Reaching Life's Milestones

Reaching important milestones is a big part of life.  Now that the kids are back in school and focused on their school work and activities it’s time for us to refocus, to set goals and to reach for some of our own milestones in life.  About a month ago, I celebrated a very big milestone in my career.  My company, Small Business Marketing Solutions celebrated its first birthday!! 

Over the past year in business I have learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of achieving.  And anyone who has a dream but doesn’t think they have what it takes should read these lessons learned and know that you can absolutely achieve anything you set your mid to.

1.       Don’t let anyone stand in your way.  A year ago there was a person in our community who was hell-bent on destroying me.  Because my career hinges on my reputation, I was terrified of what other people thought of me, especially those that had never met me.  I soon learned that the vast majority of people actually wanted me to succeed.  I had given way too much power to this one person and I needed to regain that power back.  So, as scary as it was, with my head held high I mustered up the courage to make some really key phone calls and I walked into meetings and networking events with confidence.

2.       Believe in yourself and others will too.  When you believe in your abilities and what you have to offer, you will attract other like-minded, positive people.  If you honestly believe that you are capable of providing an exceptional product or service, don’t be afraid to share that with everyone.  But there is a difference between having confidence and being full of yourself.  Confident people just exude that confidence and positive people are drawn to them.  They don’t go looking for admiration from anyone who will give it to them. 

3.       Persevere when things get tough.  I knew that going into this business was not going to be easy.  Having kids to take care of and bills to pay along with juggling work responsibilities is part of the world we live in today where the vast majority of women work outside the home.  I’m not going to say it’s easy to balance it all, but keep your goals in mind in everything you do.  Just keep plugging through, giving 100% in everything you do, whether it be your business, your finances, your family, or your friendships.

4.       Stay focused on your goals.  Sometimes it’s difficult to remember why you started this venture in the first place.  I knew that going into this I was opening the only marketing communications consulting firm north of Sudbury.  My goal was to give small businesses throughout northern Ontario the opportunity to adequately plan their marketing strategies with the assistance of a local marketing firm who understood their needs.  Just because we’re a little off the beaten path doesn’t mean that businesses in this area shouldn’t have access to the same resources as businesses in other areas of the country.  Keeping that focus top of mind throughout the year has helped me stay on track as to why I chose to start this company.

 

5.       Don’t settle for less.  Don’t sell yourself short.  Setting goals and achieving them is what keeps me motivated to do more.  I may not have achieved all of my goals by the timeframe I had originally set out but that doesn’t mean I’ll never reach them.  It may just take a little longer to do that.  I know what I want to achieve in my life, my career and my business.  And there is no way I’m going to settle for anything less.  I have goals set, but more importantly I have a plan of action to achieve those goals.

6.       Build a strong support system.  This may sound harsh, but there are people in your life right now that are weighing you down.  Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about your success, people who you can bounce ideas off of, people who will share in your big moments and be there to listen when things start going south.  I’ve had to part ways with “Negative Nellies” and I’ve been fortunate to have found people in the business community who have become real champions of my business.  The friends I have are people who genuinely like me for who I am and want to be friends with me.  I don’t hide my emotions well, so I don’t have patience for phony people.  But the one person I know that is always backing me up is my husband.  Having been together for 12 years, our marriage has been through a lot of good and a lot of not so good.  I don’t do this job (or anything else for that matter) for the recognition, but it’s nice to know that at the end of the day, someone is proud of me.

I once had someone tell me that they admired me for having the guts to start my own business.  I never really looked at it as having the guts to do something that other people may be afraid to do.  But it really does take a certain personality to run a successful business.  Not everyone is cut out for it, nor do they want to.  But if you’re anything like me and you want to make a contribution to business community in any way, just go for it. 

Make Your Brand Story Resonate With Your Customers

Everyone has a story.  Every company, every product, every community, every industry has a story.  Think about your own story for a moment.  If you were to write your biography, how would it go?  What would it say about you?  Everyone, no matter how young or old, has gone through experiences both good and bad.  These experiences may have been experiences that others have also lived through.  But everyone views these experiences differently.  What might have seemed to be traumatic and life-altering to one person can seem like just a bump in the road of life to someone else.  Now, in writing your personal story, remember that not everyone really cares to hear it.  But some people, the key people in your life, will want to know every juicy detail.

What's your story?

Now relate that to your business.  Your business also has a story to tell.  Whether your business has only been in operation for 3 months or for 25 years it still has a history.  And, just like your personal story, not everyone cares to hear about your business.  Only a few key people really want to know who you are.  Your story is the basis of your brand.  You can’t develop a brand until you know the whole story.  So, think about what you want people to know about you.  Being authentic is the key to developing trust with people.  Be upfront about your shortcomings.  Let people in.  We’ve all made mistakes.  We’ve all done things we wish we could go back and change.  But life moves on and going back to change something that’s already happened isn’t possible.  The bigger your company gets, the more you are under the microscope.  I hate to say it, but there are people out there who want to see you fail.  Most people genuinely want to see you succeed, but some don’t.  But those aren’t the people you need to be concerned with.  When you remain authentic and conduct your business with professionalism and respect, and handle mistakes swiftly and with dignity, you will make a name for yourself that people remember in a positive way.  Those naysayers who want to bring you down won’t be able to. 

Who are the people you most want to attract?  You may very well have more than one target market, but don’t try to be everything to everybody.  Like I said, some people are not people you need to be targeting to.  So, think about how your target market wants to communicate with you.  What do they want and why do they want it.  People want to feel a sense of belonging, a connection, a feeling of being understood.  Last year, Shania Twain published her autobiography.  I went through an experience very similar to one she had gone through and as I was reading her feelings about it, I felt like, “she gets it”, she’s someone I could totally sit down with and talk about this and we could totally relate to each other.  She is one person who automatically comes to mind when I say “personal brand”.  Like Madonna or Cher, Shania only needs one word for people to know who she is and what she’s about.

Company brands are no different from personal brands in that they create an image in the minds of their customers.  That brand is developed through trust, by being true to who they are and marketing to like-minded consumers.  People develop a loyalty to a brand because of the feeling of understanding and connection.

So, whether you are developing a brand for your company or a personal brand for yourself, keep these tips in mind.

·         Stay true to who you are

·         Don’t apologize for who you are

·         Own up to past mistakes but don’t dwell on them.

·         Market your message to the right market

You’ll know when your brand story has resonated with the right market.  Your ideal customers will become repeat customers and become the biggest ambassadors for your brand.  So, what is your story?