Do you surround yourself with positivity? I do, just the other day I went to a Quinn Conyers business workshop. I found myself part of a group of African American Female Entrepreneurs. I had been in classes before and quite often those workshops devolved into a contest over who was the smartest person in the room, and whose business was better. This workshop seemed different somehow. I was apprehensive when I arrived, but what happened next no one could have expected. In the course of just a few hours we went from a group of strangers to a sisterhood of proud professional women.
Upon arrival, I noticed that everyone had come prepared in the same way as me. We all had our own beverage of choice, whether it was coffee, water or tea. We had our own notebooks and pens because taking notes was important to us. As each person entered the room, we all said good morning and carried on small conversations. The class hadn’t started yet, but I realized I was in the center of a sisterhood of successful professional women.
That’s when I realized, this workshop wasn’t on how to rebuild a failing business. It was how to increase and address your client’s needs on a new level. It was about making our businesses better. We all wanted our companies to be successful, and we were here to put in the work to help it continue to grow.
When the first half of the workshop commenced, we took notes and listened to our instructor. There were opportunities for us to chime in with an opinion or even laugh. It was a great presentation and by the end, I learned so much. The instructor, Quinn Conyers, made her class relatable and using real-life examples from her own life. Some of the lessons she taught us that revolved around communication skills, some revolved around leadership skills, and some of it was just stories she had learned from being a mom.
The 2nd half of the workshop allowed each of us to speak. Each woman took time to discuss her business, give her name, and explain what she did and her vision of where she wanted her company to go and grow. The room remained quiet as each woman spoke. Once she was finished one by one, we went around the table and each of us gave a suggestion. Ideas that we had on how to market or increase revenue. Not a negative word was ever spoken to her but only encouraging ones. Even if there was something, we didn’t feel worked for her business instead of saying “I don’t like that idea” we would say “what if you try this”. It was all about the delivery and the generous feedback we were able to offer each other. After one person finished the next suggestion would come from someone else. One by one everyone started chiming in. Brainstorming ideas for that woman’s business until her page was full of ideas. Even if she didn’t like them all, she had tons to choose from.
None of our businesses were competitors, and we didn’t intimately know each other’s businesses, despite that we were able to assist each other and help each other recognize opportunities that existed in our own businesses that we had overlooked.
On a personal note that I realized something that day. When I published my book Friendly Backstabbing last year, I didn’t realize how it would change me. We all get the same 24 hours in the day and you must make the most of each one. If a bunch of strangers can meet up on Saturday afternoon, and work hard to give each other advice on strengthening their businesses. Why can’t we surround our selves with the people we love and do the same thing?
Ask yourself these questions. How many people are around you who are supportive of your business, your goals, your dreams? How many people reference the business you started as little? You shouldn’t accept it. When you put time and effort into what is important to you, none of that is little. If a room full of strangers can encourage me about a business, and not tear me down. Then, my friends and family, the ones that are a part of my everyday life are expected to do the same. It doesn’t mean you won’t have naysayers or haters those people will always be around, jealous of what you were able to accomplish. Instead, surround yourself with people who are encouraging and supportive of whatever you do. Service Ninja’s have a saying, “You are the 5 people you spend the most time with”. My five all chase their dreams. That’s what they have in common. Who are your five?
Here’s a few of my favorite people and a video that asks the question Whose your 5?
