The best boss I ever had told me I was a crappy listener. Those weren't the exact words he used, but Carlos was always blunt and to-the-point during performance reviews. I was young and confident... and completely surprised to be told I had this failing. After surprise came denial, reluctant acceptance, and finally, a desire to learn to do better.
Twenty-five years later, I recall that discussion with both chagrin and fondness. I'm still not a great listener but I'm a better listener than I was then. And I'll continue to improve.
Now, as a small business owner, I'm so very fortunate to have a few strong people supporting me who have no fear of telling me when something is not so good. Feedback and advice are both important for doing good work and continuing to improve. Whether it's what we want to hear or not, honest, thoughtful feedback comes from people who truly care about our success.
Whether you are a new business owner or an experienced pro, invest time in building relationships with other business owners who will support you through good and bad. And for whom you will do the same.
I wish you much success with your business in 2020. A fresh new decade begins!
PS: Usually, at this time of year, I'd be working furiously to get tickets on sale for the Social Media Day Halifax Conference. The date for 2020 is Friday, June 12th and tickets won't be going on sale this year until February 1st.
One-year Content Marketing Makeover Package
3 spots available starting January 2020
Refresh your online presence with a brand spanking new website, a blogging strategy, an email marketing campaign, and... I do the work for a full year. It doesn't get any more hassle-free than this! Find out more.
Marketing Tips and Tools
Keep an eye on your website. Here's a quick tip: Many small business owners rarely go to their own website. If you set your browser default page to be your website's url, you'll be sure to check in on it regularly.
Cursing won't fix those image problems on social.
You've just updated a webpage or blog post with a new image. Next, you go over to Facebook to share that page/post and - ugh - the old image defaults into the post. How do you get Facebook to realize you've made a change? >> Facebook Debugger
This is a tool I use just about every day. I use it to remove or add pages to a .pdf doc, rotate pages, convert .pdf files to .png graphics files, add security to prevent copying, add page numbers, set the zoom display settings, and more. The best part? It's free. Online PDF-Converter
Learning with other business owners is the best way to get to know them. Join us for current topics of interest with local experts. The only cost to you is your lunch.
