Today’s post comes to you as part of the Bosslady Blog Tour – yesterday we had an awesome post from Lisa Consiglio Ryan, which you can check out here.
The BossLady Blog Tour features 12 entrepreneurs over 12 days sharing how to channel your inner boss lady. It’s the kickoff to The Bead Effect, which is a kick ass product that I personally adore.
Even if you don’t think of yourself as a boss lady, don’t let that idea scare you. If you run or own a business, you are a boss lady. I know that feeling all too well. Because for nearly 8 years, I would have never said I was a boss lady. I was a freelancer, a contractor, a hustler….but definitely not a boss or a lady. (Now…I’m a boss…lady maybe debatable.)
Like me, you may not feel comfortable with the idea of being the boss, and you may feel pretty freakin’ far from being a lady. Which is where the power of story comes in. The story we tell ourselves, and the story we tell the world about our business. Without the right story, we hold ourselves back and play small. We’re “good enough” when we could be SO much better than just good.
Until we own our story of being a BossLady, our business will suffer.
So, how do we change our story and own it like a seriously + sassy boss lady? Here’s a few suggestions to help you get started:
1. Recognize the Story You Tell Yourself
I wish I could say I have this one all figured out. But I don’t. But I do know this. When I started calling myself an entrepreneur instead of a freelancer, my mindset changed dramatically. It’s a small shift, but it changed my approach and how I thought about myself in subtle ways.
Figuring out the story you’re telling yourself. Greatest hits include: not being good at something, things not being perfect, not deserving it….I’m sure some of these are familiar. We all tell ourselves stories all day long. I’m sure there’s at least one story that you tell yourself on the regular that means you aren’t the best boss lady you could be. And until you tell yourself a better story, no one, and I mean no one is going to believe the stories you share with the world because shit is just not going to add up.
2. Don’t Let the Industry Define Your Story
In our crazy online world, it’s pretty much inevitable that along the way we can fall into the trap of compare and despair, or worse yet, following advice blindly. If you really want to be a boss lady and own it 110%, you need to fully accept that there is no single answer. There’s a right for you answer, but you may need to make up the rules as you go instead of trying to fit into a convenient little box.
Research, context and education are great, but they can easily cross the line and throw us off the path we’re meant to be on. Your story quickly becomes that of your coach, a consultant or what you think people want to hear. Get clear on what you stand for, how you want to show up in the world and what your core values are. That is the foundation of your story and makes it so much easier to just say no and do what you are meant to do. That’s how boss ladies roll!
3. Tell a Better Story
If you’ve been around the online world long enough, you know certain stories inside out – the quit my job story, the turning point and my fave, the vulnerable lying on the floor crying story. (More on the crying on the floor business at a later date.) While these stories can be relevant and there’s an appetite for them, they aren’t the only stories. As a boss lady, you can tell a better, more engaging and more interesting story – you don’t have to stay on the usual script.
If you feel a bit challenged by storytelling and figuring out what stories you have to share, I’ve got fun homework for you. Watch a movie. Read fiction. Take note of how the story is told. If you want to go a bit further, check out my new storytelling fave, the StartUp podcast. The more you consume story, the more ideas you’ll have for your own stories and how to share them. So, if you need to watch 3 hours of TV tonight, blame it on me! It’s great for business. because getting out of our entrepreneurial vortex helps spark new ideas and you’ll see story in action. All of which will help make your story stronger.
[Tweet “3 strategies for owning your story as a boss lady with @magspatterson”]
What part of your boss lady story do you need to work on? Share in the comments below.
P.S. You can continue on the blog tour tomorrow by heading over to the amazing Alana Sheeren’s Site.
