Networking How-To Doesn't Have To Be A Mystery
by Michael D. Hume, M.S.
Lots of would-be entrepreneurs fail to get into business for themselves for one simple reason: they're introverts, and they're convinced you can't be both an introvert and an entrepreneur. But as a clear introvert with entrepreneurial aspirations, I'm here to tell you it just ain't so.
Here are three things introverts should consider when they feel the entrepreneurial urge.
Being an introvert doesn't mean you are socially incapable. As I mentioned, I'm a clear introvert. I've been an actor, a speaker, and a salesperson in my lifetime, and I dare say I've been successful in each of those endeavors. But lest you assume I'm just a singularity, I assure you that many of the most successful actors, teachers, salespeople, and others who make their livings speaking to other people have been introverts. How did they do it? I guess the answer is different for each... but one common theme might be that entrepreneurial introverts are more in love with their Big Idea and their business than they are with their desire for "I-time." They realize that, sooner or later, to be a success in life you do have to interact with others; as introverts, they can find ways to do much of their communications either one-on-one or in writing, but they're not afraid of interactions with others. You know this to be true. Almost all introverts who are able to work for a living in ANY job will have to speak up at a meeting at least occasionally. So allow yourself to be a real introvert - other successful entrepreneurs have done it - but don't insist on a life of complete solitude if you want to make your business work.
An introverted entrepreneur should strike out on her own without going it alone. These days, there are many great home-based internet businesses you can get into, and the introvert is likely to be fooled into selecting an opportunity that seems completely solitary. The problem is that you have to learn the craft of internet business, and if you never interact with anything but that glowing rectangle in front of you, you won't get it. The best way to go about it is this: find a good community of entrepreneurs where you have colleagues committed to your success (I can recommend one), find a coach within your community with whom you can easily relate (we introverts greatly prefer one-on-one interactions to group discussions), and make sure the community provides top-notch training in making sales online. If you're looking for help getting started, I would be happy to take a shot at being your coach... give me a call, or (better yet) send me an email!
If you're not an excellent writer, work hard to improve your skill. Face it, if you don't want to reach out to your customers and colleagues in person or by phone, what are you left with? You don't have to be a Pulitzer winner or best-selling author, but you do have to learn how to get your message across quickly and cleanly in writing. I'm lucky enough to have had good journalism training as a plucky youth... but there are lots of good online writing courses out there, and taking one would not be the dumbest thing you ever did. Again, if you need coaching, find a good guide with whom you can relate.
Hopefully, those ideas might provide you with some inspiration... and inspiration will drive you more than introversion. I'll leave you with one more uplifting thought: I recently took an informal poll of some of the most successful people in my own entrepreneurial community, and I learned that, on average, they earn about two-thirds of their profits passively, through great investments and other wealth-building strategies... and only a third from direct marketing-type work. It was music to my ears! They don't spend all day and night on the phone or speaking to large groups. And neither do I... what they told me rang true with my own experience.
As an introvert, and as someone planning to rise to the top in the internet business world, that might be music to your ears, too.
by Michael D. Hume, M.S.
Lots of would-be entrepreneurs fail to get into business for themselves for one simple reason: they're introverts, and they're convinced you can't be both an introvert and an entrepreneur. But as a clear introvert with entrepreneurial aspirations, I'm here to tell you it just ain't so.
Here are three things introverts should consider when they feel the entrepreneurial urge.
Being an introvert doesn't mean you are socially incapable. As I mentioned, I'm a clear introvert. I've been an actor, a speaker, and a salesperson in my lifetime, and I dare say I've been successful in each of those endeavors. But lest you assume I'm just a singularity, I assure you that many of the most successful actors, teachers, salespeople, and others who make their livings speaking to other people have been introverts. How did they do it? I guess the answer is different for each... but one common theme might be that entrepreneurial introverts are more in love with their Big Idea and their business than they are with their desire for "I-time." They realize that, sooner or later, to be a success in life you do have to interact with others; as introverts, they can find ways to do much of their communications either one-on-one or in writing, but they're not afraid of interactions with others. You know this to be true. Almost all introverts who are able to work for a living in ANY job will have to speak up at a meeting at least occasionally. So allow yourself to be a real introvert - other successful entrepreneurs have done it - but don't insist on a life of complete solitude if you want to make your business work.
An introverted entrepreneur should strike out on her own without going it alone. These days, there are many great home-based internet businesses you can get into, and the introvert is likely to be fooled into selecting an opportunity that seems completely solitary. The problem is that you have to learn the craft of internet business, and if you never interact with anything but that glowing rectangle in front of you, you won't get it. The best way to go about it is this: find a good community of entrepreneurs where you have colleagues committed to your success (I can recommend one), find a coach within your community with whom you can easily relate (we introverts greatly prefer one-on-one interactions to group discussions), and make sure the community provides top-notch training in making sales online. If you're looking for help getting started, I would be happy to take a shot at being your coach... give me a call, or (better yet) send me an email!
If you're not an excellent writer, work hard to improve your skill. Face it, if you don't want to reach out to your customers and colleagues in person or by phone, what are you left with? You don't have to be a Pulitzer winner or best-selling author, but you do have to learn how to get your message across quickly and cleanly in writing. I'm lucky enough to have had good journalism training as a plucky youth... but there are lots of good online writing courses out there, and taking one would not be the dumbest thing you ever did. Again, if you need coaching, find a good guide with whom you can relate.
Hopefully, those ideas might provide you with some inspiration... and inspiration will drive you more than introversion. I'll leave you with one more uplifting thought: I recently took an informal poll of some of the most successful people in my own entrepreneurial community, and I learned that, on average, they earn about two-thirds of their profits passively, through great investments and other wealth-building strategies... and only a third from direct marketing-type work. It was music to my ears! They don't spend all day and night on the phone or speaking to large groups. And neither do I... what they told me rang true with my own experience.
As an introvert, and as someone planning to rise to the top in the internet business world, that might be music to your ears, too.