This week, I want to continue the conversation I had started months ago, when I discussed the importance of Surrounding Yourself With Excellence.
Isn’t it wonderful having your own business? You are free to pursue your passion. You set the rules and run your business your way.
Somewhere along the way though, you need to have some show of support, some validation of what you are doing. This will ultimately help you to stay motivated, and focused.
Having a strong support environment is one of the most important elements to consider when you start your business. This will carry you through countless situations that you can’t even foresee when you’re first starting out. A supportive environment is what will save you when you want to give up. The people who are part of your support remind you of your talents and strengths; they remind you why you’re in your business to begin with. They also guide and advises you when you need it.
So, who makes up this support environment?
1. Family and friends
You need the people who are around you all the time to be positive about your endeavours. It’s difficult to imagine becoming successful if the people closest to you are negative and pessimistic about what you’re doing. Try to limit conversation with family and friends who are not onboard with your business and who do not offer constructive feedback.
2. Mentors, Coaches, Mastermind Groups
You’ve taken a huge leap of faith – in yourself and your abilities. But someone who has already done what you are doing can actually give you the best support to keep you believing in yourself and your business.
• This is where mentors come in. Your mentor(s) will guide you by their own experience and help keep you focused on what’s most important. Interestingly, a mentor doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who works in the same field as you. They could be involved in something completely different, but have traits and attitudes you want to model and apply to your life and business.
• Coaches are tremendously important, as well. They really help to keep you on track. There are bound to be times when you feel like you’ve veered off the path and you’re struggling to find direction. One of the great things that a coach will help you to see is this: when you’re feeling off track, that means that you actually know what your track is. You can’t be off track if you weren’t already on one!
• Mastermind Groups are also hugely important too; there is nothing like being surrounded by other like minded business owners: together, you work, share ideas, challenge each other, present your successes and obstacles, and more! They can help you make decisions and learn the ropes as you establish yourself in business and can give you great feedback on your value and the value of your services to others.
So think about the people closest to you, as well as those business people whom you admire and respect. The family, friends, instructors and coaches who have had a positive impact on you, whose wisdom and experience you trust.
Your network helps you stay motivated when things don’t go as planned, helps you stay focused and accountable on your business objectives, guides and advises you when you need it, and helps you learn and grow from those who are already where you want to go!
These are the people who should be part of your support environment. Your support system will become the foundation for a strong and healthy business – and a strong, healthy and successful business owner.
Until next time! 
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To your Mountain Moving Mindset!
__________________
Frederique Murphy
Simply Transformed
Tags: business, coaching, frederique murphy, get organised, inspiration, life, mentoring, mindset, motivation, mountain moving mindset, results, success, to do list, transformation
I would add that it is important not to overwhelm family members and friends with our business woes, sometimes they don’t understand exactly what we do, so go easy on them.
That’s why it so important to have a supporting professional network to fall back on, and I don’t mean the BNIs etc, but the many informal networks that have sprouted up around the world. They are there to be tapped into, and serve a very important purpose.
Thanks for a great post as always Frederique
Hi Elaine,
Thank you for your comment.
Re, Family, thanks for adding that point, so true
And, yes, having a supporting professional network such as informal networks, is critical; you host one of these in Mallow, right?
Have a supportive week,
Frederique
Indeed I do Frederique, with my great colleague and co-founder Gráinne Sherlock.
Open Coffee meetings are a fantastic resource for entrepreneurs and business owners to tap into, especially for those who work a lot from home or virtually and don’t have ample opportunity to meet with other business owners. They are popping up in every town in Ireland!
We all need support, or we would not belong to the group called Homo sapiens
Hay Frederique,
I am really loving the blog and this post is on the money. It is so true that when you surround yourself with good people you are brought up to their level.
I recently joined the Chamber of Commerce and just being in a room with a load of other business people can help.
I am the person behind Active Alfie and really appreciate you tweeting about our Active Citizenship stuff that is coming up soon
As I am in Dublin also we should do coffee some time and see if we can work on something.
Cheers
Mark
Hi Mark,
Thank you for your comment.
I am glad you have found my blog and thanks for the feedback on this particular post!
Regarding, the Active Alfie programme, it was my pleasure; happy to help with communicating such a great programme for the youth!
JCI Ireland Active Citizenship Week 3rd – 10th Oct 2010
Have a supportive week,
Frederique
Hi Frederique
in the field of social work we may liken coaching to ‘professional supervision’ and ‘critical reflective practice’ with individuals or groups. Certainly coaching is an extension of this where we proactively challenge thinking towards goal setting, action, achievement and celebration. This framework is at the heart of family therapy solution focussed practice.
The more I read about different professions’ approach to learning the more I grasp that our frameworks are ‘complimented’ by differing language yet similar intentions and outcomes. Hence this is why I call my business – Angela McCullagh “Notice The Difference” In essence this means if things need to change, do one thing differently, notice the changes and the difference this makes to self and others , then keep doing more of the same, until that solution becomes redundant then apply the process all over again. Life’s all about change, difference, adaption, revolution and celebration of difference. It’s in the difference we see infinite possibility.
And this relates to your article in sustaining positive different outcomes in our lives we benefit from surrounding ourselves with people who may do things differently yet have one characteristic in common – driven to achieve for self AND others.
Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on relevance of your insights to my practice.
Kind Regards Frederique
Angela McCullagh
Mediator and Workplace Consultant
Hi Angela,
Thank you for your comment.
I am glad you have shared your reflection with us!
Have a supportive week,
Frederique