You don’t have to sell yourself to be a business owner

“I like to be my own boss, but I don’t like to sell.”

“I want to build my business, but I am not good at sales. I prefer to focus on my work.”

Does that sound like you? Do you think that you need to “sell yourself” to start a business? Like doing something you absolutely don’t enjoy just for the sake of opportunity?

A lot of business mentors/coaches/facilitators will say YES OF COURSE.

Now hear this from me: NO

Ever since I started my own business, despite the difficulty of navigating a new direction to go into and endless administration and technical challenges, I have never felt happier before. I feel that I finally embrace the hidden self inside me for many years and unleash her. It is like to return the true and whole me, and show the world what I am capable of. It is also like having the labor and bringing the baby to life – exciting and nervous, but absolutely fulfilling. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying you don’t need to promote your brand at all. But you really don’t need to feel that you have to trade your identity to something or internalize everything. 

Yes, people tend to buy from the people they like. So you do need to be careful not to be dislikable, well at least not disrespectful. But where is this “selling yourself” coming from? 

If you think about the hairdresser you always go to or the pizzeria of your choice, are they selling themselves to you? Or do they just meet your needs somehow? 

If you struggle to avoid internalization and block yourself because of the feeling of “selling yourself”, try to answer these questions:

1. Are people thinking more of their problems, or what am I doing? 
2. Do they notice more of the things you are doing? What draws their attention? 
3. Do they talk more about themselves or ask more questions about others?

The “selling yourself” is basically based on the belief that it is all about you.  It makes you think that you need to push yourself to others while they are not interested in your product/service. It acts as a one-way communication. However, when you reframe it with a two-way thinking – We are coming together to see how we have mutual benefit. The needs are met. To you, it is a business growth. To your clients, it is a solution to their trouble. 

I like to see my brand as part of my creations. It does reflect my value, my strength, my qualities, my knowledge, but it is not all of me. When I have colleagues, they also see the value Ignitime presents, not Irene Verheijen 24/7. We are dedicated to our clients’ transformation and ignite their inner power for ownership. That is what Ignitime stands for.  

What would you say for your business?