Photo by Jordan Pérez Ordenes

What are you afraid of in your business life? How much does the fear control your (in)actions? We all know people who eased through the solving the problems that confound us, yet the fear paralyzes us.

First: quantify what you’re afraid of. Are you about to risk your life savings launching a new product? Are you worried that you won’t have something interesting to say at your next networking event? Perhaps you’re afraid that the next person you cold call will hang up on you?

Next: look around you. Is the fear that you’re facing something that others have faced? Have you asked others to validate that the fear you’re facing is of the same magnitude you’re imagining it is? What you need to do is determine if your perception is accurate. Based on our own backgrounds, values, and experiences, we interpret similar situations vastly differently. Have you ever noticed that others seemingly blow through the thing that stops you (and vice versa)?

Finally: acclimate yourself. No matter what you’re afraid of, your fear of the action is worse than the action itself. Try:

• Take smaller steps to overcome the fear.
• Act in situations where you don’t care about the outcome.
• Interview others that don’t have the fear you do.

Let’s say you’re public speaking at your next networking event. Here are some ways to acclimate to your fear:

• To take smaller steps, you might ask questions of the person who is speaking publicly. You’re not the focus, but it’ll make you stand up to ask the question, have people turn their heads to look at you, and be heard in the room.
• To act in low-risk situations, give your speech to friend, to your dog, into the mirror, into a video camera, at a highway overpass, or your religious group.
• Call the person who’s the center of attention at your networking event and ask them for their “secret”. At worst, you’ll build a support network.

Give yourself a big gift – the gift of personal growth. Align your perceived fears to “reality”. The freedom from overcoming one hurdle will empower you to make other changes in your (business) life.

Photo by lululemon athletica

I was talking to an employee at a gym the other day and was surprised to hear him mention that he was worried about one of the gym patrons (let’s call him “Frank”). Frank was always cooperative with the other gym patrons, but in the past few months Frank has become quite argumentative with the staff. At times, the arguments have become abusive and almost leading to a fight. The gym employee eventually reported the physical confrontation with his supervisor, and a quick meeting ensued. Frank quickly apologized, the manager sided with Frank, and the employee was without recourse. While the fighting hasn’t (yet) reoccurred, the abusive attitude continues. And now the employee is scared that Frank will do something even more dangerous (perhaps to another patron of the gym or another staff member).

If the gym is your business, how would you handle things? It would seem that if you side with Frank, you alienate your employee. Side with the employee, you alienate your customer. It’s a seemingly no-win situation.

By siding with your customer, you’re clearly stating that “the customer is always right” and that you can easily be replaced. That attitude creates a hostile work environment. Your staff are now more concerned about their well-being (inwardly-focused) rather than making a difference in your business (outwardly-focused). You don’t lose a customer, but you won’t be growing your business with passionate employees. You also allow a bully to run free possibly alienating other customers.

Instead, imagine siding with your employee. Make it clear what acceptable behavior is towards your staff. And, if someone violates your guidelines, give them a quick warning. If the behavior continues, fire your customer. This clearly sets the message that your employees are family, and your family comes first. This will also set higher expectations of your customers.

By ensuring the well-being of your employees, you’re guaranteeing that your employees will be looking out for the well-being of your business as well.

Photo by Petra Sell

People who start businesses fall into one of two camps: either they are passionate about their product/service and just have to share it with the world or they’re looking to sell something to someone to make money. While there’s nothing wrong with starting a business to sell “something”, you’re doing yourself and the world a huge disservice. By making your business goal focused solely on revenue, you’re sucking the joy from a possible “connection” with your customers.

Your customer is looking for a solution to their problem, whether that be a leaking pipe,  a dress that will flatter their body shape, or a computer that doesn’t keep crashing. Their initial criteria for selecting a business is: “Is this company highly likely to satisfy my need at a fair price?” We choose “highly likely” companies based on our research (asking friends, doing research, etc.) and judge “fair price” based on our budget and the value for fixing the problem today. These are all the logical thoughts that customers consider when choosing to buy from you.

If you’re just selling “something” then your only option is to position yourself as the best choice to solve the customer’s problem.

If you’re passionate about what you’re selling, then you have a secondary marketing advantage – showing your prospective customer that you care as much about the solution as they do, and perhaps even more. You’ve researched all the options out there, only carry the best choices, and even had to have manufacturers make custom models for your discriminating needs. You want to show that all you think about are problems like your customer is having and that you’re on a personal mission to eradicate this problem from the planet. You’ve tried all the competition’s options, rejected some of them, and are still looking for better options all the time.

This is who I want to buy from – someone who’s constantly on the lookout for the next best thing and with the wisdom to find true “gold”. I want someone who’s crazy enough to not be satisfied with the status quo and the time and energy to keep testing options on my behalf. With this company, I know that I’ll have no regrets.

So, when you’re starting your company – make sure you’re your ideal customer – a person who would buy from your company. Don’t simply sell stuff to make money. It’s not good for you (or your business) long-term.

Photo by Thomas Hawk

The easiest category of customers to sell to are people looking for the “-est” products: the newest, fanciest, fastest, sleekest, shiniest, thinnest, healthiest, cheapest, most efficient, chocolaty-est, etc. These people are basically addicted to looking for something that’s the hottest #1 choice for their selector.  Selling to them is easy and guaranteed: supply the “-est” product/service for their needs and they’ll come in droves. You only need to position your product/service as the pinnacle of the need – and don’t even have to compare your offering to the competition (you just need to validate that it has everything they want, and then some). As early adopters, these people will confirm your “-est” positioning, then spread the word to their community.

The next easiest category of customers to sell to are people looking for the “-er” products: fancier, sleeker, shinier, thinner, healthier, cheaper, more efficient, chocolaty-er, etc. They are looking for an incremental change in what they have because they want/need something better (but not necessarily the best/newest). Selling to them involves more work, since you need to compare/contrast your offering to the competition – either using a comparison matrix (for right-brained customers) or social comparison (for left-brained customers). These customers will likewise validate your “-er” offering, and spread the word to people looking to upgrade.

If you’re selling a “me-too” product/service is (another hair salon, another book store, another t-shirt vendor, another Realtor) you have to compete not only with the “-est” and “-er” competition but also with the lack of momentum of your prospects. Why should someone care about yet “another” choice? They already have their favorite hair salon (etc.).

So before you launch your business or new offering, concentrate on your positioning. How can you make it the best or better choice of your buying prospects?

Photo by Terry Johnston

Owning a franchise is the easiest way to start your business fast. The business name has (hopefully) been well-marketed. People have already experienced the franchise elsewhere in the their travels. You already have suppliers lined up, a well-considered marketing strategy pre-authored, marketing materials – everything to make owning a business turnkey. So what’s the downside?

Franchises are a two-way street. You get the benefit of experience, mentoring, and training. But you also get the restrictions of ensuring compliance with the franchise branding regulations. For example, you may have to sell products that you don’t want to, open hours that are inconvenient, use more-expensive suppliers, and spend more on advertising that you can afford. It also limits your creativity – you must operate within others’ rules or risk losing your franchise (and your investment).  Your franchise must reflect well on all the other franchises – since your image can potentially tarnish other franchises – the parent company will spend time and money policing your business.

Franchises require a large initial investment. The companies selling franchises want their money up-front (that’s one of the ways they make their money). The investment is for their best practice training and consultations which can be a great education if you haven’t already done your homework on how to own a business.

If you don’t have the funds, but you have the desire to start a franchise-like business, then get a mentor. Learn everything you can before you open the door for customers. Develop a marketing plan that will attract your ideal customers and that positions your business as distinct from any existing or future (especially franchise) businesses.

Photo by Mike Baird

We spend our lives in search of success. But what does success look like? It depends on who you listen to.

If you listen to our capitalistic society, success is all about how you look to others: your house, your car, your clothing, your partner, your vacations, your purchases, and the company you keep. The road to success is easy: buy more (fancy) stuff. Since there’s always something newer/fancier to buy, businesses are happy to satisfy your need for success. And it’s an endless cycle – you can never achieve success because success is a mirage. As you get closer to it, you find it’s still shimmering on the horizon. And if you manage to achieve some level of “success”, you spend endless hours trying to maintain the image. There isn’t a finish line to success – it’s simply an illusionary moment in time.

Instead, imagine yourself already successful. In this world, success is having meaningful purpose in your life, meaningful friendships, and appreciation for what you already have. The good news about this definition of success is that you don’t have to buy anything. You don’t have to prove anything. You don’t have to look a certain way. Instead, you have to be willing to creating meaning in your life. You have to be willing to ignore the external “buy me” noise and instead focus on the inner “wisdom” voice.

Need some instructions on finding your success? Read Martin Seligman’s Authentic Happiness : Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment.