Lately I've been working on a new website to better reflect my identity as a helping professional. In the process, I've solicited feedback from a few different sources by hiring a graphic designer, sending out a reader survey, and meeting with a few highly creative friends and colleagues. The feedback helps me better connect with my readers and clients by hearing what those audiences want and don't want from my services. As any service provider eventually learns, a successful business is not about what you want to offer your audience, it's about what your audience wants you to offer them.
The lessons I've learned as a business owner and helping professional are both humbling and rewarding. Although I'm in the process of making some dramatic changes to my business, a few lessons have remained consistent:
1. Maintain authenticity and integrity.
2. Listen for what your clients want rather than telling them what you're going to give them.
3. Learn from feedback and criticism but don't let it stop you or break your spirit.
4. Don't be afraid to ask your family, friends, and colleagues for help or advice. They want to see you succeed.
5. Don't be afraid to be different. And even when you are afraid, be different anyway.
There's a sixth point that deserves special notice. Ever since I embarked on my journey into the helping professions, I quickly learned that some people in my network weren't on board with my decision. Their vision for my career was apparently different from my own.
Perhaps you've encountered this as well or are afraid of pursuing a goal for fear of the backlash. It's that whole "my parents wanted me to be a doctor but I decided to be an artist" story. I'm an artist sympathizer. Because one thing that becomes clear; and it's a message we hear over and over: if you're not yourself, if you're not doing the things want to be doing and listening to that inner drive, then you're probably not finding your true happiness.
When you make decisions for yourself that are contrary to others' opinions... When you make changes in your life that veer from the paths that those around you have chosen... Then you must be prepared for the potential for backlash. Whether it's adopting a new wellness plan or a new hairstyle- people around you will not change at the same speed you will. They are, after all, on their own path making their own decisions.
When your vision for yourself does not match their vision for you or for themselves, it may make them uncomfortable. That is a vulnerable time for you both. It's a time when relationships change, strengthen, or diverge. You can still consider their opinion, show appreciation for caring about your well-being, and then move forward with your choice. This is by no means selfish or "leaving people in the dust". It is genuine and your way of offering your best self to the world.
Your decisions may be challenged and people may not be on board, but keep on listening to your heart and envisioning your goals. If I had listened to others' vision for me rather than my inner drive, I would probably be cooking in a restaurant rather than writing this blog. Instead, cooking became my hobby and my passion for writing and helping people became my career.
If you would like to read more about my journey and receive an annoucement when my new website is unveiled, please sign up for my free newsletter at www.howaboutcake.com
