Calling on Community - Virginia Berger
Entrepreneur Lucas Root shared his energy and expertise with The Professional Coaches Alliance members and guests at our October meeting. As the creator of 13 different businesses, seven of which are still thriving, Lucas spoke with ease and credibility on his topic “Playing Full Out in Your Business: Learn from One who Failed, so you Don’t Have To.”
After telling a story of how he’d lost a highly successful real estate business, Lucas advised avoiding this by playing full out, 100% engaged in whatever business you’re in. If you’re feeling stuck or just beginning a business, he suggested writing down the answers to the following questions:
- What are the things holding you back? (fear of failure or taking action)
- Why are they holding you back?
- What do you want? (money, accolades, to feel good)
- How are you going to get there? Write down the steps.
Lucas recommended that the first step be picking up the phone and calling people, letting them know you’re starting a business and asking them to help or even be the first client.
We discussed some of these questions in breakout rooms before moving to the next section of Lucas’s talk, which focused on community. A community should have the following five elements:
- A common language or vocabulary
- A purpose, such as helping solve global warming
- A deliverable project that has a beginning and end
- Value that’s bi-directional - You provide value to the community and receive value from it.
- Elotimo - a Greek word that means that you’re missed when you’re absent and miss others as well; that you show up with honor and pride; and that you are committed to doing the right thing for the community.
Connecting this to a challenge you might have in your business, Lucas suggested you call people in your community to be clients or to support you in some other way. Why? These are the people who will pick up the phone because they have already received value from you. And these people have other communities of their own where there may be potential clients. We met in breakout rooms to explore the communities we have that might serve us as we move forward with our goals.
The two phrases that I’ll take away from this interactive and informative presentation are “pick up the phone” and “call on your community.”
Submitted by Virginia B Berger, The Baby Boomer Retirement Coach
October 28, 2022
