Dawn Mentzer

3 Reasons It’s Good for Business To Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone

In Tips for Solopreneurs, Solopreneurs, Professional Development, Self-confidence on February 23, 2012 at 1:26 pm

Although it’s comfy to be settled into a space in time where you have everything under control and nothing’s upsetting the proverbial apple cart, inertia is never a good thing for your business.

Going Beyond Your Comfort ZoneAs unsettling as the thought of it might be, extending yourself beyond your comfort zone regularly can help you grow as a professional and boost your business skills.

So, what does “extend beyond your comfort zone” look like? The view varies depending on your personality, past experience and adaptability to change. Stretching yourself could mean taking on a public speaking engagement (scary for lots of people), working on a type of project you’ve never tried before (but have the capacity to handle), going to a business mixer by yourself (deep breath as you walk in solo) or anything else that isn’t part of your normal, comfortable routine.

Why push yourself into something that might make you nervous?

1. Make new connections – Going outside of your circle of comfort will enable you to meet new people and bring awareness of your business to a new audience.

2. Discover new strengths – By stretching yourself, you’ll likely find that you’re better at something than you expected you would be. And if you’re not, well, then you’ve found a new appreciation for those who do take on that responsibility on a regular basis. Plus, you’ve added a new experience to your frame of reference.

3. Boost your creativity – When you take on a task or activity that’s atypical for you, you have to think a little differently and shift your perspective. That can open your mind, get your creative juices flowing, and help you generate new ideas.

Going beyond your comfort zone is an exercise in personal and professional exploration that can add color and vibrancy to your business. I encourage you to give yourself a little push over that line. While the other side is slightly frightening, what you stand to gain is well worth sucking up that initial fear.

How have you gone beyond your comfort zone? Please comment and share!


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2 Small Things That Can Make a Big Difference For Your Facebook Business Page

In Entrepreneurs, Marketing, Small Business advice, Social Media on February 21, 2012 at 7:55 am


Like

There’s no shortage of blog posts with lists of do’s and don’ts for using social media in business marketing. While the “right” approach ultimately comes down to what works best with your audience, there are two things everyone with a Facebook business page should be doing:

1. Like other Facebook business pages – and be using Facebook as your business page when you click “Like”. Sure, it’s OK to like other pages via your personal Facebook account, but by liking under the identity of your business page, you’ll increase the visibility of your business. So get in there and start liking the pages of businesses in your target market, local businesses’ pages, those of businesses offering services & products complementary to yours, AND your competitors’ pages.

2. Like, comment and share posts on other business pages while using Facebook as your business page. Every time you do, you’re making your business known to an extended audience that you otherwise might not have reached. The more your business page interacts on other pages – in a meaningful way – the more exposure and credibility you give to your page and your business.

So, no long list. Just two simple tips that can give your Facebook page more mileage and drive interest in your business.

How do you get your Facebook page on the radar?

Some related reads:

9 Hot Tips for Small Business Marketing on Facebook via Mashable

8 Small Business Social Media Tips from the Pros via Social Media Examiner


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Consider joining the Dialing 8 Project! A forum for learning, sharing & getting the most out of your social media efforts for your small business.

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Fortune Cookie Friday: Business Advice in an edible wrapper – Ingenuity and Imagination

In Entrepreneurs, Solopreneurs on February 17, 2012 at 11:04 pm

Today’s business wisdom within the fortune cookie that accompanied my take-out hot & sour soup…

Fortune cookie

“Your ingenuity and imagination will get results.”

Every day, solopreneurs need to apply some degree of ingenuity and imagination – sometimes in their professional endeavors, sometimes in their personal obligations and sometimes in both simultaneously.

Why? Because challenges happen in a small business and life. And as a solo-professional, you’re the person who has to decide the best course of action to overcome the obstacles you meet.

So let’s break down the roles that ingenuity and imagination play in prevailing as a solopreneur:

To me, ingenuity implies an ability to solve problems cleverly and perhaps unconventionally. As a business owner, you’ll encounter moments when there’s no clear answer to an issue. You might need to apply “out of the box” thinking to work around sticky situations and find solutions that are outside of the norm.

Imagination, the ability to think creatively, is in my opinion a prerequisite to ingenuity. You first need to develop the capacity to dream up new concepts and ideas before you can apply them to specific situations that demand them. Notice I said, “You first need to develop…” and not “You first need to have…” in talking about the capacity to imagine. We all have an imagination, but we often suppress it rather than embrace it.

Put them together, ingenuity + imagination, and results will happen – just like the cookie said.

To what degree to you find ingenuity and imagination important in your business?


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Consider joining the Dialing 8 Project! A forum for learning, sharing & getting the most out of your social media efforts for your small business.
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