In this last episode of this mini-series on Negotiations, we will not be focusing on the techniques of negotiation ( as those are readily available already ) but rather on the mindset, on knowing how exactly we want to feel about ourselves and the deals we are getting.

Can compromising be a winning strategy? Should we want to win at all costs? Here we give you the 5 golden rules.

When we enter any kind of exchange from a win-win perspective, we may end up winning much more than we expect at the beginning. Especially when having to deal with negotiations that have an emotional power over us, when we are attached to the outcome.

A first step is seeing the situation form an objective way, not better, not worse. And the second important step that follows, is to see this negotiation from the other perspective, analyse their outcome and intentions. Remember that we are going for win-win, right?

A clear assessment of what the other party is trying to accomplish will only bring you closer to reaching your goal in this case and understanding what compromises you can bring to the table.

For more on the topic of negotiations, please listen to the previous 2 parts of episode 60 “Negotiation skills for entrepreneurs”

In coaching we talk about different energy levels and this is valid also when we are on the topic of negotiations.

Entering a negotiation deal of any kind, bearing the energy of a “victim” has totally different results than when, for example, we have an angry energy and we bring that to the table with us.

In both cases, are we still focused on the end result or did we just get lost in proving the other party what we can and cannot do?

There is of course the 3rd way, the rational mindset, the calculated, logical energy. The empathic way to go about the negotiations is also a valid and often used approach. Do you recognise yourself already yet in any of these “recipes”? Or maybe you are the type that goes in win the “win-win” attitude.

That’s why we have dedicated the 2nd part of this topic to the actual techniques used when negotiating.

When you want to run your business on your own terms, having strong negotiation skills truly helps, to balance the constant “give and take” that we encounter in our life daily. Nevertheless, 2 important questions arise before you can consider any type of negotiation:

1. Do you truly know what YOU want?

2. Do you know what the opposite side is wanting from this?

In this 2 parts episode on the art of negotiations we will go over how to detach emotionally from the outcome, meaning to observe, to stay factual, to add data, to use the techniques and skills available to us to change the actual circumstances when needed.

So entrepreneurs, do you know how to separate using your emotions from being emotional about something? What is your mindset about negotiations?

On the heels of what happened a week ago with the 7 hours fall of the online Facebook network access, we are looking today into the ways we can continue to function, as businesses, when the proverbial “rug” is pulled from our feet.

For example, the lesson we learn when we end up loosing all our work because we didn’t save the file we were working on and our computer unexpectedly crashed, should make us wise enough to now learn our lesson this time around also and start cutting some small cords with what we refer as Social Media.

Us, entrepreneurs, pride ourselves on being independent and self-standing so the opportunity looks promising right about now.

In this episode we share the ways to go further with your business and, as solo-entrepreneurs, why you should not put all your communication and marketing power into one organisation alone.

In the previous episode “S3 Ep 57: Why most entrepreneurs don’t make money” we have mentioned 5 crucial reasons why entrepreneurs get so easily discouraged :

1. Discipline

2. Endurance

3. Support

4. Focus

5. Stepping back

This episode is focusing on the power of stepping back and taking a aerial view of your efforts and progress, as a form of sustainability and accountability.

A lot of people are flirting with the idea of becoming financially independent but the reality is that the desire of having a business is never enough to make it in the entrepreneurial world. Becoming their own boss has almost pushed people to create in their mind a perfect, ideal image of what the entrepreneurship road would look like for them.

The truth is that running a business is much more than a hobby, is rarely the situation of “I do what I want when I want and if I feel like it”. That’s why most entrepreneurs give up within the 3 years, usually because the profit is just not there. This is just the surface of the problem, the true question is “why they didn’t make enough money”?

When the effort is too high and the result that we foreseen is not the value of what we want, obviously we will not continue to do the effort. In one of our BONUS episodes we have addressed the subject of continuing to put in the effort, no matter what, please listen HERE ( Bonus-COVID-19-The-pursuit-of-growing-together-and-why-to-keep-putting-in-the-effort / May 2020 ) 

In this episode we go over 5 crucial reasons why most entrepreneurs are not making money.

We may think that we don’t have much to give, not having enough time, that we are not successful enough to believe that we have something to give back, or that we don’t have someone that is looking to receive our support. But there is a way to be generous every day!

In this episode we go over the big and the small daily actions towards cultivating a generosity mindset for yourself and how to be present for people that are not even aware they are receiving anything from you.

It can be that subtle :-)

Being considered generous is treated as a high virtue in our society and it doesn’t matter if it’s about our social life or the business aspect, we all have something to offer. We may possibly doubt ourselves that we don’t know how we can serve others or the fear of rejection can take over. But the truth is that all of us have a gift that another person can benefit from.

Giving back is not selling anything.

Giving back is about sharing.

Giving back is remembering who was there for us when we started as entrepreneurs and how we can do the same for someone else, in their time of need.

This episode focuses on practical ways we can consider giving back from becoming mentors, brainstorming or becoming involved on the board of another entrepreneur. There are many fulfilling ways to be someone’s guiding light during a storm.

As entrepreneurs, we are aware that we will have to face the burden of loneliness. Considering what has happened in the business world because of the sanitary and economic crisis, now more than ever, those working for themselves and by themselves are more exposed to the immediate consequences.

So is it so difficult to ask for help as an entrepreneur? Why is that we are so sure of the fact that nobody else can have some answers regarding our business? Is it ego or attachement, sprinkled with a bit of pride?

Find out in this episode what differentiates the women entrepreneurs from male business owners and how and where we can ask for help in order to continue succeeding in business.