I just registered today for the 2014 Tour for Kids ride. As I mention on the second page of my website, I participate in a 4-day, 400 km bike ride to raise money for kids battling cancer. Here is the link to my fundraising page: http://bit.ly/1epANCQ
What does this have to do with business you ask. Well, as it turns out, a lot. Now that I have registered, I am doing my forward planning on how I am going to raise the $1,500 I just committed to, and how I am going to train so that I can complete the ride.
The ride takes place in August, so I have a little under 6 months to raise funds and get physically and mentally prepared. Running a business is a lot like that too. There is a phrase that has been resurrected that says "life is a marathon, not a sprint." Well, that is how I nurture Giraffe Graphics. Clients don't show up overnight and I have to train to source them out. Cultivating business takes planning and preparation. It takes door-knocking, phone calling, business meetings and more.
You have to prove your worth to potential clients, much the same as I have to prove my cause to potential donors. I don't expect everyone I approach to open their wallet to me, nor should they. There is a lot of competition out there for charity dollars, just as there is a lot of competition out there for the services that you and I provide.
What is your cause and how strongly do you believe in it? Dust off that mindset and lace up your shoes. Planning for your marathon starts today.
What does this have to do with business you ask. Well, as it turns out, a lot. Now that I have registered, I am doing my forward planning on how I am going to raise the $1,500 I just committed to, and how I am going to train so that I can complete the ride.
The ride takes place in August, so I have a little under 6 months to raise funds and get physically and mentally prepared. Running a business is a lot like that too. There is a phrase that has been resurrected that says "life is a marathon, not a sprint." Well, that is how I nurture Giraffe Graphics. Clients don't show up overnight and I have to train to source them out. Cultivating business takes planning and preparation. It takes door-knocking, phone calling, business meetings and more.
You have to prove your worth to potential clients, much the same as I have to prove my cause to potential donors. I don't expect everyone I approach to open their wallet to me, nor should they. There is a lot of competition out there for charity dollars, just as there is a lot of competition out there for the services that you and I provide.
What is your cause and how strongly do you believe in it? Dust off that mindset and lace up your shoes. Planning for your marathon starts today.