Hello Square Community!
As a Square Champion I feel compelled to help give within this community because my natural instinct as a mentor is to help others grow their business and see them succeed. However, I have struggled within the Community to figure out where I fit and how I can be of service. I feel so small. I'm not a big business. We don't use the Square POS system and we don't have a store front. We're a mom and pop shop and we use Square on our phones. I feel like I lack a lot to be a member of this Community. But we're still members of Square, no matter how small we are.
I've been mulling over this idea for weeks now - thanks to @isabelle for the Champions Challenge that she put down last month, trying to figure out... just where do I fit? I'm not retail. I'm not restaurant. I'm not beauty... I'm not in any Square category other than service. And it's also got me thinking - what do I have to offer? How can I be a good Champion within this Community and help others? How can I write a compelling article that will get people talking and engage in conversation?
Well.... I'm a member of Book Club also and we just started our new book yesterday. Reading the first chapter helped me answer that question - although completely unrelated to the book. The book is called Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and yes, this is also a shameless plug for Square Book Club - but the book is about service and what we give people. I asked myself the question - what do I give people? What do I have to offer?
For many years I have recognized that I have the ability to mentor people and help build them up. It came from being number one consultant and being a manager within Tupperware back in the day... I won't tell you how many days ago that was. I began my self-employed career at the ripe old age of 19 in Avon (I know, I just dated myself) and I went on from there to many other things. Even at 19, I knew that I had the ability to help others. Whether it was finding a product they liked or needed or helping them create the perfect dress that didn't exist in a book, I had talent to be self-employed. Tupperware solidified that for me and I excelled. My mom once told me when I was 19 or 20 that I was just like my dad and he could sell a paper bag to a paper bag salesmen.
At the time, I thought my strong desire to become a manager was just a recognition and financial gain, but of course, years later, I've learned that it was actually because I loved mentoring people and helping them grow their business and as a manager, that's exactly what you do. I've mentored several people in many ways over the years because of that experience. And that is what has led me to this question and the revelation that I got from the book - Where do you turn for business advice?
Do you turn to a mentor? A book? A podcast? A friend? All of the above? What is your go-to? What gets you the most inspired to make a change, move forward or forge ahead in your business? What gives you the most lasting inspiration that you carry with you and don't just forget about after a week?
Once you've found that advice, what do you do with it? Do you journal? Set goals? Make a list? In what way do you take action?
In this Community, our goal as a whole is to help each other grow our businesses, no matter how small we may feel and no matter what line of work we're in. We all matter. We are all a part of Square. Let's help each other by plugging into the comments. Tell us where you go for advice and what action you take with it. Your idea might just be what someone else needs to hear! You could be the inspiration that someone needs to take a first step in a new direction!
I'll start....
I've only ever had one Mentor in my life and she's no longer here but I shadowed her for several months because our Distributor saw in me that I had her potential and asked her to mentor me. She herself was a former Distributor, which in Tupperware is a really big deal, and she had stepped down to Executive Manager to help our ship grow again. I was like a sponge. I absorbed everything about what she did and how she did it and I'm not talking about the product. She provided unreasonable hospitality and she made it look effortless. A few years later when she left Tupperware, she took me with her.
Many years and businesses have come and gone and I've since turned to books. I hate reading in general but I love bookstores and I've found that I actually learn quite well on my own, researching something. I'd rather read a help book of some kind than a novel. So, when I find a topic that I need help with or want to learn more about, I read. The Book Club has been a great avenue for me as well. Check it out if you're not already a member!
Now it's your turn!
Co-Owner/Business Manager
Arctic Heat
R&C Property Management
Event Planner/Business Trainer
Member - Women in HVACR
Member - NAWIC; Mentorship Chair for MT Chapter
Square Champions Expert
