COACH YOU BLOG

Let’s smash the “Business” Myth!
28/2/2013

I was once told, “Don’t ask “What do you do?” in a Networking situation because it’s boring. “ BORING? Personally I find that a REALLY interesting aspect of people and one I’m most intrigued to discover. Certainly more interesting than “How did you get here?” … if not as interesting as “What’s your dream?”. That can really throw mere mortals at 7am at a chilly winter breakfast meeting, but that’s a different story …

When asked “What do you do?” people rarely say “I’m a businessman/woman”. They’ll say I’m an IFA, Virtual Assistant, Property Developer or Therapist but rarely “I’m a businessman/woman”. What’s that about?

A new client described as a Businesswoman recently recoiled in horror: “No, no, I’ve left all that behind … I wouldn’t call myself a Businesswoman”. I recently co-led a business training event in London for qualified coaches who thought they had permanently escaped the business world, that they had entered the “Professions”. Eventually they came to terms with having to be in business to get any clients and if you are in business you are, by definition, a businessman/woman.

Clearly there remains a taint against the word … Businessman/woman means “trade, darling” hard-nosed, driven, tough, money orientated, back-stabbing and altogether unpleasant. And of course we’ve all met people who live up to that expectation. However, most of the Business people I work with are freedom loving, passionate, professional, enthusiastic and incredibly hard working. They forget they chose to go into business for themselves. They know how hard it is and forget the choices they CAN make should they wish to. Often when they abandon corporate life they chuck out all the useful things they’ve learned like time-management, organisation and structure. No, they don’t have to work 9 ‘til 5 any more … their hours may be longer but they choose when to work and went not to work. Like taking a break in the middle of the day to meet a friend, play some golf, have a bubble bath … because they put the hours in the day before.

Gradually they embrace the term Businessman/woman and it really opens their minds to greater opportunity. They become far more entrepreneurial – spotting new opportunities to extend their services, expand their associates and increase their income stream.

Britain used to be described as a Nation of Shopkeepers … well I say let’s embrace the spirit of that statement and be proud to be a nation of Business People once more!