Archive - Business

Are You on the Road to Success? 8 Keys to Let You Know if You’re on the Right Path

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I was recently reading an article while on the train featured in the NY Metro called “Traits of Highly Successful People” where they took a look at the lives of successful individuals and highlighted some traits that have aided in their success.  I go out to events quite often and while interacting with individuals and speaking to them about their many accomplishments and accolades I often find myself noticing certain characteristics and commonalities amongst them all that stand out.

While reading through the article I could relate to Jonathan’s outlook and found that I have had the same experience when speaking with individuals trying to figure out what is the secret to their success.  I know one of the biggest issues I have is being hesitant to reach out to certain individuals for help and it has been expressed to me on many occasions that I should never have too much pride or be afraid to ask for assistance with achieving my goals and it was touched upon in this article as one of the biggest factors that aids in success.

Below are some attributes that drive the success of many of the influential individuals that inspire us daily and help push us to the next level.

  1. Have a Clear Vision – When trying to create an empire you must be certain of what your goal is, what you would like to accomplish and how you are going to accomplish it.
  2. Choose to Be Different – Think outside of the box, even if individuals think that your idea is outlandish and it is unpopular, having a unique idea will lead to great results in contrast to those who are trying to reinvent the wheel
  3. Work Hard and Focus on What You Can Control – Stick to your plan, make sure to have a cohesive schedule that you maintain, be diligent and stay determined.
  4. Be Proactive and Take Initiative – Don’t wait for things to happen or fall into your lap, nothing comes of that. No matter what you need to be actively pursuing your goals ensuring that you stick to your plan and meet your goals.
  5. Defy the Norm – Don’t accept the status quo, refer back to step 2 and channel that energy to be different
  6. Surround Yourself With Supportive and Positive People – I think this should be the #1 rule, you have heard of birds of a feather right, well it definitely applies here, success breeds success, if you surround yourself with go getter’s and optimistic individuals then you will be one as well.
  7. Sell Yourself – Have a strong belief in what you do, I mean if you don’t believe in yourself than no one else will, your business and what you do will lead to you being a brand within itself so you  must be the forefront of your business at all times
  8. Last but not least – Enjoy the Journey! Love what you do and be passionate about it.

THE MODERN DAY MATCHMAKER: Business Edition

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On Thursday June 3, I had the opportunity to attend an event called The Modern Day Matchmaker hosted by the real life Hitch, Paul Carrick Brunson and moderated by Nikki Nokes, author of “Maybe It’s You”

The event consisted of about 6 panelist from different walks of life who were all experts in their on right when it comes to relationship building. Lola Adesioye of  LolaCreative.com, Demetria Lucas, Relationship Editor at Essence and Author of ABelleinBrooklyn.com, Damon Young aka “The Champ” of VerySmartBrothers.com, Anslem Samuel of NakedWithSocksOn.com and Jozen Cummings of UntilIGetMarried.com. As I am listening to each of them speak and give their thoughts on how to maintain relationships whether it be dating tips or how to keep your marriage together, I thought how can I apply this to business.

I believe a relationship whether business or personal are derived from the same basic concepts and are built in the same manner. At first sight there must be a spark a connection of some sorts that catches your attention this is why many say first impression is everything. Based off of the initial encounter is what usually determines whether or not a person plans on continuing to pursue or build said relationship. From my experience, during networking rarely do I ever feel that spark or feeling that many of the individuals are willing to commit to building a partnership and/or relationship. I find that many people are selfish and they come with an agenda to push their business and pitch you the entire time without engaging in a decent conversation. It is similar to the person who talks about themselves on the first date for the first 20 minutes. When speaking to someone you want to be exchanging thoughts and holding a conversation. People want to know a person is genuinely interested in what they have to say, this is when trust is formed and the bond grows stronger within the relationship. So when meeting for the first time you must remember to share ideas no one wants to be talked at they want to be talked to. Sounds like common knowledge but you would be surprised at how many people make this mistake.

The art of actual conversation is like speaking Sanskrit, not sure what that is, that is because it is a dead language. Engaging in dialogue seems to have died like chivalry with the increasing use of social networks. Ironically these networks have caused many to be less social and to hide behind their online persona’s they have created. Demetria made a great point at the event about individuals no longer even providing their true credentials such as a business card but ask you to follow them on twitter, look them up on Facebook or my #petpeeve Google Me. I am not sure when this became the norm but this is a no, no, when networking, if you cannot explain who you are and what you do in a concise manner there is a problem. Now I have no problem with following you on twitter, becoming a friend on Facebook and best believe I am going to Google you anyway to make sure you are who you say you are. Plus I engage in social networking I believe more so than the average person but I am also a firm believer of meeting in person especially when conducting business. You want to ensure that the person is serious about their craft and is a true representation of what they have been portraying especially if your only interaction is online.

Following up has also suffered tremendously in this new age of technology. Many people seem to have forgotten how to remind the person that they are still interested and enjoyed the conversation and interactions that they had. I say treat it like a second date, when interested you want to reach out let the person know, hey I had a good time and would like to exchange ideas some more. The objective of the second meeting is to continue to build a relationship and to ensure this is the right connection for you. You don’t want to waste anyone’s time by prolonging it so make sure to follow up in a timely matter at least a week from meeting the person. That way if either of you are not interested you can move forward to new opportunities without wondering what if.

Just a few dating networking tips to remember when you go out to your next event.

Best,

Africa

The Art of Networking: You Have to Make People Uncomfortable

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On Friday, March 26th, I rushed to The Dumbo Lofts in Brooklyn after work to attend Digital Dumbo which was sponsored by Invoke. I reached about an hour into the event and everyone was well into networking mode. I walked in and at the front a table was set up for you to receive a name tag, now in order to receive a name tag you had to answer a question in one word and whatever your answer was became your name for the night. My question was “How do you feel about your job?” and my answer was “Excited.”

After putting on my name tag I made my way through the crowd which was comprised of people who were already in groups engulfed in deep conversation with drinks in hand. I scanned the crowd and looked for name tags that intrigued me but I saw things like Blackberry, Stomach, Marching in Place, and the list goes on and on but nothing that wowed me plus I didn’t know how to spark a question based off any of those things without saying a corny joke like Blackberry? The Phone or the Fruit?

When I first meet people I am more of an observer I usually like to analyze what I am getting into before I just jump in, so I stood around just observing the crowd and how they interact with each other. Luckily I bumped into Kenji Summers who I met a couple of weeks prior at the MGProject Tweetup and I was kind of happy to see a familiar face to ease the discomfort. We began to talk about his name tag which said Blackberry which he said he couldn’t live without (that is what everyone who I’ve spoken to lately tells me and they all are trying to convince me to invest in one). After we went through the pleasantries I mentioned my dilemma in regards to just jumping into an already established conversation because that just wasn’t my style. But Kenji had an interesting philosophy on exactly how I should work my way in and begin to network, he said “You Have to Make People Uncomfortable”. He then went on to say “Watch Me, I am going to make 3 people uncomfortable right now” and disappeared into the crowd.

Not to long after I left the event and was in deep thought about what Kenji said and was questioning myself on whether or not I was bold enough to test this theory out. Now to most this concept would make no sense and to me it did not register at first as well but as the night went on it became more apparent to me exactly what he meant.

When I got in I checked my emails, signed into my social networks to see what was buzzing and I came across a friend’s status that said:

You have to learn how to come out of your comfort zone or personal circle in order to obtain what God has for your life. Rise to the occasion and seize the moment. ~QtheProphet

And at the moment I read this a light bulb went off and I instantly understood what Kenji said to me earlier and everything seemed so clear. I thought to myself I am sure I am not the only person who has these feelings of discomfort but the only way to enhance my networking skills would be to seize the moment, go out on a limb and approach someone. At the moment of interaction that person may be feeling just as uncomfortable as I and that alone would give us something in common.

So let’s recap what we learned today:

    1. Don’t be afraid to make the first move
    2. Don’t be afraid to make people uncomfortable
    3. Set a Goal for yourself (Kenji picked 3 people to interact with)

And last but not least enjoy yourself, networking isn’t about forcing business connections it is about forming trusted relationships with individuals who you may have similar views or with new people who can help expose you to new things.

What obstacles do you face when networking? or when trying to build strong business relationships? if any