Still on the Roller Coaster

My motivation is waning. Things aren't moving as quickly as I would like, however...they are still moving.  I don't have a contract yet. I did pick a phone number and I choose the names on my business cards.

It's coming, but it takes time. Really, it has only been a little over two weeks.

Networking

Last Thursday I went to a general networking group I had found on Meetup and it was a totally foreign situation. I was a bit freaked out about it - after I entered the room, I found a sales table all set up with supplement products and free samples of their energy bars, etc.

Holy crap, I thought, they're going to sell me supplements. This isn't networking! This is a sales trap! Panic! Run away!

I was wrong...it was networking after all. The table was for the presentation of the day, which was to be given by one of the group members who did sell these supplements.

The group is a formal networking group with expensive dues, lots of formal rules, and lots of requirements for their members. You are supposed to stay for the entire meeting. You are supposed to make all meetings. You are supposed to attend social business events put on by other members. You are supposed to refer clients to the club's members (and they are supposed to send clients to you).

There are benefits, too. You have a sympathetic audience to help you work out marketing messages and pitches. When you go to the business/social events, you will know people. You meet people you might otherwise not meet in your usual crowd. This could translate to new business. The people in the group were basically normal people, although there weren't many in the fields that would help my clientele.

After thinking about it for several days, I've come to the conclusion that this group isn't quite right for me. It's too expensive for the potential value to my business - that is, not targeted enough for quality referrals.

I give myself credit that I tried. And since there isn't much to do right now, I will concentrate a bit more on life-management items I need to do. That is, I will work on chores around the house, getting my flu shot, and preparing for my sister's visit later this week.

Patience. It takes time to build something new.

The Roller Coaster of Starting a Business

Starting a small business was thrilling for the last week and a half. Now I'm coming back down to reality. When will something happen? What's next? Gosh, this is hard!!

Networking - Up

I have heard the refrain over and over that networking is the life-blood of small business. I am seriously trying and to commend myself, I have made some good strides. Here are my accomplishments:

• Lunch with colleague from church, which led to....
• Networking meeting for professionals who work with the aging population, which led to....
• Contact with a financial advisor for seniors, which led to...
• Invitation to join a networking group
• Two meetings with possible business contacts
• Meet ups with friends and acquaintances, some more distant than others. 
• Three upcoming meetings with contacts/colleagues, etc. 
• Registration for a highly relevant conference in my region.

Networking is challenging for an introvert like me. I am trying to be easy on myself and not beat myself up too much with "should have" or "ought to" but it's hard. I am not opposed to contacting people, but it's not my natural way to work. If all things are equal, I'll choose the task that involves solitary work over calling someone. 

I need to make some goals and use those weekly (or even daily goals) as my motivator. 

Leads - Neutral, Slightly Down

I got a new lead for a potential client. One of my previous leads is no longer viable since the potential client passed away. That was depressing at several levels. 

Now I have 3 leads and one is looking pretty good. I need to reach out to the third lead, but since it's for someone with whom I used to work, I wanted to give it a little time. 

The first lead is in progress - meaning, I'm developing that lead...I guess....I'm new to the marketing lingo. 

Resources - Up

I'm learning about business, too. There are countless books on business processes, techniques, philosophies, etc. and I've gotten into a few of them. Here's what I've worked on so far:

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

The phrase "eat that frog" is an eye catcher and a metaphor - who on earth wants to eat a (presumably live) frog? Bleh. The frog you "need to eat" is a task you really need to do, but you keep putting it off. The idea is that you'll feel better and be more successful if you get it done and check it off your list. While I didn't find any concepts or approaches radically different from what I already knew about time management, it was an easy, entertaining, and fast read. It's so easy to slip into bad habits even when you know better. I definitely think it was a worthwhile read, and I do expect to re-read it periodically as a refresher. 

The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals

This book describes a system to achieve big goals while still dealing with the whirlwind of everyday activity in a business. It's somewhat targeted towards larger companies, but one can use the principles at all levels. It was a good an inspirational read - although, I don't even have a whirlwind to break through, yet!

Coffee-Lunch-Coffee

This is a blog (and a book ) about networking as a way to advance your career and find your next dream job. Since I am not a natural networker, I will be taking some of the author's tips and techniques to heart and using them almost verbatim. The author had a goal of 15 networking events/appointments/interactions per workweek - which would result in coffee, lunch, and coffee with someone every day, Monday through Friday. Whoa...that's an overwhelming number for me! but I could commit to a smaller number, like...say.... 5. Or maybe start with 3 and work up to 5.

I wonder what my goals should be for blog posts. I enjoy writing them and it helps me think things through. 2 per week?

Stepping Out on my Own

I finally found the courage to leave my job.  Now I am unemployed but I am starting the habits to become an entrepreneur.

I will be the first regional office for a small geriatric care management company. This is the company that helped my family our in 2012, taking care of my father while family was so far away.  I contacted them to ask about what it's like to start a business like this.

They responded that they were looking to expand. Would I be interested?

Heck, yeah!

I had had it in my mind that I was going to do it all on my own. I never thought they might want to expand halfway across the country. After all, they are in central Virginia and I am in the midwest. One would think they would prefer to stick with a regional focus.

I resigned from the hospital in early September, and my last work day was 9/16. Officially I was an employee until 9/19.

Now I am starting to do the things that entrepreneurs do - network, call, sell, follow up, network, and network.

My goodness, I am so happy to have some time to myself again!

I missed writing in this blog, too. I think it provided some therapy for me and allowed me to work some issues through.