I love to read. But, like many of you who juggle kids or elderly parents or a full-time job or starting a new business (and the list goes on), it is hard for me to find the time to quietly curl up with a good book.
With that said, when the elusive “good book” is one that is both entertaining and can help me take my business to the next level, needless to say, I find the time. A few weeks ago I did just that.
I was surfing the ‘net (yep, I always seem to find time for that), looking for ideas on taking my now-1 ½-year-old India Hicks Lifestyle Collection business to the next level and ran smack-dab into Romi Neustadt’s Get Over Your Damn Self.
I was hooked at the Table of Contents. And the first Chapter’s “reasons why people fail at business” was a complete game-changer. I have now read the book twice, have sticky-notes all throughout this well-read book and shared Ms. Neustadt’s strategy with my IH team at a luncheon a week ago.
Of course, I’m now on round three of skimming the key points and I am drawn back to those key reasons why people fail in their business. But this time, I read the key excerpts not just for my growing India Hicks business but, rather, thru the glasses of a 50 year old woman wanting to live her best life possible and live it with purpose and a hearty dose of fun.
Wow, suddenly THAT perspective changes everything.
So here’s my “take” on Romi’s reasons why people fail, not just in business, but also in life:
- They are not coachable: Regardless of our social stature, our education level, our professional titles and achievements, we must always be open to learning. Learning in business. Learning in life. Are you coachable
- They don’t treat this like a business: Just as I am in the business of building customer relationships both in my role at Veritex Bank and in my India Hicks business, I live a life where building and nurturing relationships is at its very core. Building business is not easy, retaining relationships is not easy, raising kids is not easy. But if my approach is one of “I take the best of me with me everywhere I go,” whether it’s in my professional or my personal life, then that work ethic, dedication and integrity is always with me. Yep, I take the “business of being me” everywhere I go.
- They’re not willing to get uncomfortable: She-friends, any of us who“put ourselves out there” is vulnerable and, most likely, uncomfortable at
Speaking as a panelist at the India Hicks Leadership Retreat
times. There will always be someone who does not agree with you. There will always be someone that thinks you’re nuts for pursuing your dreams. There will always be someone who rolls their eyes at your dream, your ideas or your business model. If you know me well and know my story, you KNOW that my greatest moments have come out of my most uncomfortable situations. I keep my “rally hat” on at all times. I welcome discomfort these days, mostly because I know that THIS SINGLE FEELING is a sign that there is something over that hill of fear and discomfort for me to learn, to do, to conquer. Which leads me to Ms. Neustadt’s final reason people fail…
- They’re not hungry enough: In life, this one is NOT about working around the clock, ignoring family and never finding time for myself. It is about dreaming big, building your path and then working that path. For some, it’s a raise, for some, its re-entry into a workforce on their own terms. For me, it’s about retirement. Yes, I’m hungry enough to want to pay off my kids’ college education. I’m hungry enough to want to pay down my mortgage, I’m hungry enough to want to spend quality time with my amazing husband. I’m hungry enough to want to make a difference in the lives of women. I work hard. I play hard. I sleep hard (and 8 hours a night) BECAUSE I’m hungry enough to want to live my life doing things I love on my terms. How about you? What are you hungry for and what are you willing to put in place to reach that dream?
SHE-friends, whether you are building your small business, taking it to the next level or just starting out in business, I recommend this great read. While I wish I could have been curled up in a hammock enjoying the gentle breeze of a beach while reading it, quick chapter reads between life’s busy activities worked out just fine for me.
I am excited. I am motivated. I am on a path that I have custom-designed just for me and I am so happy that you are a part of that path!
Note from the SHE Files: “It’s not our job to argue with fear, or fix it or escape it. It’s our job to act in spite of it.” — Romi Neustadt