When you think about your definition of success – what does that look like? Is it having access to more income? Tangible items? Time? Interestingly, for many financially successful entrepreneurs, income was never the driving force. Instead, they use words to describe success: determination, empowering, and impactful. And one of the typical traits among them is being an authentic entrepreneur.
But what does that mean?
In our opinion, authenticity stems from being able to walk to the beat of your drum. It is about staying true to who you are – your purpose – your message. It is about not being pressured by outside forces despite their enticement. And we believe that if you seek a level of substantial success, especially in a people business, becoming an authentic entrepreneur is your ‘ticket.’
In this post, we want to share with you what uncovering that authenticity might look like for you, how to attain it and arguably the most important – how to sustain it.
What Is an Authentic Entrepreneur?
Being authentic is not on the easy road to success. It will mean that you will more than likely have to go against the grain of what is considered ‘normal.’ You will have to stand up for many things you believe in – even when they go against popular opinion. It will pose its own set of challenges, however, ones well worth the journey.
Being an Authentic Entrepreneur is being an Authentic Person
Are you being true to who you are every day? To be an authentic entrepreneur means you must first be an authentic person. What you live in your life is what your business will reflect, especially when you are the face of your brand.
It is about your little quirks and unique personality traits that make you different from anyone else. And it’s these differences that set your business apart. So open yourself up to the unique things you offer, and don’t be afraid to let that light shine!
Color Outside of the Traditional Networking Lines
When we hear the word networking, we are often told that it means putting yourself out there more. You are encouraged to be the most memorable – the loudest – the highest energy. Back in our offline networking days, we were told that handing out the most business cards was the way to win.
What if that isn’t who you are? People these days don’t want to be inundated with all the noise—more than anything, they want to be heard. So look at the quality of your networking versus the quantity. Think about it this way – we are continuously overloaded with ads, be it on television or social media – the radio or our favorite websites – go back to being a person first.
An authentic entrepreneur is a human before all else – be that person for someone else.
Be Yourself on Social Media
Somewhere being yourself on social media became the uncool thing to do. Lifestyle marketing took on the strangest trends, and instead, spending time with your family meant posing with rental cars and holding big cheques. Think about someone you worked to build a great relationship with online – and then you meet. Will they feel like they met the online you? Or, will they feel like you are not the same person?
Fun fact, you should be the same person! And we appreciate that social media has made it easier for some people to come out of their shells – be a little bit more outgoing than they might typically be when meeting someone for the first time; however, your personality should shine through on and offline.
Encourage Authenticity in your Business
Of course, not everyone will agree with you or resonate with you, but do you want to work with someone who doesn’t? Quality connections are worth a lot more than a handful of average ones. And we’re pretty sure we didn’t start our businesses to become average.
You’re an entrepreneur, an authentic entrepreneur because you want to make an impact, positively affect the world, and have more time freedom in your own life. All of these things start with being true to yourself.
What’s one thing you can do today to show your authentic self?
