It’s no fun when you go into self-employment expecting the joy of freedom and autonomy, but find yourself faced with the flip-side of isolation and loneliness.
If self-employment is feeling more like by-your-self-employment, then here’s some good news: There’s an easy way out of the one-man-band trap and it’s all about asking for help.
Click the picture below to watch my conversation with communication maven Jason Stein (of Heart of Business) on this topic:
In this 24-minute video, you’ll discover how to allow more collaboration and delegation. You’ll find ways of making the most of other people’s natural desire to contribute and help you grow your business.
(Be sure to watch till the end of the video to hear about Jason’s upcoming workshop in London. Yes, this Portland guy is bringing the Heart of Business magic over this month. I’ll be there; you?)
I’d love to hear from you. Do you stop yourself from asking for help? Are you concerned that people will say “no” or feel burdened, or that you’ll lose some of your power? Leave a comment below, let us know.
And I’d love to hear your wish-list! If you could ask anyone for anything at any time, what would you ask for? Let us know in the comment box below – you never know who may be able to help…
Do you know someone who’d love to read this or contribute to this topic? Please email them this link: http://youinspireme.co.uk/2012/how-to-make-self-employment-easier-1 and also share this post on social media. I’ll love you forever (and they will too).
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© Corrina Gordon-Barnes, 2012
Fabulous video, thank you so much! When I got the e-mail from Heart of Business to say that Jason would be in London I was very excited….but he will be here on the day I have my very first Craft Market in Cambridge!! I’ll be there selling my love-bags (The Made-it market http://www.madeitmarket.co.uk). Ani x
Oh, actually it is NOT the same date
P.S. As for asking for help….my ask right now in terms of my business is to ask people to take a look at my website http://www.nurturewithlove.com and like me on facebook if they like what they see http://www.facebook.com/nurturewithlove soon I will be offering a RADICAL Self-Love 21 day empowerment course
xx
Ani – Yay for asking for what you want! And does this mean we’ll see you in London on 29th?
Yipee indeed….unfortunately I have an appointment on the 29th….I’ve just been doing my best to re-arrange it for the last half an hour but it doesn’t seem possible this time. Jason will just have to come back again soon!x
Great vid, all very true. Love the Heart of Business stuff
Can I ask what you used to record the interview? Was it go to meeting or youstream or something?
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Kay – Sure, it’s Ecamm for Mac: http://www.ecamm.com/mac/callrecorder/ – super easy. They do a free trial then it’s a one-off payment, very affordable.
lovely inspiring content that can attract readers like me that are looking for unique topics to read .
Corrina, very inspiring video, I look forward to seeing you and Jason in London
. I just wanted to share some thoughts around this topic: Linda A. told me in one of our sessions: We enjoy it so much to help others and feel so good afterwards. If we don’t ask for help ourselves we don’t give others the opportunity to have this wonderful experience of having helped somebody and all the positive feelings, too.
. A second impressive story I heard is that the number of plane crashes could be reduced significantly if pilots who lost orientation would admit this earlier and would ask for help…
…and an example of extreme fear to ask for help: I once had a colleague who would rather walk/drive through the whole city for hours than to ask others for help to find a client’s office when he had lost orientation. He even protested often, when I asked the next person we met on the street to show us the way, because I was fed up with walking around..
Jutta – Wow, asking for help can make the difference between life + death, right? I wonder if for all of us there’s some shade of that: that our lives can be so much easier and more vibrant if we let others play their part.
(And delighted you’re loving the brilliant Linda Anderson!)
Hi Corinna,
I really like this. I wrote a newsletter/blog about not asking for help just a few weeks ago. http://mynewleaf.co.uk/help-i-need-somebody/ It really was an important experience for me and I wanted to share it with others.
And I am also just moving from having an assistant who is lovely, but not skilled in what I need, to advertising for someone who has the technical skills for the job. Last time I was asking the wrong person in the wrong way.
And I also have something I have wanted to ask you for a while, Corinna. I am doing a series of interviews for my newsletter subscribers. Would you be one of my interviewees? I can send more details, if there is a chance that the answer is yes. But I am also OK with ‘no’ especially after listening to your interview with Jason.
Thanks for sharing the video.
Devi
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Devi – Beautiful post, thank you for sharing. And yes, please do send more details as I’d love to be part of your interview series: http://youinspireme.co.uk/contact/
Hi Devi, Can I reach out for help, too? With my new business Lead & Connect I help creative business owners with hiring and leading – to catch up with their growing business. I would love to learn more about your experience with your former assistant and the whole process of hiring + being the “one” who has to tell somebody else what to do. Would you be one of my interviewees?
I would like to offer you a free 30 mins coaching session in return. Look forward to seeing you on Jason’s workshop in London (and perhaps getting a yes for an interview… 
. Jutta
Hi Jutta,
I am very happy to be an interviewee in principle. Perhaps you could email me a bit more detail or we could chat first. You can get me on devi(at)mynewleaf.co.uk.
Devi
I’ve just started working with Corrina on how to grow my business, and am planning and then going to do research to find out what packages my clients would want. I’m using the process she suggests of interviewing people who are in need of what I want to offer. The first step is to clearly describe the sort of people I want to interview, and tto contact friends and colleagues with this description, asking them to pass the word. I need to tell them I’m doing interviews in order to plan new services I want to offer, and am looking for people of XX type with whom to do 30-minute telephone interviews. I will thank each person by offering them a free 30-minute coaching session.
My idea on how to describe the people I’m looking for is “people who want to explore Jewish identity and community and find connections that work for them.”
For any of you who’ve done this sort of research for your business, how did you word your communications asking friends and colleagues to refer people to you to interview?
Did you have a fun title for your project? I love Corrina’s title, the Inspirational 100, but can’t think of what to call mine. One term I have used often in materials, and that people comment on positively, is “wondering and wandering Jews and non-Jews,” but I think that’s way to wordy and vague as a title for my research project. Any ideas for me?
How does my description sound. Is it clear? Any ideas on how to make it more clear?
If it’d be helpful to know more, I am a rabbi and Jewish educator and have been working for several years via a nonprofit I founded called Jewish Gateways with people who want to explore Jewish identity and community and haven’t found a way to do so that works for them. Most are Jewish, some are of Jewish heritage, some are in a family with Jewish members but are not Jewish themselves, some are not Jewish and are considering conversion. The commonality is that they want Jewish connections / knowledge / life options /etc. that are comfortable and fit for them, and the places they know to look for these haven’t worked or feel uncomfortable to approach. I serve as a combination coach and educator and connector to help them figure out what they want, what’s getting in the way, and how to get it. The work has been really successful and has changed peoples’ lives, but is not viable as a nonprofit, so I need to offer it for fees instead.
Thanks!
Bridget
Bridget, this sounds fascinating. As I understand it you are offering to help people explore what jewish identity might mean to them. Is that right? If so, why not just say that. Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?
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Thanks! For many of those I have worked with it’s not only exploring their Jewish identity, it’s also — “am I Jewish?” “could I be?” (if they’re of Jewish ancestry and not sure what that means, or are considering conversion) and/or what to do about it, meaning “how can I express or experience Jewishness in ways that work for me, when the options I see look boring, alienating, are places in which I won’t fit, etc.?”
Also, I think that the people who will want what I have to offer enough to be willing to pay for it are people who experience their current situation as a problem, rather than people who are simply curious about Jewish identity.
Your thoughts?
Bridget
Here are ways I’m playing with to say this. Do you:
• wish you could / want to / long to explore Jewish identity and community, but / and you haven’t found satisfying ways to do so?
• wish you could / want to / long to connect with Jewish life and community, and / but you haven’t found satisfying ways to do so?
• wish you could / want to / long to connect with Jewish life and community, and / but you haven’t found satisfying ways to do so that work for you?
• wish you could / want to / long to explore Jewish identity and community and find connections that work for you?
• wish you could / want to / long to explore Jewish identity and community, if only you could find ways that work for you?
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