I am one of those people who can hold a secret. Seriously. I’ve had friends begin sharing private information assuming I had shared their secret with my entrepreneurial husband only to watch his jaw drop or face turn beet red.
Why am I telling you this? Well, every year I choose to attend a conference that addresses the needs and lives of entrepreneurs. I purposefully look for communities that are moving forward together. I go to glean powerful information for myself and those I love serving.
You’ve heard the phrase “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” However, this conference wasn’t in Vegas. It was in Texas. The Big D, actually. I’m sure you’re familiar with “everything is bigger in Texas.” With that being said, I’m not holding any secrets, in fact, I want to give you some timely and timeless deets I learned this past weekend.
Allow me to shake down and shimmy up some of the best nuggets gleaned from Nathalie Lussier’s Off the Charts Live conference. This powerful group of 200 practicing entrepreneurs from around the world shared invaluable insight.
As I listened to practical how-to advice and stories of building business sustainably and sanely, my thoughts were saturated with happy dancing. Yes, I’m nerdy like that– so nerdy that my published doctoral research addresses entrepreneurs and their educational experiences. And wouldn’t you know three major themes surfaced during this conference. I want to share them with you.
Take note all who are entrepreneurs or not– this will serve your life in some capacity.
- Create the kind of success you desire.
- Be fully alive through reflection and connection.
- Traction comes by overcoming challenges and building resiliency.
Regarding success; define what it means to you. Dive deep. What does success feel like to you? Who are the people sharing it with you? When you aren’t working what great things are you doing that bring satisfaction, joy, or meaning?
Please, do your thing. Others often suggest what they think we should do understanding little of what we desire to do. So listen and act on what you know you need to do. Yes, take advice from those whose life and business line up with the kind of success you want, but most importantly, listen and lead yourself. Take the collective advice of many:
Tune in to what it is you want to create from this one precious life.
As strong collective themes emerged from story-telling entrepreneurs I felt as happy as a pig in mud. Why? Because these entrepreneurs carried the presence of being fully alive.
They shared how previous adventures brought further clarity and how everything serves a purpose by leading us to where we are now. The more personal growth and development we go through as entrepreneurs the more confident we become. More confidence leads to more skillful action. Not at all shocking, just reassuring. And the lessons continue…
Embrace struggle and failure as great teachers in order to be more alive. Acknowledge time as an incubator for pruning skill sets and clarifying purpose.
By the way, the most prevalent theme about being alive was having connection. Many entrepreneurs expressed that their fellow peers played a significant role in business and life breakthroughs.
These peers have served as a support system. They exchanged ideas, benefited from one another’s expertise, rallied in the midst of trials or celebrated breakthroughs. Summary advice:
Team up to optimize dreams and talents in yourself and others.
The predominant theme of creating traction emerged as the speakers shared stories about overcoming challenges and building resiliency. The honesty of sharing how one arrives from Point A to Point B was refreshing. Often we’ll hear how one became an overnight success when it takes about 2-9 years to gain a six and seven-figure success– and it’s also okay not to run a business that yields such high returns, after all each of us define success differently.
So here’s the scoop according to several of these entrepreneurs. Want traction? Cool. We all do. Be willing to choke. Make mistakes. Prune services or products that lack passion or efficiency. Do the work that takes you and your customers to that happy place. 🙂
Taking off is part of flying the proverbial entrepreneurial plane.
Give yourself permission to ascend into new realms where great value is given and profits are enjoyed. Yes, permission to soar. Hold a space for lifelong learning. No need to cool the jets, it’s time to fly.
Oh and here’s a reminder. At times, the plane is still being built while we’re learning to fly. The common consensus was this: Business takes courage. Don’t hold back. Act before you’re ready. Step out in faith. Oh! And, don’t forget to team up and tune in to what your success looks and really feels like.
No secrets here. Just good solid advice shared from a powerful group of entrepreneurs who are seeing results and sharing their stories.
BIG THANKS to everyone that reads my blog. I hope this post helps you reflect and smile on your own adventure. In the comment section below, tell me how do you want to ramp up your entrepreneurial game? Are you looking to tune in more, team up or take off to the next level?
Let’s do this!
