Negotiations for Growth
We’ve all heard them, cliched quotes and sayings that our friends offer us when we are going through a rough patch. “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!” But can you really say that you get encouraged by those sayings? How often has one of these sweet sayings got you up again after you had been hit with a boulder? In my 18 years of entrepreneurial life, I cannot count how many obstacles have shown up on my path. Hurdles do not always get overcome, even by the most resilient of people. There are times you simply cannot power through or explain away a stumbling block. In those moments, you don’t give up, you negotiate. In Episode #46, I share some agreements I drew up while negotiating with a difficult circumstance. An agreement is an arrangement that two opposite sides come to so they can work together. It won’t apply to anyone else as it is a contract between both parties. When your situation and expectations are irreconcilable, you have to create harmony to carry on on your journey. Believe your roots are growing There are other currencies besides cash You’re the best man for the job As usual, I share examples from my journey and hope that you will be inspired to draw up some agreements of your own. Please share your thoughts below! Resources: Rock Star Story Workshop-18th September Bossing it with Sage Chelsea in Bloom
Business Practices that May be Holding You Back
How do you make business decisions? Many of us rely on external factors, others on instinct. I believe mindset also plays a part in deciding what direction to head in. Our habits and tendencies will take us one way or the other. In this episode, we explore three damaging practices to avoid when growing your business. Listen to Episode #44 now Striking too Late There is a time and a season for everything. Recognising the season you’re in is vital when it comes to manifesting your dreams. We must learn to read the signs that life offers us while watching out for those obstacles that may slow us down, leading us to strike too late. Having a Lack of Experts Many budding entrepreneurs start out doing it all themselves. But a time comes when the engine needs to run on its own, and you need expert help to ensure it runs well. Avoid falling into the temptation of doing it all to save money when the business is crying out for expertise. Good business practice is making sure anything worth doing at all is worth doing well. Being Short Sighted. Don’t make decisions to alleviate your present discomfort at the expense of your future comfort. Seeing things from the point of view of the finished picture is a secret successful business owners practice. Invest in learning, invest in growth because what got you here isn’t enough to take you there. To learn more, listen to Episode #44 in full and don’t forget to share it with someone who needs it. Would you agree that mindset plays a major role in how we present our ideas to the world? Book my next workshop designed to help you unearth limiting beliefs so you can excel like you were created to. Resources: Shark Tank The Profit Isaac Planted & Reaped a Hundredfold 7 Little Steps Events and Workshops Journalling for Success Workshop 21st August 2021 Learn how to journal for growth; you will be able to go from recurring dreams to creating a practical roadmap for your life.
Entrepreneurship: How Small Thinking Can Stifle Your Expansion
Most entrepreneurs have experienced the frustration of moving three steps forwards and three or even four steps back. There are mindsets that stop us from excelling, in a way we know we can. In this episode, we address four of the common small thinking habits. Vanity Marketing This can be mistaken for PR, the difference is the only increase you’ll see will be the size of your ego. Or on the other hand, is what others say about you. Any form of marketing that focuses on improving your view of self will not attract customers. You may have an audience but they’re there to admire, gawk and wonder how you got there. They are not there to buy from you. Embellishing yourself Many of us are guilty of this. We believe our potential clients have an expectation of who we are., so we carve out an image and force-fit ourselves into it. This is the opposite of authenticity and is rooted in the lack of awareness of the amazing gift you carry. Thinking small will lead you to increase your perceived, external worth, which does not have any substance. Revelling in your wins This is when you stay too long at a place of success, and you miss the opportunities that pass by. Celebrate your successes but don’t build an altar and worship them. Many entrepreneurs fall into this small thinking habit. It’s the relief we feel when after striving and hustling, we finally hit some gold. You are only as good as your last win, and one way to elevate your thinking as an entrepreneur is to set yourself up as your biggest competitor. Emotional attachment When I lost my business, every thought and idea grew from the ashes of the old. I could not divorce myself from the past because I was emotionally invested in it. You may have infused blood, sweat and tears into a venture but if it is no longer serving its purpose you have to let it go. Some businesses exist to train and prepare us for the next, but if your emotions lead you, you will not recognise it. Listen to the full episode and let’s connect on social to discuss further. @toksaruoture on Instagram and Facebook Upcoming Workshops: Write your Rock Star Story 31st July 2021 Learn how to tell the compelling, inspiring story of your journey. Your Rock Star Story will encourage you greatly, give you confidence and open opportunities. Tell the world how to relate to you so that those meant to align with you will recognise you. Spaces are limited. Journalling for Success 21st August 2021 Learn how to journal for growth; you will be able to go from recurring dreams to you creating a practical roadmap for your life.
Entrepreneurship: Big Vision, Low Budget
What do you do when you have a sizeable vision, but can’t stretch your resources enough to manifest it? No one starts a business with the intention of it not growing- except they are using it as cover for dodgy activities. 😀 For the most part, we start off with the hope that this new venture will grow into what we have imagined, however, the resources don’t always match the size of our dream. In this episode #42, I share some of the steps I took to launch and grow my business, with a zero budget. Besides the obvious tips like finding service providers on platforms like Fiverr, much of what you need to do will require a shift in your mindset. For you to make decisions that will fulfil a future need even though you have a pressing, current requirement, you have to change the way you think. There are several reasons why many companies fail in the first five years but one of the main ones is a lack of clear vision for the business. Running your business with only the immediate need instructing you will not take you very far. Another reason why small businesses don’t survive the early stages is not setting the foundation for the preferred strategy. I find that much of our decisions are grounded in an immediate need, and those pressing, urgent needs tend to be temporal, while the future requirements that have the benefit of pre-planning are sturdier and can stand the test of time. An example of poor strategy shows up in the pricing- which I see so often when manufacturers present their products to me. The ability to tell a compelling story is one area where you can win as an entrepreneur. When it comes to growing a successful brand, you sell yourself first, then your company and then the product. Why is this important? Because people buy from people. In addition, your sizeable business vision will require some help along the way but your helpers won’t be able to identify you if you cannot accurately present yourself to them. If you live in London or we are connected on social media, you’d have seen billboards and adverts of my partnership with Sage, the global market leader for business operations and finance. This came about because while different parts were working together behind the scenes- that’s how God does it, I was busy telling them my Rock Star Story. The Rock Star Story is the story of your life, thus far, with its disappointments and regrets, retold from the perspective of a winner. It pulls out the hidden successes you did not know you had, highlights your gifts and talents to make you an all-around badass! I will be running the next Write Your Rock Star Story Workshop on the 31st of July, and we have places available still. It will be a small but impactful class. To learn how to sell yourself first, book on Eventbrite. Click here or go to your favourite Podcast platform to listen to the full episode, then come back and share your thoughts. Resources / Upcoming Events: My Partnership with Sage Write Your Rock Star Story Workshop 31st July 2021 Journaling for Personal Growth 21st August 2021 To subscribe to this podcast, hit the subscribe button where you are listening. You can also join my friends’ list by subscribing at the bottom of this page so you can be informed of events, courses and the things that inspire Living Inside Out. Let’s connect on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube
Being the Face of Sage: Bossing It
When amazing things happen, we smile, laugh even. But there are awesome things that happen, and it takes a few days for it to sink in. That has been the case with my current partnership with the global brand, Sage. If you live in the UK, you may have come across the ‘Bossing It campaign by Sage with adverts in the shopping malls featuring yours truly. If you are London-based, you may have seen some billboards of the same. I have to say that any brand that champions small businesses enough to work with them deserves our respect, especially in these interesting times. The idea of Sage’s campaign, Bossing It shows small business owners at the helm of their company, literally bossing it, or making things work. Many moving parts make up a campaign of this size; production team, cameramen, director, creative marketing team, make-up artist, outfits, hair, lol. The list goes on. Bossing it with My Outfit I opted for smart casual, which required quite a bit of thought along with input from my fashionista friends, Oga and Jummy. Given the choice, I wanted to look like Toks- approachable, easy-going, yet a boss lady of her company 😉. So I opted for Sawn-off blue Jeans- H&M, a white V neck T-shirt- Massimo Dutti and a brown blazer from Hobbs. My gorgeous brown ankle tie, open-toed shoes were from Aldo. My trusted hairdresser, Joy, braided my hair and the talented Touched by Rachael did my make-up. Earings and necklace were from Accessorize. Sage Bossing it at The Shoot We started at 7 am, actually the night before where we got the shop ready; I had also bounced down the King’s Road to look for alternate outfits- I was to have 4 or 5 changes of clothes. At 8 am I got my make-up done, which was flawless, I still looked like me; go Racheal! and the team arrived. Four hours of poses and picture taking followed while being instructed on the various facial expressions to wear. I struggle to smile from within- my smiles tend to look forced in front of the camera. In between shoots, I got to chat with each member of the team. They were such a joy to work with, and very personable. Lessons Learned It’s one thing working towards something, and it’s quite another seeing it happen and as usual, I’ll share some lessons. Make Room for your Dreams Even though I have always had sizeable aspirations for my business, it appeared I had not yet made room for them to exist fully in my life. I almost did not have the right amount of emotion to express; this puzzled me because I dream big and write about my aspirations regularly. Maybe there was a part of my mind space that had not yet received the memo. Because sometimes we don’t give all of ourselves to an ambition, in case it flops, then we can rebuild our lives from the small part that we didn’t allow to dream. It means I still have work to do on my mind. The picture above was taken at my local shopping centre. Significant because, for starters, it is miles away from my office. But even more, it’s uplifting because I remember walking down that space in tears when I lost everything. My tears later turned to hope as I daydreamed about one day having a shop like the retail stores in the mall. So to stand there and see this feels very much like coming full circle. Overwhelm Remains When Things go Well I learned that overwhelm does not disappear because things are going well. I have been used to blaming my defeat on challenges, but I can’t do that anymore. Because even though I’m in a good place with my business, things have not magically fallen into place like I thought they would. God told me that many people see Him as their source until they become successful. Then they see their material wealth as their source. May that never be you or me, say amen, somebody! Have a Compelling Story It is important to have a compelling story, a Rock Star Story. Your Rock Star Story is not your success narrative it is your resilience report, and it will make room for you. Learn more about the Rock Star Story– and book a slot at my upcoming workshop. Everyone loves a good, authentic story because they can see themselves in it. I don’t know of anyone who has not been to challenges, and sharing your journey of resilience helps to affirm theirs. But it’s not all doom and gloom because it also tells of your strength, tenacity and ability, which they can also find in themselves. I cannot recommend rewriting yours enough because I know firsthand the power of using it. Invest in the future at the expense of your present need. This is unfolding as I write, and I talked about it in episode #42 of the Living Inside Out podcast. There are times in your life or business where you choose to solve an immediate and pressing need, over going for an opportunity to invest in the yet-to happen future. Always choose the future because it is superior to the present (another episode, #36). This can show up as turning down offers that can help you now but block better opportunities later. It Takes a Village to Raise an Entrepreneur. There might be a sense of pride in going it alone, but you will meet many points of frustration along the way and only go so far. There’s a Bible verse that says Two are better than one. For if either of them falls, one can help the other up. I have been blessed to have many helpers, too many to name as it appears every single person in my life has played a role in my business journey, and we still have a very long way to go. The people who were
Entrepreneurship: Tackling the Confidence Gap
Entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.”– David Karp, founder and CEO Tumblr I love the above quote by David Karp because it is simple, yet powerful and couldn’t be truer. This is why being an entrepreneur does not merely mean having a business. You have to be willing to create what resides in your mind alone- for others to see and enjoy. Entrepreneurship, really is the practice of faith. And because it is your creation- which stands the risk of being judged by the waiting world- it follows then that you need a good dose of confidence to press forward. This can be in your career as an employee or in your business as a visionary. Where can entrepreneurs find that confidence? I confess to struggling with this issue especially as a creative. I design high-end nursery rooms in my primary business and because we deal with humans, there is a myriad of ways to interpret aesthetics. What you think is beautiful may be perceived differently by a client, because we are complex beings with many layers draped over our perception. That said, God gave us a guide, an internal GPS also known as your intuition to help you navigate life as a businessman or businesswoman. But your intuition requires you to trust it. In this episode #41 of the Living Inside Out podcast, I talk about the role my intuition has played in my business journey and the dangers of allowing other people’s gut to guide you. Paradoxically, I also share the role of mentorship as an external GPS in entrepreneurship. Listen to the full episode by clicking the player above, or head to your favourite podcast player to listen. So I am all for using your intuition AND using a mentor. I will advise that you seek one out in the same industry you’re in because you can also benefit from their connections, but you don’t have to. Tell me, do you have a mentor? Have you used one before? How did that work for you? In other news, the first Rock Star Story Workshop was a huge success! Here’s what people are saying: “I learnt how to reframe my journey (so far) in a way that makes it interesting and inspiring. I will use it as part of my website About Us (for my business), as a source of motivation for expanding my business, as well as when I am feeling overwhelmed”– IJ “I learnt that I really need to think about the events of my life and how `i would tell my story, what parts to include and exclude. How to speak about negatives as positives”– Suzy So by popular demand… drum roll… the next workshop will be held on the 31st of July. Learn more about Writing Your Rock Star Story and reserve a spot on Eventbrite. Are you subscribed to my friends’ list? You will receive an occasional email sharing bursts of inspiration as they come to me 😀 Subscribe here Don’t forget to review the Living Inside Out Podcast, it helps others like you find it easily and that makes you a really cool person 🙂 Here’s wishing you an awesome rest of the week 💖
