As a mom and a business owner, my days are jam-packed. I’m always incredibly busy! Looking at the bigger picture, it’s important for me to evaluate how I am spending my time. Are there lessor responsibilities I might be able to pass on so that my time is spent on efforts that will result in maximum benefit for my business and family?
Know what you’re doing and why
I’m a Digital Marketing Strategist. I build websites, develop page content, and repurpose content for consumption on social channels. I provide training and consultations. The sense of fulfillment I experience for the work I do each day is a gift that comes to me as result of helping others to succeed.
However, as I consider the tasks I complete day-in and day-out, I realize that the majority of my time is spent on relationship building over website coding. This might appear to be a wasteful practice, but it’s a good thing!
Certainly, a solid knowledge base is required to excel in your chosen profession. To be successful, I must have a thorough understanding of what goes into a great website over a mediocre one. That’s what schooling and continuous learning are all about. But when it comes to building a thriving business, there’s that “secret something” that allows for the right mix of people and processes that nurtures business growth.
You know the old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”? This holds true. It’s not that you should seek out a lot of friends who you can rely on for favors. It’s more about realizing the win-win benefits of surrounding yourself with a strong support system. What you put into it is proportional to what you’ll get out of it.
For me, I seek to connect with individuals who share similar goals and aspirations. I learn from others who have complementary strengths and skills. Or those who have gone through similar challenges. Each relationship contributes to establishing a collective network of friends and business associates that I can rely on when I run into difficulties personally or professionally. At the same time, sharing my skill set and experience with others means that I have something to offer in return. No one is attracted to a taker. For any relationship to work, it must be mutually beneficial. You give and you receive. When everyone understands that, it forms a win-win relationship and we all rise.
The phrase \’no man is an island\’ expresses the idea that human beings do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community in order to thrive. This is especially true if you are following a dream to build a strong and successful business!