An Inspiring Morning with the Better Business Bureau: A Must-Attend for Small Business Owners

I recently had the pleasure of attending a small business workshop hosted by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and it was truly one of the most impactful events I've experienced this year. The day was packed with four dynamic presentations, each offering valuable insights for small business owners and nonprofit leaders. If you're looking for opportunities to learn and grow your business, keep an eye on the BBB's future programming.

The day started with an engaging presentation by Evanthia Karageorge, the director at the BBB. Evanthia shared her journey, from graduating from VCU to her current leadership role. Her message resonated deeply, emphasizing the critical role of mentorship for new employees. She astutely pointed out the significance of executive presence coaching and confidence-building in nurturing the growth of young professionals. Hearing her passion for removing barriers and improving communication and trust within the workplace was inspiring. 

Next up was Kate Scott from the Virginia Council on Economic Education. Kate spoke passionately about the vital importance of small business owners supporting financial education in our schools. She shared a moving personal story about how education opened doors for her, highlighting her organization's mission to provide inspiration and knowledge to underserved communities. Her dedication to breaking the cycle of poverty through education was truly compelling.

We then had the honor of hearing from Karl Leonard, the Sheriff of Chesterfield. Sheriff Leonard shifted gears to discuss the importance of trust and proper resourcing within leadership. He illustrated this with a fascinating anecdote from his time at the Pentagon, where critical, even life-or-death, decisions were made using something as simple as index cards. His point was clear: such high-level management and decisive action are only possible when a team is exceptionally well-trained and built upon a bedrock of trust.

The final speaker, Jeff Katz, brought a crucial element to the forefront: the power of active listening. Jeff provided practical examples of how listening without the immediate intention of responding can profoundly strengthen relationships. His key takeaway was that by truly listening, we can better understand and serve others, ultimately leading to greater earning potential and a more significant impact.

Throughout the event, small business owners and nonprofit leaders had valuable opportunities to connect and share their perspectives on communication, relationships, and financial management. I personally walked away with 14 pages of notes scribbled on my trusty 3x5 notepad!

My biggest takeaways from this enriching workshop were:

1. Be intentional about how you present yourself to others. Your presence and demeanor matter.

2. Focus on listening to other people's needs. Truly understanding others is the key to effective interaction.

3. Understand that having a small number of great relationships is better than thousands of meaningless ones. Quality over quantity in connections.

4. Great things happen when you partner with others. Collaboration can unlock incredible opportunities.

5. You need a support network to achieve your goals. No one succeeds in a vacuum.

It's worth noting that the BBB offers these valuable workshops monthly for its members. This is just one of the many benefits of being a BBB-certified business. In addition to these learning opportunities, certification also includes marketing support through its podcast, radio spots, and website.

If you're a small business owner or nonprofit leader looking to invest in your growth and connect with a supportive community, I wholeheartedly encourage you to explore the Better Business Bureau and their upcoming events. It's an investment that can truly pay dividends.

Who should have a personal board of directors?

You need a personal board of directors if you are an entrepreneur, a leader, or a professional who wants to grow and succeed in your career. A personal board of directors is a group of people who can offer you guidance, support, and advice on various aspects of your work and life. Talking with friends and family members about your work can be helpful, but depending on their background and experience, they might be unable to give you the perspective and guidance needed to achieve your goals. This is especially true if you come from a blue-collar background where the rules for getting ahead differ from most white-collar jobs. In addition to your current network, it is helpful to identify peers, mentors, coaches, experts, and role models to help you better understand how to succeed in a business environment where business acumen, strategic planning, and networking are necessary for advancing your career.

Like a company board of directors, a personal board of directors aims to provide the guidance and support you need to fulfill your career goals. The knowledge and skills you have developed to this point of your career have gotten you to where you are, but to move to the next level, you will need to develop new skills, habits, and behaviors. Your current mindset might be getting in the way of letting go of tasks others could do, investing in your business, and making time for self-care. Changing your mindset is crucial as you move into senior-level roles within an organization or work on scaling your business. Having a routine of discussing current business challenges with a trusted group of advisors can help you reduce the feeling of being alone. The group can help you to

• Gain new knowledge and skills you may not learn from your formal education or training.

• Get valuable feedback and constructive criticism from people who can challenge and push you out of your comfort zone.

• Be persistent when you face difficulties or failures.

• Identify partnership opportunities and expand your network with potential collaborators, clients, investors, or mentors.

• Receive opportunities for career development or business expansion.

Who's your support?

• Friends
• Family
• Employees
• Peers

See All Options

You can vote for more than one answer.

There are four steps that you should follow when forming your personal board of directors.

Clearly define your professional goals.

Depending on your goals, the people that should be on your board of directors will change. For example, if you want to become a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), having someone on your board who understands marketing at a high level would be beneficial. It would also be helpful to have someone that is a Senior Executive that understands what it takes to reach the highest levels of leadership within an organization.

Define the type of people you want on your board.

Diversity is paramount. Your intent should be to have a wide range of people from different backgrounds, races, genders, and specialties. Model your personal board after companies like Apple. Apple's board of directors includes:

• Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

• Arthur Levison, Founder, and CEO of Calico,

• James A. Bell, CFO and Corporate President at Boeing Company,

• Former Vice President Al Gore

• Alex Gorsky, Former Executive Chair of Johnson and Johnson

• Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America

• Monica Lazano, Former President and CEO of the College Futures Foundation

• Ronald Sugar, Former Chair and CEO of Northrop Grumman

• Susan L. Wagner. Co-founder and Director BlackRock

By having people from different industries, genders, and backgrounds, Apple benefits from the diverse knowledge, skills, and perspectives of the people on its board. You might not be able to attract such big names. Still, you can intentionally seek and build meaningful relationships with diverse groups of people that can advise you on growing your career or business.

Define how you will engage with your board.

Determining the frequency and manner of touching base can help you ensure that you are leveraging your board optimally. One of the benefits of having a board is that you are not dependent on one person for everything. By having multiple people whom you consult, you reduce the burden on any one person and limit the chances of burning out a relationship. Initially, meeting with board members one on one may make sense, but over time it can benefit you to introduce your board members to each other and participate in group discussions.

Show gratitude.

The sacrist resource that we have is time. When people take time out of their schedule to support you, show them some love. Communicating gratitude can manifest itself in many ways. One of the best ways is to provide people with updates on the progress that you have made based on their feedback. When you earn a win because of guidance or help from a board member, let them know. They will likely see your wins as their wins. They invest time in you because they believe in your potential and want to see you succeed. Pay them back by letting them know about their positive impact on your career or business.

Humans are a tribal species. We thrive in communities. As you look to progress your career or business, seek out a tribe that can help you grow into the person your potential. We are the summation of our experiences. The more time you can dedicate to learning from people that know things you do not know, the better prepared you will be for the new challenges. You do not have to figure things out alone. Expand your network, seek out mentors, and hire professionals that can help you achieve your goal.

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Thank you for reading this blog

Dorian Cunion is an Executive Business Coach with Your Path Coaching and Consulting. He is a former retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry. He is a Co-Active coach who focuses on helping professionals and small business owners overcome insecurities, knowledge gaps, and lack of direction. He does this by helping clients tap into their values, recognize their strengths, and develop actionable strategies for growth.

Have you been trying to improve your career or business on your own but are not seeing success as fast as you desire?

Book a free discovery call where we can discuss your goals and how I can help you accelerate.

Talk with Dorian

Have Feedback? Send me a note at

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

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Building a Strong Network is Key To Success Being a Successful Leader

As concerns around a potential recession rise, you can benefit from having connections that will help you to stay positive, think through complex problems, and develop strategies to help your company navigate challenging times. An old African proverb says if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go in a group. The complexities of modern business require you to build and maintain strong networks to succeed. Allocating time to nurture your business relationships ensure that you have the community of support you need to achieve your goals.

What gets in the way of networking?

You might not be networking because you feel it is political or too self-serving. We all know people that are self-promoting, insincere, and manipulative. Just because some people have bad behaviors or motives when it comes to networking does mean you should disregard the benefits. People love connecting with people who can help them; there is nothing wrong with meeting new people and discovering ways to collaborate with them. By defining your purpose in networking, you can gain more comfort with the process. Building a solid network allows you to create more value through win-win collaboration.

You may also feel like you do not have time for networking activities because you feel overwhelmed by your current workload. When you look at your calendars and may see little white space, it isn't easy to imagine adding networking activities to your already busy agenda. You likely deprioritize networking because you see it as a low value of the activities, especially in comparison to the other things on your schedule.

If you are an introvert, the idea of going to a loud and crowded event at the end of your workday might be the last thing you want to do. You may tell yourself that you are not good at networking. That there is little benefit to meeting new people. Or that the fear and anxiety that you experience thinking about or going to events is not worth the return.

If any of these reasons for not networking resonate with you, pause and ask yourself four questions.

1. What benefit will come to me by networking more?

2. How much time do I need to allocate to see the benefit of networking?

3. Is there a way for me to reduce my fear and stress around networking?

4. Is there something I am currently doing that I could stop doing to make time for networking?

In answering these questions, you can identify the value you will gain from allocating more time towards networking and what changes you will need to make to your current routines to support building your network. With this insight, you will find the motivation to think creatively about how to make time in your busy schedule to reconnect with old acquaintances and seek new relationships.

What gets in your way when it comes to networking?

• Being an introvert
• Being to busy
• Inability to find the right events
• Lack of confidence

See All Options

 Seek ways to add value.

The best networkers are curious people. When you meet new people, ask questions, and demonstrate an interest in their lives. This will help you to start the foundation for a good relationship. In addition, by learning about the strengths, interests, and needs of others, you can identify how ongoing communication and partnership can be of value to both parties. By offering to help people solve problems, you make relationship investments that can create reciprocity for the future. In the book, The Go-Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann share how important helping others can be for expanding your network and creating new opportunities for growth. Every time you interact with someone new, you have the potential to be exposed to diverse insights, perspectives, and experiences.

Establish a system for staying connected.

Establishing a system for staying connected with acquaintances can be a great way to build and keep a strong network. When you meet someone new, you should connect with them on LinkedIn or other social media platforms within a week of making an acquaintance. Next, you should identify the frequency at which you want to follow up with the person. It is essential to consider the type of relationship you want to have with the new acquaintance. Do they see them as potential mentors or sponsors who can provide advice and guidance? Do you see them as a strategic partner you can collaborate with on projects? Will the person be a potential mentee? Defining relationship goals will help you to determine the frequency of follow-up.

Create a method for following up.

The next step is to determine the method of follow-up. For some contacts, sending a text, direct message, or email once a quarter can be an effective way of staying in touch. For others, scheduling monthly calls or face-to-face interactions may be ideal for maintaining and building the relationship. The key here is to be purposeful in staying connected with people. The broader your network, the more access you will have to information and resource. Relationships are like gardens; they die when you do not tend to them, so be intentional about connecting with those individuals that add value to you.

Summary

In summary, networking is essential because it gives you access to information and resources that otherwise would not be available to you. The keys to effective networking are being curious, allocating time to nurture the relationship, and putting the needs of others first. Developing a system for following up with acquaintances can help you maintain and build healthy relationships. You are only as strong as the network of people you are connected to. Investing in your network will help you to reach your full potential.

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Thank you for reading this blog

Dorian Cunion is an Executive Coach and Business Consultant with Your Path Coaching and Consulting. He is a former retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry. He is a Co-Active coach who focuses on helping professionals and small business owners overcome insecurities, knowledge gaps, and lack of direction. He does this by assisting clients to tap into their values, recognize their strengths, and develop actionable strategies for growth.

Have you been trying to improve your career or business on your own but are not seeing success as fast as you desire?

Book a free discovery call to discuss your goals and how I can help you accelerate.

Talk with Dorian

Have Feedback? Send me a note at

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

For daily tips on leadership and professional development, follow me:

LinkedIn

Facebook

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Resources

1. Roberts, L. M., & Mayo, A. J. (2020, September 7). Remote Networking as a Person of Color. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/09/remote-networking-as-a-person-of-color

2. Cross, R. C., Oakes, K and Connor, C. (2021, June 8). Cultivating an Inclusive Culture Through Personal Networks. MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/cultivating-an-inclusive-culture-through-personal-networks/

3. White, S. K., & White, S. K. (2022, February 28). What Is Servant Leadership? A Philosophy for People-First Leadership. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/executive/resources/articles/pages/servant-leadership-.aspx