#GrowNOW The Podcast

During our monthly online meetings for Imn Paris ( more info on www.imnparis.com ) we always start with a gratitude exercise. And why would that be important during a mastermind on entrepreneurial subjects? Because it gives us the time to reflect on the things that we have accomplished so far and it puts into perspective our future goals.

Seeing that we are already 7 months into 2021 already, our first recommendation ( step ) towards reaching your desired outcome, is to pause and forecast your next remaining 5 months. This, in terms, gives you an upgraded reality of what has been achieved and you can adapt accordingly. Are you creating your ideal scenarios for your business? Well, you should as this is a great way to measure the excitement that you still have for your goals.

Join us in this episode as we are exploring the 3 important steps of success for any entrepreneur in 2021.

A highly efficient technique in the coaching industry is the A.I.M SMART approach. For reference, please listen to the previous episode 46, to get familiarised with the SMART method and how to apply it as an entrepreneur.

S - Specific, strategic

M - Measurable

A - Attainable, achievable

R - Relevant

T - Time-bound

Now we go a step further today and make it even more detail oriented. What does the following phrase sound ?: “I AIM for goals, I am very SMART in achieving them and I let people know what I am going g to do” . Would it be something worth looking into?

Listen to this week’s episode as we go over defining goals, ways to achieve them and ACCOUNTABILITY, usually an overlooked step.

At this point in the current business climate, there is no benefit in falling into the trap of doing nothing or doing too much. Entrepreneurs usually are caught in between these 2 extremes. That’s why the S.M.A.R.T way is the perfect method to reach your goals and getting the FOCUSED results your business needs.

S - Specific, strategic

M - Measurable

A - Attainable, achievable

R - Relevant

T - Time-bound

Join us as we go over, in the episode, on how to apply this great method for your business or personal life, why not? :)

Football is THE SPORT, the one that everyone has an opinion about, we all know the name of at least a few players, the sport that ignites the passion of some many of us all over the world.

The energy, pride and happiness can be derived from a simple match is so amazing that it has us thinking: “what else can give such a huge energy, such an important vibration on which everybody can connect to?” We as business owners, as entrepreneurs should be interested in achieving a level of connection and inclusion when dealing with our customers, right?

So what can football teach us about this? Find out in today’s episode.

What are our true connections in today’s reality? How many people actually pick up the phone when you call? In today’s episode we are discussing the importance of a strong network of quality relationships and the exponentially of your networking.

If you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner ( meaning you would dedicate yourself to fulfilling multiples roles in your business ), you know how caught up you can get in the daily tasks and operations as sales, marketing, logistics, etc. And in the same time having the tendency to neglect the importance of capital relationship, the personal and professional connections.

Find out in today’s episode how to grow and effectively use our networking partnerships and connections.

As a rule of thumb, when starting a new business venture of any kind, we should be prepared for the inevitable “working for free for a while in the beginning” : the time to create a name for ourselves, to improve and perfect our product or service, to start earning a reputation within the market, etc. For example, in coaching, the model of 3-3-3 is a relevant one:

But where exactly is the line when we are supposed to stop offering our services for free, especially when it is in our nature to help people? How do we judge our value when competing in a market where no one wants to feel like they are consistently ‘sold to’? When we have the tendency to put people first, is pro bono helping “us” (the provider) or helping them ’the customer’?

Listen to the arguments from an entrepreneur’s working with entrepreneurs point of view.

When entrepreneurs start their business journey, is usually because they have a solution to a problem, not necessarily because they are transforming their hobby into a business. And we can all agree that this is the healthy way to bring something valuable to the market. So now the real question these days is : How much can you bring to the market when your own resources are limited? The reality of the economic crisis is hitting hard small business around the world right now and sustainability cannot exist without profit.

Join us for this episode as we go over the importance of thinking ahead on creating sustainable yet profitable businesses, that also take into consideration the communities around.

We can all agree that Zoom conferences or any online meetings are tricky when you are not prepared and when you treat them as a cup of coffee with friends. Especially those one to one, when trying to sign a new client or start a new partnership.

Being authentic still means that the common sense rules apply, if you wish to be the one in control and get the results you are hoping for each time. In the first part of this topic, last week we talked about group conferences and now we will address the more private communications, where the goal is to sign a new client or start a new partnership.

Zoom meetings give a business owner the precious advantage of TIME, time won by not having to travel to a specific location. And truth be told, we think a lot of people have found out that not all the business meetings have to be held in person but we were all in a silent agreement that if you wanted to sell, you had to be the one making the effort.

Nevertheless, online meetings or calls present a challenge of their own: how to keep the attention of our participants and have them engaged with whatever our subject is. The main difference between in-person and online meetings is the presence of distractions: phone notifications, the temptation to go browsing online, and so on.

So in order to keep your participants engaged, some skills are required, that we may not have considered before. In this episode we will go over 5 important tips on how to make your Zoom meetings efficient and interesting.

Willingly or not, we have adapted to the idea that our business needs an online presence but also we as entrepreneurs need to be active and figure out how to communicate from a distance with new or existing clients, possible business partners and so on. And that means being able to close a deal or to acquire new clients over Zoom or Skype. Easier said than done!

These online interactions are in a way, removing the socialising part of the exchange which for most entrepreneurs is vital, since it lets the person in front of you see how involved and passionate you are about your product or service. Small business owners are usually doing a double sales job, selling the product on one hand and their own drive that goes into believing in that product, on the other hand.

A lot of partnerships or idea for new products have originated during social interactions and unfortunately, nowadays, on Zoom we start the call with the topic already half-way open and so ignoring those precious moments of fraternising. So what can we do to ease into a more real communication on the currently prefered digital platforms like Zoom or Skype?

From building trust to taking risks, in this episode we are addressing the topic of keeping your connections while being online savvy.