I was standing in line at the grocery store the other day and overheard a conversation between a man and a woman that went something like this:
Big buff man (puffing out his chest just a little), “Yeah, I lift about 1,000 pounds a week…”
The woman’s eyes got wide, “Oh wow, that’s a lot of weight,” but not wanting to be out-gymmed she nonchalantly professed, “I do 4 ½ miles on the elliptical five times a week… ”
That conversation got me thinking. We love to talk about our accomplishments – some people even take it to the extreme and bore everyone with constant stories of self-aggrandizement; bragging endlessly about what they have or what they’ve done. But for most of us, we simply work hard to achieve our goals and it makes us feel good to share our success.
So yes, we as individuals – as human beings – like to brag a little now and then. But I rarely hear small business owners bragging about their professional achievements. I’d love to be in a networking group and hear a fellow solopreneur proclaim (with chest puffed out), “I got 10 new leads last week and converted eight of them.” And another respond, “Oh yeah, well I have a 95% customer retention rate.” And a third, proudly assert, “My average sale increased 50% last year!”
Why don’t we hear and engage in conversations like these? I mean, we are entrepreneurs for crying out loud! We should be loud and proud! We work our tails off, haven’t we earned bragging rights? Why don’t we talk about these things more? Could it be that we have nothing to brag about? Is it because we don’t set goals or measure results so we have no idea what we’re accomplishing – or even if we’re accomplishing anything?
You see, the key to earning bragging rights as a small business owner is knowing where you started, where you are now, and where you want to go.
Mr. Grocery Store Iron Man didn’t just walk in to the gym one week and start lifting 1,000 lbs. And I know his companion didn’t do 4 ½ miles her first time on the elliptical. Without a starting point, how can you know what success looks like? And if you don’t know what success looks like, how can you share it with others? So start setting goals and tracking success. I want to hear you brag!!!
Carolyn Higgins is the President and founder of Fortune Marketing Company. Her personal mission is to help small businesses stop wasting money on advertising and promotions that don’t deliver and help you implement an effective marketing system that will bring you more customers – consistently.
For more information about Carolyn Higgins and Fortune Marketing Company please visit FortuneMarketingCompany.com.
Email chiggins@fortunemarketingcompany.com or call us at 707.631.6340.
Carolyn Higgins is the President and founder of Fortune Marketing Company. Her personal mission is to help small businesses stop wasting money on advertising and promotions that don’t deliver and help business owners implement an effective marketing system that will bring in more customers—consistently. For more information about Fortune Marketing Company visit the Fortune Marketing Company website or blog.
