How To Be An Authentic Entrepreneur
Being authentic, doing business on your own terms...is a subject that is very important to me. I am conscious about making sure that all the choices I make for my life and my business are grounded in who I am and what's important to me.
This impacts every business decision I make as a mom and as an entrepreneur. Before I decide on a logo, an email campaign or a training call I stop and consider whether it authentically reflects my values, my beliefs and my goals.
Authenticity begins with self-awareness.
I believe that the only way to authentically align yourself with your beliefs is to develop self-awareness. I want to share a story with you to illustrate that point.
About a year ago I was working with three wonderful coaches in Tucson. During this coaching process, I got to work witih Chester, a 1,400-pound horse named Chester. (Keep in mind, I've only ridden horses as a kid, so this was a big experience for me).
One of the amazing things about horses is that they're incredibly intuitive; they've actually got 100 feet of "gut". As the largest prey animal, their safety depends on their "knowing". They know when you are and when you are not being authentic and aligned with your beliefs.
It was about 90 degrees and I was standing in a corral with Chester. Kendall, my coach, said "Kim, just start talking about your business. Tell us a little bit about it."
I started speaking, and Chester basically put his butt in my face. "Kim, he's showing you he's not interested in what you're talking about. You're not capturing his attention."
We went through about 10 or 15 more minutes in the hot sun and I started speaking about this idea I had percolating in my brain --to train and support communities of entrepreneurial women. What do you think happened? When I shared my vision aloud Chester turned around! (Take a look at the photo). I couldn't believe it.
Kendall said, "Kim, you've caught his attention. I want you to walk toward him, don't say anything, but stay in that place of speaking to these women who you have valuable information to share with. Walk toward him." I followed her lead and when I got close to him, he nuzzled his nose into my neck.
"Kim, I want you to walk around the corral, saying nothing, just staying in that place of alignment." Chester proceeded to follow me around the corral twice. "Kim, that's a sign of what happens when you're aligned with something you're meant to do."
Chester knew when I was being authentic (he also knew when I wasn't). That day I learned a hugely valuable lesson - to be fully aware of my inner feelings so I could align myself with my true passion.
Authenticity grows with self-confidence.
Authenticity may begin with self-awareness but to grow and blossom it requires self-confidence. Why? Because there will be times when being authentic means you have to listen to your inner voice when everyone around you is telling you something completely different. At times like these it's very tempting to forego authenticity in favor of "proven" strategies and techniques.
Don't get me wrong, I advocate listening and learning from business and marketing experts and I work hard to apply what I've learned. However, there are times when I'm reading a marketing book, or at a class, or speaking with my coach and I'll hear great advice but it's not the best advice for me - it doesn't feel authentic.
When this happens I choose to create a new path for how I do things. I take in a lot of information from various sources (people, information products, books etc.) digest it, and synthesize it in a "Kim" way so that all I do has my personal stamp on it.
Women have an advantage when it comes to being authentic entrepreneurs. We're usually fairly comfortable relying on our intuition. But when it comes to BUSINESS sometimes we let doubts creep in. My advice - always trust your instincts, even if you're new to business. If you don't feel authentic about a business decision, don't dismiss the feeling. Take the time to make sure you're truly aligned with you values, beliefs and goals before moving forward.
With some self-awareness and self-confidence you can enjoy your business as an authentic entrepreneur. By doing business on your own terms, you'll be amazed at how the right people, places and opportunities appear - sometimes out of nowhere.
Authenticity is especially important in the world of social networking. Stay tuned for my next ezine as I share tips and my ongoing journey with how to authentically promote yourself online.
This impacts every business decision I make as a mom and as an entrepreneur. Before I decide on a logo, an email campaign or a training call I stop and consider whether it authentically reflects my values, my beliefs and my goals.
Authenticity begins with self-awareness.
I believe that the only way to authentically align yourself with your beliefs is to develop self-awareness. I want to share a story with you to illustrate that point.
About a year ago I was working with three wonderful coaches in Tucson. During this coaching process, I got to work witih Chester, a 1,400-pound horse named Chester. (Keep in mind, I've only ridden horses as a kid, so this was a big experience for me).
One of the amazing things about horses is that they're incredibly intuitive; they've actually got 100 feet of "gut". As the largest prey animal, their safety depends on their "knowing". They know when you are and when you are not being authentic and aligned with your beliefs.
It was about 90 degrees and I was standing in a corral with Chester. Kendall, my coach, said "Kim, just start talking about your business. Tell us a little bit about it."
I started speaking, and Chester basically put his butt in my face. "Kim, he's showing you he's not interested in what you're talking about. You're not capturing his attention."
We went through about 10 or 15 more minutes in the hot sun and I started speaking about this idea I had percolating in my brain --to train and support communities of entrepreneurial women. What do you think happened? When I shared my vision aloud Chester turned around! (Take a look at the photo). I couldn't believe it.
Kendall said, "Kim, you've caught his attention. I want you to walk toward him, don't say anything, but stay in that place of speaking to these women who you have valuable information to share with. Walk toward him." I followed her lead and when I got close to him, he nuzzled his nose into my neck.
"Kim, I want you to walk around the corral, saying nothing, just staying in that place of alignment." Chester proceeded to follow me around the corral twice. "Kim, that's a sign of what happens when you're aligned with something you're meant to do."
Chester knew when I was being authentic (he also knew when I wasn't). That day I learned a hugely valuable lesson - to be fully aware of my inner feelings so I could align myself with my true passion.
Authenticity grows with self-confidence.
Authenticity may begin with self-awareness but to grow and blossom it requires self-confidence. Why? Because there will be times when being authentic means you have to listen to your inner voice when everyone around you is telling you something completely different. At times like these it's very tempting to forego authenticity in favor of "proven" strategies and techniques.
Don't get me wrong, I advocate listening and learning from business and marketing experts and I work hard to apply what I've learned. However, there are times when I'm reading a marketing book, or at a class, or speaking with my coach and I'll hear great advice but it's not the best advice for me - it doesn't feel authentic.
When this happens I choose to create a new path for how I do things. I take in a lot of information from various sources (people, information products, books etc.) digest it, and synthesize it in a "Kim" way so that all I do has my personal stamp on it.
Women have an advantage when it comes to being authentic entrepreneurs. We're usually fairly comfortable relying on our intuition. But when it comes to BUSINESS sometimes we let doubts creep in. My advice - always trust your instincts, even if you're new to business. If you don't feel authentic about a business decision, don't dismiss the feeling. Take the time to make sure you're truly aligned with you values, beliefs and goals before moving forward.
With some self-awareness and self-confidence you can enjoy your business as an authentic entrepreneur. By doing business on your own terms, you'll be amazed at how the right people, places and opportunities appear - sometimes out of nowhere.
Authenticity is especially important in the world of social networking. Stay tuned for my next ezine as I share tips and my ongoing journey with how to authentically promote yourself online.
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