With so many social media tools at our fingertips there's never been a better time to think about being an entrepreneur – to go off on your own path, rather than be at the mercy of someone else's.
So, as I look across the room at my 10 year old daughter and 13 year old son, I wonder what the future holds for them in our social media, high tech world. It's a lot of power to have if used correctly, and the opportunities for future generations to succeed are there in endless numbers.
Sure, the opportunities are endless with all of the technology they are growing up with, but times are tough and competition is fierce – and you really have to wonder if just sending them to the right schools and making sure they go into the "money making" careers are really the right way to go.
Does the world really need another lawyer, accountant, etc?
I believe that it's important for our kids – as well as for ourselves, to know that there are always choices – and opportunities to be found; so much so that I have started an entrepreneurial class for kids in my hometown.
Because of all of the constraints that are put on us as we get older, we don't always see things and follow our dreams as we wish we could.
However, with the growth of social media, it is now possible to think about doing things that you may not have before thought possible, such as going into your own business.
But as I've said before, we somehow feel "stuck" by our financial commitments, and forget to realize that the quality of our lives is as important as how we make our money. How many of us feel that we work so hard at our jobs, knowing that at any time we may notl have one tomorrow?
Social media is necessary to survive today, but it is only one ingredient in a successful sales process.
Social Media allows us to reach so many people – to network and build our brand faster than ever – without even having to leave our home office. So why not utilize these amazing tools to the fullest – using it to be successful at work, while allowing you to be around for your family (imagine that) as well? All of these technologies are not only supposed to take our businesses further, but hopefully give us back some of this "quality of life" that seems to be constantly pushed to the wayside.
Of course, starting and running a business isn't for everyone. What I am trying to say is that it's a good idea to entertain those thoughts from time to time – to challenge yourselves to push the envelope of your careers.
Maybe you find yourself in a job that just isn't what you thought it would be. Or maybe you feel that your potential is being held back by the company that you are with.
Whatever the situation may be, always remember that as long as you make the chance to grow and take risks, OPTIONS WILL ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE. Give your mind the freedom to open its doors to innovation and creativity in the same way we did when we were younger.
Walk into any young elementary school classroom and ask kids what they'd wanna be when they grow up, and you will hear some great things from their mouths. What happens is that as we get older, we tend to get more myopic in our focus and what we can challenge ourselves to do in life.
Sometimes are life and career path end up being dictated by what has become the routine of daily responsibilities – and we are no longer working with that "hunger" that we had as kids – the hunger to go after what we want, and think that anything was possible.
Being tuned in to what makes you tick – to what pushes you towards your goals – will help pave the way to your career successes – and an effective social media strategy will get you there even faster.
Being a star player in a job will not be enough. Everyone can be a star player when times are easy. Rather, it's in those difficult times that you are going to need to dig deeper – to see if you really are passionate enough about what you are doing to tap into that "fire" in your core and push through the hard times when they arise.
I recently watched a video of a man who admitted he was terrible in school, but loved being in front of a room and giving speeches, and was comfortable doing this – even at a young age. However, while in school, they never addressed his strengths, but rather, continued to "fix", with the help of tutors, those things that he struggled with.
How great would it have been if when any one of us was in school, focus was put not only on correcting the negative, (the things we did wrong or were not good at), but encouraged those things that we liked, or those areas where we were strong?
The man admitted that even today he is terrible at accounting, so, knowing it is not one of his strengths, he just hires an accountant.
Once again, know YOUR strengths in business, and do all that you can with them – whether you work for someone, or for yourself. He now travels the world giving speeches and doing what he loves, and makes his speeches available on the web, as well.
Social Media today provides us with a road that has an infinite amount of paths in front of us – it's just a matter of finding the one that works best for you and your business.
Learn all that you can about them, as they will be critical for managing business in the future and in helping you stay ahead of your competition.
I believe that you CAN sell anything to anyone through social media.
The key is to know what social media works best for you in today's online environment . Social media gives you the power to schedule your day's activities – both work and non-work more effectively and efficiently than ever thought possible. Use it. Get comfortable with it. Social media is an important key in the lock that is your life – make it work for you in helping you control your path to success. At the same time, remember that it is a tool – so don't allow yourself to lose your "people skills", and forget the importance of relating to people as "people", and not just technology.
So make the choice to effectively use social media now, and never look back.
Marco Giunta
Latest posts by Marco Giunta (see all)
- Is Your Company Using Social Media Effectively? - January 28, 2013
- Approaching the Sales Prospect - December 19, 2012
- How To Listen EFFECTIVELY During Negotiations - December 18, 2012
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I like what you wrote, Marco. I especially appreciate the migration from social media to off-line business relationships. I'll be watching for more blog posts!