The Insatiable Solopreneur™

Succeeding and Surviving as a Solopreneur

Archive for the category “Volunteerism”

20 Nov 2012
6 Comments

When to Say “When” – Drawing Boundaries on Volunteerism

Solopreneurs and new business owners, especially those just starting out, can benefit big from volunteering in their Draw the linecommunities. Not only does involvement help organizations in need, but it can also lead you to new professional connections, allow you to develop new skills, demonstrate your leadership capabilities, and enable you to beef up your portfolio.

Powerful stuff! But as you dig in and commit your time and energy to volunteerism, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Volunteering should be a win-win. The organization and the community should benefit from your involvement; the experience should give you a positive return on the hours, talent and effort you’re investing to the cause. It should enhance, not detract from your personal and professional life.

Here are a few signs and signals that you may have taken on more than is good for you and/or your business:

  • You’re unable to find time to network to effectively build your business.
    Although volunteering gives you the opportunity to make connections, it might not afford you the ability to directly promote your business or services to the people you meet. If your commitment takes too much time away from your business development activities, you could be missing out on attracting new clients and generating revenue.
  • You’re not “present” with your family – even when you’re in the same room with them.
    It’s likely that physically you can’t always be around your loved ones as much as you’d like to when working on your business.  So when you are, they deserve the attention of your whole brain. Being in business for yourself takes plenty of mental energy in its own right, adding significant volunteer responsibilities on top of that will further push you to your limits. If you’re constantly distracted and thinking about other things when in the company of your family and friends, consider re-evaluating and adjusting your volunteer roles.
  • You’re irritated rather than energized.
    Volunteering should make you feel good. Sure, you’re giving precious hours and talents, but if the volunteer opportunity is the right fit, you’ll nearly always feel rejuvenated by your commitment. If you find that you’re consistently dreading meetings, getting annoyed by emails and phone calls from others in the organization, feeling resentful about donating your time and skills, or all of the above, you might need to cut the cord or drastically set some boundaries on what you will – or won’t do – as a volunteer.

Again, volunteerism is a marvelous way to breathe life into your business and personal life. Just be aware that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Before you commit, do an honest assessment of the amount of time you can – and are willing – to spend. If you’re already committed and have found yourself on the verge of burn out, make a change – and don’t feel guilty about it.

Has volunteerism played a role in your professional life? How have you kept your volunteer commitments in check so they’ve continued to work for – rather than against – your business?

Posted in Life balance, Volunteerism and tagged , , , ,
30 Jul 2012
2 Comments

Solopreneurs: 3 Things to Consider before Saying “Yes” to a Volunteer Opportunity

Solopreneurs’ entrepreneurial skills and experience – and our flexibility in scheduling our work – make us attractive Decision: Yes or Nocandidates for leadership positions at community and professional organizations. We’re the quintessential volunteers. Driven to make change. Dedicated. Available.

And volunteering on committees and serving on boards of directors brings you tremendous opportunities for both professional and personal development.

By giving your time and talent, you can:

  • hone your skills as a leader,
  • make new business connections, and
  • enjoy participating as part of a team (even solopreneurs don’t want to always be in solitude!)

But before you jump in and grab the first volunteer opportunity that comes your way, you need to recognize that volunteering takes time, energy and focus.  Sometimes lots of all three! Avoid overextending yourself by considering…

  • Time commitment expected

Ask the organization how many hours it expects you to devote to the position each month – and for how long. Naturally, monthly involvement could vary depending on what events and activities are in progress, but get an average. And what is the term of the position? Are you committing to one year? Two? Three? Then take inventory of your existing commitments – volunteer, professional, personal – and carefully assess whether or not you can accommodate the responsibility.

  • Meetings schedule

Find out when and how often your committee or board meets, and ask  if the organization requires people in your position to attend a minimum number of meetings. Verify that the days and times of required meetings won’t impede your ability to serve your clients. If it’s likely that business commitments will regularly trump your availability to attend meetings, the opportunity might not be a good fit for you.

  • What’s in it for you?

Admirable as it is to volunteer your time to the greater good, you need to be sure you’re gaining something from the experience. Think long and hard about the knowledge, skills, connections, and credentials you expect to take away. Don’t feel guilty about wanting something in return for your efforts! Organizations benefit most from volunteers who have enthusiasm and purpose. It stands to reason that you’ll be more energized and committed if you see both personal and professional value in your involvement.

Volunteering can boost your business acumen and bring personal fulfillment, but the decision to do it needs careful consideration. Make sure you: believe in the cause, can accommodate the commitment, and will derive benefits that justify the sacrifices you’ll be making. If you do, both you and the organization you’ve selected will reap the rewards.

Your turn: What volunteer endeavors have helped – or hindered – your business success? If you’ve had volunteer experience, what advice for managing the commitment do you have for other solopreneurs?

 

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Leadership, Life balance, Volunteerism and tagged , , , , , ,
17 May 2012

Volunteering: Your good works can be good for you professionally!

In one of my first posts here on The Insatiable Solopreneur, I shared about the give and take aspects of volunteerism.Volunteerism: Full circle

I’m passionate about volunteering.

I’m equally – if not more – passionate about letting you know that it’s OK to seek more than just the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped a worthy cause. When you volunteer your time, talent and energy, there’s no shame in expecting something non-monetary in return.

Read more here to find out how you can make the time and effort that you spend volunteering give back to you!

Posted in Professional Development, Volunteerism and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment
15 Mar 2012

For the Good of Your Business: Develop a Mentoring Mentality

I’m passionate about mentoring. As a volunteer with SCORE, I’d better be…but my enthusiasm about helping otherCompass solopreneurs and small business owners is rooted in much more than my commitment to my local chapter of the non-profit organization. Mentoring is a way to deepen professional relationships. It’s a way to give a little extra – and get a lot in return. Here’s why I recommend that you make mentoring a part of your professional endeavors.

The Return on Mentoring

I’ll be honest, there’s some cost to mentoring; it takes a little time and often some creative scheduling, but there are some powerful benefits that I’ve found make it worthwhile.

In exchange for mentoring…

  • You become more articulate and skilled at sharing your knowledge. There’s certainly value in that from a professional perspective when you’re meeting with prospective clients!
  • You learn what you need to learn more about. On more than one occasion, I’ve sat down with someone and found I just didn’t know enough to answer a question or advise on a particular point that I really should have been more educated about. My mentoring role prompted me to find reliable resources and get myself up to speed. I helped myself at the same time I was helping my mentees.
  • You earn trust and gain raving fans. Although you don’t get directly compensated in dollars and cents for mentoring, you lay a foundation of trust that can translate to more business for your business. Word of mouth remains a powerful way to expand brand awareness. Most people who have been mentored are extremely grateful and will sing your praises to others in the community. That can go a long, long way!

 

Managing Mentoring

Afraid you don’t have enough time to mentor? Fear not! You can make mentoring more manageable by setting expectations up front. When, how often, how long, and via what channels (face-to-face, email, phone) you communicate should be driven by what works best for you and the person(s) you’re helping.

And whether you decide to participate in a structured mentoring program like SCORE’s or to find someone to mentor on your own, it’s important to realize that being a “mentor” doesn’t mean you’ll be doing someone’s work for them. You’ll provide guidance, honest feedback, and encouragement – and the rest is up to them!

Share your own experience with either mentoring or being mentored! How did it help you and your business?


Dialing 8 Project

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

Image: posterize / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Professional Development, Volunteerism | Leave a Comment
24 Sep 2011
7 Comments

Strategic Volunteerism – Think “What’s In It For Me?”

The terms “volunteerism” and “altruism” are considered synonymous by lots of people. And  inherently there are theStrategic Volunteerism components of helping others and furthering worthy causes when volunteering; but there’s also the often unspoken consideration of “What’s in it for me?”. Even if the “What’s in it for me?” is to simply feel good about yourself – you’re looking to get something out of the volunteer experience.

Since transitioning from a corporate employee to a freelance writing solopreneur, I’ve been a “volunteering fool” (as one of my most revered mentors has labeled me). Do I volunteer so aggressively because I believe in a cause and want to help people? Sure…to a certain extent. But my primary reasons for volunteering are less selfless than they are strategic.

So, how do you get strategic about volunteering? Choose your volunteer endeavors carefully and only take on positions that will help you develop skills and attain knowledge that are critical to your success as a solopreneur. To get you thinking more about it, here are the areas where I’ve leveraged volunteer opportunities to boost my know-how:

  • Achieving  proficiency with technology tools relative to my industry - As a volunteer with SCORE Lancaster, I’ve gotten hands-on experience with tools & tasks that I might not have taken on otherwise: Constant Contact for email marketing, WordPress site/blog management, web content management in Drupal and management of a Facebook page for a non-profit. Even my involvement at my church as newsletter editor and web content manager have also contributed – albeit to a lesser degree – to enhancing my technology skills.

What technology tools do you need to learn or gain proficiency in to make yourself more marketable?


  • Developing leadership skills and business acumen - Again, SCORE Lancaster has been the gold mine where I’ve extracted boulder-sized nuggets of wisdom and experience to make me a better leader and business professional. My role as a mentor to entrepreneurs and small business owners has led me to finding new sources of information and insight that have helped me in my business. My role as VP of Marketing is honing my skills of delegation and staff management as I engage my volunteer Marketing Committee members in projects and activities.  And I’m a Girl Scout leader; nothing develops patience and empathy more than working with twenty  7-9 year olds of wildly diverse personalities and temperaments!

Would more experience in managing people or projects give you more clout when dealing with clients, prospective customers, and other professionals within the business community?


  • Becoming well-connected within the business community - Since my volunteerism with SCORE began, I’ve made some amazing in-roads with other professional groups as a result. The local chambers of commerce, our local Main Street organization, a prominent women’s networking group, a business roundtable group…connections around every corner.
Could you benefit from more face-to-face networking? Think building trust, awareness and word-of-mouth endorsements.


My purpose isn’t to tell you to volunteer with SCORE, a church, or the Girl Scouts, but rather to demonstrate the point that if you give some thought into what you want to get out of volunteering, you can align yourself with organizations that provide some pay back. By all means, choose to give your time and talent to a cause that you believe in; but also make sure it’s one that will deliver some rewards and give you some skin in the game. After all, if you’re striving to get something from the volunteer experience – won’t you be more engaged and enthusiastic about all you’re giving? What more could an organization ask for? It’s a Win-Win.

Please comment and share how volunteering has helped you professionally.

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Volunteerism

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