A lot of people who know me understand that I’m working on starting my Virtual Assistant business while still working full-time at the amazing company where I’ve been for 20 years.
The other day, just before Valentine’s Day, I was at my day job, and a young woman walked into the office, handed me a Valentine’s Day gift bag with a business card attached, and introduced herself and her business to our office.
My first thought was how impressed I was with this young woman. She is a local entrepreneur who was literally “pounding the pavement,” marketing her company and trying to drum up business. The gift bag included a candle, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, another business card, and a little bag of hard candies with a coupon for a free workout at a local gym. As she made her introductions, she took the business cards of each of my colleagues without missing a beat. She was pretty smooth!
You go, girl!
My second thought was, why am I NOT doing that? I should be going door to door, introducing myself to the people in my community, and letting them know about my business.
How else will people know they have a virtual assistant under their noses?
I mean, who goes door to door anymore?
This gal does, that’s who!
My third thought was you’re a terrible business owner. You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re not assertive enough, talented enough, or intelligent enough.
You’re an imposter!
Yes, I beat myself up for like three minutes!
Then I remembered a quote I read once: “Comparison is the most poisonous element in the human heart because it destroys ingenuity and it robs peace and joy.” ~ Euginia Herlihy
I love this quote. It states that comparison can destroy ingenuity. The definition of ingenuity is the quality of being clever, original, and inventive. It also states that comparison robs you of peace and joy.
Basically, it destroys everything we need to be a successful entrepreneur: creativity, peace, and joy.
Yikes!
As a Christian, I know better than to compare myself to another person. God created me to be the person He created me to be, not to be someone else. And peace and joy come from Him. If I’m constantly comparing myself to others, I’m asking for anxiety and misery.
This reminded me of another quote about comparison – “Choose to seek the gift Giver, not the gift.”
I also know better as a business owner. For the nine months prior to this young woman entering my office, my business coach had been teaching me all of the tips and tricks I needed to grow my business, and it did not include pounding the pavement or making cold calls.
Am I going to trust someone who walked in and out of my life in less than two minutes or the very successful woman who has poured so much of her wisdom and time into me and my business?
I chose to trust the business coach who taught me everything I needed to know to run a successful virtual assistant business. And more importantly, I chose to trust God – my creator who doesn’t make mistakes.
As I went down this thought process of who to believe and trust, I decided to figure out some ways that would keep me from the ugly business of comparison:
Here are three ways that can help keep us from the comparison trap:
- Practice Gratitude and Appreciation: Keep thinking about the good things you’ve done and what you’re good at. Even small wins count! Be happy about how far you’ve come in building your business. I named my business The Grateful VA because I was really thankful for the chance to start a business that would allow me to serve with my husband in North Florida as well as give me the ability to help my family in South Florida. I want to keep choosing to be grateful for all of my blessings.
- Set Clear Goals and Metrics: Set specific, easy-to-measure goals for your business that match what you want and what matters to you. Keep an eye on how you’re doing using numbers that make sense for your business, instead of looking at what other people are doing to decide if you’re doing well or not. i.e., what another business owner does to market their business vs. what you do.
- Foster Collaboration and Community: Surround yourself with friends, mentors, and people who get what it’s like to start a business. Talk and work together in ways that help everyone learn and grow, instead of trying to outdo each other.
Am I saying that what this young gal was doing to market her business was wrong? No, I’m not saying that.
I am saying that I don’t need to compare my strategies to hers or anyone else’s. We are two different businesses with different goals and a different vision. I can cheer her on while I continue to strive to serve others to the best of my ability, and I can provide, as my tagline states, “service with a happy heart.”