B is for .........

Be yourself

There is nothing worse than trying to keep up appearances. When starting out with a new business idea, just be yourself. People are great at detecting someone who is not being their true selves or trying too hard to be liked.

The biggest mistake when I tried to start my own business was being honest about my strengths and weaknesses. If I didn't know something I would just try to gloss over it, cover it up. I soon learnt that it didn't get me anywhere, because the questions I had were then left unanswered and I was none the wise.

Being yourselves means people get to see the real you from the start. And don't forget you can't please all of the people all of the time. My first rule in business when I meet someone is to take in everything about them and use my gut instinct, my intuition to build an opinion of them. I do this especially at trade shows when I am looking for new suppliers. You just know if you are going to be able to work well with someone or whether you'll just butt heads all the time.

I am lucky to have a few mentors that I get on really well with. They are becoming more like friends every day. Mrs Smith is a bright bubbly brunette who is such fun to talk to, that she makes business and especially marketing enjoyable. I know, enjoyable!!! Mr Welsh Busy Bee is an idea's man! He's been there and done it, gone from nothing to a successful business. His zest for business is infectious and he is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word.

So this week, be yourself, why not write a list of the things you do well and those things you don't do so well. Make the most of what you do well and find people to help you with what you don't do so well. Let me know what you come up with.