Now is the Time to Step out of your Comfort Zone and GROW.

Don’t think about what can go wrong, just close your eyes, take a deep breath…. and LEAP!

If you had told me at the beginning of this year that by August, I would be posting 5 days a week on social media, writing a business blog two times a month and being a guest on one of my favorite podcasts (Lift as we Climb hosted my Pat Miller ) I would have said “YOURE CRAZY”.  I have always thought of myself as a numbers person, not a writer, that Facebook was used to keep in contact with friends and family, not as a marketing tool for business and never in my entire life, had I ever thought I would be interviewed on a podcast. 

If you are a business owner who has said to themselves, “Oh I could never do that”, “That’s not in my wheelhouse” or ”That’s just not for me”, think again. If you are willing to give it a try, there are so many wonderful things that can flow from doing something new and stepping out of your comfort zone.  When you start the journey, don’t think of what could go wrong, close your eyes, take a deep breath take your first step and LEAP into the unknown!  

As I did not know anything about Social Media for my business, I hired an expert (Bron & Co).  I am a strong believer that if there is anything that you do not have expertise in,  hire it out, as you will be saving money (the time you save is money saved and what you learn is priceless) and social media is not just posting something.  Type of post, when to post, what to say, how to engage and what’s your message, who is your message for, are all part of getting it right. When I started the 7 month program with Bron, I was completely lost, I didn’t know how to set up a business page, what to write on my business blog and what were the “rules” when it came to posting on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Everything was new, I was scared - WHAT HAD I DONE.  Right at the start, Bron told me, “not to overthink and try to understand everything, to just follow the process and the understanding would come”.  It has been a very steep learning curve but my business page is created, I am writing 2 blogs a month and posting on Social Media 5 times a week (to be honest, the “Co” in Bron and Co are doing the posting but I am creating the content).  As I continue on this journey, I am understanding more and more and there is less stress for me, as I know Bron and her crew are steering the ship.  

How did Social Media link me with being on a podcast? As I was now more active in Social Media, I came across a new podcast (Lift as We Climb) and loved it from the very first episode.  Not only was the content relevant to me “Finding your Target Customer”, “5 Rules to Break and Improving your Social Medial” Productivity”, “Sales Coaching” (to name a few), but the host, Pat Miller, had an incredible voice to listen to and he had a great interview technique - it was no surprise to find out, Pat had been a former radio host.  As I loved the show, I wanted to let Pat know, so I found him on social media and sent him a note.  He was very grateful for the feedback and from that one interaction, further discussions followed and within a very short timeframe I found myself as a guest on his podcast. 

Nervous, doubting, unsure, scared, apprehensive and panic stricken would be words I would use to describe how I felt when Pat asked if I would be interested in going on the show.  Me?  I had listened to all the earlier shows and marveled at how knowledgeable and confident all the guests on Pat’s show had been.  I was worried I would not know an answer or stumble on my words, would what I have to say to be interesting to his listeners and I would I be able to express what I wanted to say without sounding like “porky pig”.  I have to give a lot of praise to Pat, as he was encouraging, he felt that his listeners would be interested in what I had to say and told me “I could do this” and “not to worry, it would be just like we were sitting down and having a conversation together”.  His voice was soothing, he was confident in my abilities and was able to take away the fear. We spoke a couple more times about the format of the show and a couple of weeks later we recorded the interview - EP 13 “Small Business Finances with the Aussie Bookkeeper Julie Callahan”.   

It is when you step out of your comfort zone that you are able to grow.  The hardest part about the whole process was taking the first step and “Leap” into the unknown.  What I l gained over these last 7 months was knowledge, confidence and more importantly some incredible business relationships. Being an entrepreneur is not an easy path but finding other entrepreneurs  who can share their expertise and give encouragement and support as you step out of your comfort zone – that is where the real value lies.