Invest in me? Why not?
Recently, I took a trip to Los Angeles for the first time. The experience took my breath away, and made me realize that I can do amazing things in life. Overall, the trip inspired me to see the world differently, and adventure to unfamiliar territories. Mostly, the trip opened my eyes to the peculiar journey I have been on regarding my photography business. Lately, I have felt that investing in myself is not benefiting enough while navigating through the fashion and entertainment industry. However, asking people to invest in my talent has been the biggest hurdle I continue to face daily. Why am I facing so many challenges? I have reasonable rates, I produced quality content, and I am very professional. So, I just can't comprehend the reason why people are not investing in my photography business. Well, I think I should just relax, and not focus on the fact that people are not investing in my talent, but continue to focus on investing in myself. I work so hard to build my brand, and work day and night to make S LYNN FOTO a household name. Why is it so hard, not just for me, but other entrepreneurs to receive the support? Honestly, the support will eventually come, but being consistent in investing in yourself is what really matters. Let's be clear, when you invest in yourself it will take notice by brands that might have rejected you in the past. Furthermore, I have come up with 5 components that entrepreneurs can utilize when investing in themselves. I hope this will help ease the stress of wanting the entire world to invest in you, when you must focus on investing in yourself on a daily.
1. Being better than the competition...
Who is your competition? How do they brand themselves? How long have they been working in your perspective industry? These are some of the questions that many entrepreneurs should ask themselves while investing in their business. Many entrepreneurs are so apprehensive in inquiring about their competition, because it may make them seem weak. NOT! Learning the competition is imperative, because it will be the definitive factor in how much you should invest in yourself. The competition forces you to step out of your comfort zone, and do things for your business that you wouldn't normally do. This is a dog-eat-dog world, and we all must face reality that being competitive is what will attract the right cliental, and make you a leader in the industry.
2. Confidence goes a looooonnnggg way...
Being unsure of yourself can hinder your progression in the investment process. You must break through the timid persona, and learn to boast about your talent, instead of putting yourself down. I use to be the master of negative self-talk, until I realized that being negative eliminated me from excelling in my career. Go for what you want in confidence, and promote yourself to the next level. People feed off confidence, and as an entrepreneur being insecure can lead to habits that can affect the way you invest in your business. Leaders lead with confidence, and you are unable to operate a business being timid. Trust your leadership capabilities and lead from the heart.
3. Please ban "Can't" from your vocabulary...
Former President Obama's campaign motto was "Yes We Can". You can do anything in this world when you switch the word "can't" to "can". The purpose of a can-do attitude is to alleviate the notion that anything that you do in life is impossible to achieve. The word "can" goes beyond what is require of us to do on a daily basis. The can-do attitude maximizes your potential to be a great entrepreneur. In addition, the sense of "I can" surpasses all adversity that accompanies with being an entrepreneur. Never eliminate the fact that you were made to fulfill all your goals, and inhabiting the right attitude will allow you to conquer the feelings of "can't-do"and allow you to be strategic when investing in yourself.
4. Money, Money, Moneyyyyy...
Like the saying, "Time is money". As an entreuprener you will spend most of your earnings on the business. It will take an immense amount of financial investment in your business to get you to the next level. I have been running my business since 2012, and I must admit that I am not consistent with investing in my business financially. First, find the time to speak with a financial advisor that way you will have a better understanding on the proper way to invest in your business. I understand that investing in your business will be expensive, and leave you eating peanut butter jelly sandwiches for a while, but the reward in the end will be far greater.
5. Just invest, and stop complaining...
True success will not happen at the drop of a hat, you must work hard at everything that you set out to do. Sometimes, we can get so caught up on what is not happening for our businesses, rather than what is blossoming right in front of us. When we stop complaining about our goals, we can derive a plan of action for investing in ourselves. The journey in being an entrepreneur is never easy, but the reward is far greater than you will ever imagine. Investing in yourself will build up your confidence, which will allow you to step out your comfort zone. We live in a digital world, and everyone once opportunities to happen instantly. Furthermore, think about an investment as a long term commitment to establishing growth opportunities. When we you decide to invest 100 percent of your time the end results will blow your mind.
Overall, I learned that the importance of investing in yourself will eliminate all doubt. Focus on the process, and not on the lack of people investing in your business.This is your dream, your goal, your vision, and you control the outcome of your business. Therefore, the need to invest in yourself is imperative as you continue to embark on this journey as an entrepreneur.
Photo Credit: S LYNN FOTO