How Can We Help Each Other Succeed?

[inverse Paranoid]

I've been reading Steve's site since 2006 and have tried (and failed) twice to successfully launch a heart-centered business that truly fulfilled me and made a difference. I've come to the conclusion that the reason I've failed at this in the past isn't a lack of good ideas, talent, skill, dedication, or time; it's because I've spent too much time doing things that I'm not good at and not enough time leveraging my strengths/gifts. In short, I'm trying to do too much of it by myself and it's sucking the momentum and joy out of what should be an invigorating process.

I know that if I could just find a way to spend more of my time using my strengths/gifts to help others, and allow other people to use their strengths/gifts to help me, I'd not only thrive in business and help others do the same, but we'd all make a huge contribution in the process.

I believe that many people are in the same boat. Trying to do everything (or nearly everything) themselves and only using their true strengths/gifts a fraction of the time.


Where I'm At

A few weeks ago I quit my job to focus full time on my current business: Writing, teaching and coaching in the area of spiritual and personal development. My marketing message is still in its infancy (I actually ended up borrowing much of the text I came up with while writing this post to vastly improve what I had on my website), I've only got one life coaching client (with a second scheduled to begin work with me shortly) and I'll be teaching my first class in May. All of this has been drummed up through local support and people who've come to know me through interacting with me at other people's classes and events.

As a friend put it to me recently, "I need help packaging myself." I'm not nearly assertive enough in getting my message out there. My services and message offer a lot of value but by not marketing myself with everything I've got I'm depriving would-be clients of the tremendous gift of our work together. For Christ's sake the Facebook game Farmville has already taken in 1.5 billion in revenue! The money is out there, people are spending it on things they don't need. Why shouldn't I get myself out there and let them know why they should spend it on me, or other services that can provide them true value?

I already have a lot of offline, local support; including a mentor who's very successful locally and willing to do whatever it takes to help me get my business off the ground. But I also know that it will take time to build a clientele that will keep me busy full time and would rather find productive things to do with my time and energy than to take the work that comes my way and wait for word of mouth to do its job.

That's where working laterally can come in handy. Rather than solely targeting people who might be a good match for my services and looking to grow my business, I can use my strengths to help you grow your business and allow you to use your strengths to help me do the same. If something that's hard for you comes naturally to me, then does it really make sense for you to continue struggling in that area when there are things that are hard for me that probably come naturally to you? I want to create business relationships where we leverage each other strengths so we're both spending more of our time doing what we do best.


What I Bring to the Table

Insight: I see things extremely clearly and I'm good at communicating that clarity to others. I have a knack for understanding things and getting to the heart of the problem right away. I will guide you past what you think you "need" to do, to what you actually will do. I will help you skip the phase of knowing-what-you-need-to-do-but-not-doing-it-and-thus-beating-yourself-up and go straight to "Ah-ha! This is what works for me! This is something I can really sink my teeth into!"

Problem-solving: I see past people's hangups and through their mental blocks to find joy-centered solutions to vexing problems. I will turn ideas on their head, break or bend rules, challenge common sense and find ways to make the seemingly impossible not only seem possible, but sound like something YOU can do for yourself. In short, I take situations where you're faced with only a few undesirable options and generate mass amounts of alternatives that will empower you to choose a way that works for you. There's no greater reminder of how capable and powerful you are than discovering an exciting way to move through what previously paralyzed you and actually have fun moving through it.

Fearlessness: Courage is acting on thoughts that challenge what you believe. Fearlessness is using thought to change your beliefs prior to acting. While courage can dispel fear, fearlessness transcends it. You can get over your fears by acting on them one by one; or you can get to the heart of the problem by uprooting the beliefs that create them. Why waste time constantly taking your power back from your fears when there are ways to actually stop creating them? Facing your fears is a form of busy work. You can spend a lifetime facing your fears and thus live a life guided by fear; or you can invest your time in transcending your fears and live a life rooted in love. I help people do the latter.

Non-Judgment: It doesn't feel good to me to judge others, so I've learned to release judgment almost as fast as it comes in. I have a talent for reframing things so that you can reclaim your power from whatever uneasy situation you find yourself in. Not only that, I will help you find the gift in what others might try to make you ashamed of. My general rule is, "If others will judge you for it I'll probably love you for it." I truly love people for what makes them special or even weird. While others look for ways that you're similar to them so they can relate to you, I look at your uniqueness and use it as an inspiration to discover what you're exemplifying in myself. If shame or guilt are holding you back, I can offer the unconditional love and acceptance to help you release them.

Imagination: I'm extremely good at projecting myself into situations I've never been in before and seeing them as if I were actually living them. This makes me great at helping people through change, uncertainty and situations they don't think anyone else can relate to. If you're in a unique situation, I can project myself into your situation and give you feedback as if I was actually there living it with you. This also makes me a great person to bounce ideas off of since I can project your idea into the future and give you feedback as to how I see it turning out. My presence can add clarity and composure to your uncertain future, and help you move forward with confidence and peace of mind.


Ways We Can Exchange Value

Strength swapping: You do what you do best, I do what I do best, we both benefit from each other and gain the opportunity to do more of what we do best. If we both have needs the other can fill and strengths that are going untapped, then let's leverage the gift of each other's strengths to help us both succeed.

Mentor me in an area: Get the chance to work with someone who's determined to succeed and brings so much passion and enthusiasm to the table that it'll be hard not to get infected by it. I guarantee that I will ask you plenty of questions that you've never been asked before and get you to think thoughts you'd never otherwise would of thought. I'm a quick learner with a penchant for challenging assumptions and finding creative ways to make things work. I also adapt to change insanely well and will progress so quickly in the area of your expertise that you'll never find yourself bored from my inability to integrate and apply what you're teaching me. We will progress so quickly that there'll always be something new to touch on; and before long you will start looking at me as someone you can't wait to work with, not on.

Hire me or refer someone: If what I'm offering sounds like something you could benefit greatly from but you already have a full plate and would rather hire me than trade away your time, please do so. Likewise, if you know someone else who you think would benefit greatly, don't hesitate to refer them to me or have me contact them. I'm here to help in any way joyously possible and, while my ability to market myself may be a little rough around the edges, my sincerity and the value I provide are very real.


How to Connect

Skype: This is probably the most optimal route. Nothing will give us a better idea of whether or not we'll work well together than the real time interaction of live audio (and video if you have a web cam).

My Skype name is "JoshuaBillings.com" (creative, I know, but JoshBillings, JoshuaBillings and inverseParanoid were already taken).

Reply to This Thread: If you like the idea of connecting with other success-minded businesspeople, why not put what you have to offer and what sort of help you're looking for on the table? As Steve once said, "Success is not a solo pursuit."

Private Message: If you just want to send me a quick note, feel free to PM me!

I look forward to connecting with you and helping our businesses succeed!

[JustinPopovic]

Hey Josh,
Congrats on taking the huge step of going into business for yourself full time. I've done it and I know how much courage it takes...kudos!

I added you to Skype. I'm always interested in connecting with motivated entrepreneurs so I look forward to chatting.