Are You The Unhappiest Small Business Owner In The Room?
Why you may need to stop and look in the mirror
I meet many small business owners at my speaking engagements and the various business events I attend, and I am always amazed at the number of small business owners who are eager to complain rather than talk about the great things happening in their business.
And these unhappy people are also the ones struggling to find clients, keep good staff and make a profit.
Is it any wonder because even if things aren't as good as what you'd like, there are ALWAYS positives to take out of every day.
Case in point
I met a small business owner for the first time at a function I attended, and I asked them what business they were in and how things were going?
Well, didn't I open the floodgates!
Now as I'm known as the Bob the Builder for Small Business, I was grateful for the opportunity to find out more to see if I could provide some simple practical solutions to their issues.
Which I did and for me, that's great as all I want to do is help make the lives of each small business owner easier.
However, when I reflected on the conversation and their behaviour, it made me look at things from a potential client's perspective and this was my conclusion.
Is this really the first impression you want to give me as a potential buyer of your products and services?
Is this really the first impression you want to give me a potential referral because I may have your ideal clients sitting in my database?
I think not, and yet, too many small business owners, at every opportunity they get, want to whinge and moan about everyone and everything saying things like:
• If I didn't leave my shop now, I would have told a customer how stupid they were
• I'm ready to kill my staff
• I sold XX product today but it meant I couldn't catch up on my work
Now I realise life is very tough as a small business owner, and things are not always rosy.
But I don't really want to hear, right off the bat, the Bad and the Ugly of your problems until you have engaged me as your Business Coach to help. I just want to hear the Good things.
And if a natural Problem Solver like me (who really probably does want to know so they can help) is saying this, imagine how everyone else is feeling.
So if these are your conversations when you act like Elvis and 'leave the building' (or the confines of your office), here's my key question for you to consider.
Would you buy or refer you?
If the answer is NO, then what thing or things do you need to do to turn this perception into a much better reality?
And it may be as simple as embracing a 'fake it until you make it' attitude, and leave the baggage in the car or office where it belongs.
I encourage you to please take the time to STOP and look in the Mirror, to have that good hard look at yourself so you can understand what other people are seeing and hearing.
And if it's not what you like, then be prepared to put in the work to change and step back up into your role as a proud and successful small business owner so you can turn back into the happiest small business owner in the room.
And here's my final thought:
If you do this, then I believe you'll be amazed at the opportunities which come your way.
And if you'd like to know how to do this, then please book a
FREE Chat here.
Cheers
Tamara
