your
inner circle.
Get to know your
trusted advisors and allow them to know you.
The quality of their investment, encouragement, and advice is directly
proportional to the quality of your relationship with them.
Connect with your
team.
Invest in your team - not just with money, but also with
your ears and time. Your team will be
committed to you and your vision if they know you are committed to them.
Connect with your
clients.
"How may I help you" should be on the forefront of your mind
when relating to your clients. If you
seek to understand their needs first, you will have a better chance of
providing the right service or product that they require.
Connect with everyone
else.
Everyone you meet is an opportunity to connect. You never
know where that connection will lead.
Leadership guru, John Maxwell states, “To add value to
others, one must first value others.”
Connecting is not a technique or a manipulative tool for conducting
business. It is a lifestyle. When you are genuinely interested in helping
others, they will be genuinely interested in helping you. Start connecting today.
