The Empathetic Heart: How The CHO of VaynerMedia Is Changing The Way We Work

A month after I had joined LinkedIn back in July of 2018, I sent Claude Silver a connection request and began following her content. One day she made a post saying “Ask and you shall receive, what can I do to help you today?”. I commented on that post asking for a 5 minute interview and to my surprise she agreed by asking me to send her a message (I was given a full hour). This was the first example of pure kindness I witnessed from Claude.

The first message you see on Claude’s website is: People need people. People need people that listen and then do something. That message spoke to me on an emotional level, and I believe it will speak to you too. I wanted to know how she created such an amazing culture, what being a “culture carrier” meant, and how the employees at VaynerMedia have been changed by her work there.

A culture carrier in Claude’s own words is “someone who is aligned with our values, I can’t teach someone to be kind they have to already be kind. The process of developing a culture carrier takes about 6 months. It’s about bringing people together and having strong core values of kindness and empathy.”

Gary Vaynerchuk, co-founder of VaynerMedia, is often referred to as a combination of hustle and heart. With the hiring of Claude and the work she has accomplished within the company, it speaks to the level of empathy that can be felt throughout the entire operation.

Although business can be a challenging, tough, and often cut-throat terrain, by putting employees first and providing honest feedback the company has grown to include offices in New York, Chattanooga, Los Angeles and London, and continues to dominate the market.

Below we’ll see 3 different ways the CHO of VaynerMedia is changing the way people work:

1. By being unafraid to share her own story

Claude has been an influential part of breaking the stigma surrounding vulnerability in the business arena. Not only does she openly share her own story, but she sits down with employees to better understand their vulnerabilities and how to use characteristics that previously would have been considered weaknesses as strengths.

When asked what her biggest adventure to date was she replied “Having Shalom (her daughter). I have had an amazing life, I moved, worked hard, landed an amazing job and fell in love but it didn’t come without its challenges.”

Claude is openly gay and is living proof your sexual orientation doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but your character, your track record, and if you leave people a little better off than before you met them. From Claude, business leaders, employees and entrepreneurs can learn to be more open both on social media and in person, allowing them to build more meaningful relationships and connect on a deeper level. A deeper connection can mean more leverage but it also means a more lasting impact on the world.

“Everyone has something they can share. I’m not famous. I don’t have anything that would be newsworthy, but I have stories.” – Tafta Johnson Watson

2. Committing to a strong value system

VaynerMedia has some serious values for such a large company and those values are expected to be upheld by every employee and visitor. Values like kindness, empathy, honesty, hustle and the art of not complaining.

With Claude holding the title of Chief Heart Officer, she is the guiding light for others. When recruiting, she says she “takes the time to evaluate an individual’s talents but most importantly their own heart”.  

Gary Vaynerchuk is quoted as saying:”To me, there’s no debate that kindness is a strength. And it breaks my heart to know that so many people believe it’s a weakness. So many people are afraid that other people will take advantage of their kindness or make them feel “used.” But the truth is, those who take advantage of your kindness are weak on the inside. Feel bad for them, don’t let them make you feel bad about yourself“.

Both Claude and Gary teach aspiring entrepreneurs that it is okay to live with an open heart and that having the strength to commit to and live with a strong value system, will be a powerful tool during the hustle journey. It also allows you to go to bed at night actually liking the person that you are, nothing will kill a business faster than going to bed at night and hating yourself.

3. Listening with action

As mentioned above Claude’s slogan is: People need people. People need people that listen and then do something.  As a woman who wears many hats, she is also an Outward Bound Instructor, taking individuals on amazing adventures in the outdoors.

Taking action on any given day can mean a number of different things but it speaks to her own character and driving force that she is able to not only guide people through the world of office politics but also through the serene and sometimes challenging wilderness.

Claude cultivates an environment of trust by first offering individuals her own trust. It is a huge and vulnerable action that leads to a relationship of love – heart – and productivity. Listening as an action is something that has the power to change an entire organization from an unproductive, toxic environment to one that promotes creativity, passion, inclusion and positivity.

“Relationships are leverage. If you give value to someone else first, you have leverage.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

To get the truest sense of how Claude was changing the way people work, I asked her co-workers to tell me what working alongside Claude has done for them. These are the answers I received:

“During my time working alongside Claude, I’ve really come to appreciate her example of being a good listener. As a society, we tend to praise the power of speaking. But Claude demonstrates on a daily basis that the most important thing everybody wants is to be heard.” – Steve Babcock, Chief Creative Officer VaynerMedia.

I tried looking for images of Claude on her website and I think it speaks to how focused she is on holding space for others, because I couldn’t find a single full sized image of her to use. I googled. Writing this piece has opened me up to evaluate my own values and the way I connect with people in my daily life.

From this article, it is my own hope that entrepreneurs come to the understanding that although tenacity and true grit are really important, the whole of what Claude represents is something to strive towards. The “soft” skills you develop are humongous strengths and to truly impact an entire organization.

What’s the last random act of kindness you did for someone? Share with us below!

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-empathetic-heart-how-the-cho-of-vaynermedia-is-changing-the-way-we-work/

What if Elon Musk Ran Your Business? 4 Lessons From the Real Life Iron Man

The story of Iron man and Elon Musk starts when Robert Downey Jr. visited SpaceX headquarters miles away from the setting of the first Iron Man movie back in 2007. The actor was inspired to base his character on Elon Musk’s personality. Ashlee Vance writes in Elon’s biography “both Musk and Stark were the type of men, according to Downey, who ‘had seized an idea to live by and something to dedicate themselves to’ and were not going to waste a moment.”

What blew Robert Downey Jr.’s mind about Elon Musk are the characteristics that make him an extraordinary business man. Follow along if you’re interested to know these characteristics and how they would affect your business.

Here are four things Musk would probably do if he were to run your business:

1. He would be more approachable

No matter how important and larger-than-life he gets, Elon Musk would still be approachable as a friend you’ve known for ages. For one thing, when one of his Twitter followers asked him whether he is bipolar, he responded “yeah” and then explained “Maybe not medically tho”, a level of humbleness you wouldn’t expect from the CEO of two million-dollar companies.  

His openness with the painful reality of his success is also what makes him a regular Joe who is there to “just take the pain” and make sure he really cares about what he’s doing. He is a man of unlimited success who reaches down to elevate his fellow human beings by sharing his uncertainties. You just have the feeling that his success is even accessible to you.

“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.” – Elon Musk

2. He would be more authentic

Musk’s approachability is more authentic than you might think. Even in his public speeches he rarely gets the know-it-all presumptuous perspective. He gets nervous, makes some awkward moves and jokes, gets lost in details, and frequently interrupts himself, yet as Justin Bario writes for Inc. magazine, these only show his authentic passion about his vision.

“When you truly believe in an idea, and you focus on sharing that passion with others, you tend to forget about the mechanics of speaking and presenting. Instead of focusing on being nervous, you become focused on your belief. This leads you to speak more naturally, and makes it difficult for listeners to turn away.”

Also his authentic visions for social betterment beat the self-serving goals of many other billionaires. Whereas most entrepreneurs tend to see their work as revolutionary and disruptive, Elon actually moves away from such bold claims and replaces them with the question “How can we make things better?”

In an interview with the Telegraph, he explains that “a lot of my motivation comes from me personally looking at things that don’t work well and feeling a bit sad about how it would manifest in the future. And if that would result in an unhappy future, then it makes me unhappy. And so I want to fix it. That really is the motivation for me. I certainly don’t believe in disrupting things for the sake of it.”

3. He would be a tougher business rival

The fact that 8 out of 10 businesses fail might be a good reason to believe that the remaining 2 should really be tough.  Elon’s businesses were never exceptional. Although he had netted $180 million from selling his online payments start up (later PayPal) to Ebay, he invested much of that money in Tesla and SpaceX, and he was constantly faced with financial issues to keep his companies up and running. In one case, when the news leaked that Tesla was left with its last $9 million, Musk promised to personally refund Tesla’s customers if the company couldn’t deliver the promised cars.

Even in SpaceX, things were not in full control. In August 2008, the third launch of SpaceX’s rocket, Falcon 1, failed and along with it three government satellites and the ashes of 208 people it carried were destroyed. This was already super costly for a privately held company.

Yet, such failure could never stop Musk from pursuing his dreams. In an interview with Wired just after the failed launch, Musk declared that he planned to do more launches: “We must get to orbit eventually, and we will. It might take us one, two or three more tries, but we will. We will make it work.”

Nearly a month later, Falcon 1 was successfully launched into space, and on December 23, SpaceX could seal a $1.2 billion contract with NASA to deliver its cargo to the space station in 12 rocket flights.

“Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.” – Elon Musk

4. He would spend more on innovation

The $30 billion market cap in 2016 could be the jackpot for many business owners. Although Musk could have enjoyed a bit of risk-free stability, in the same year he made another decision that left the business world in a shock.

In late 2016 he acquired SolarCity for $2.6 billion. This of course puts Musk in a better position to implement his master plan to “move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy”, as he had declared in 2006.  But just when Tesla was beginning to gain some serious traction among people and when many CEOs would have decided to focus on their current products, Elon Musk decided to move forward and offer a big upgrade to his products.

The merger of the two companies is “logical” and “quite obvious” from Musk’s point of view. Tesla should be able to offer an autonomous sustainable-energy solution: electric cars, solar roofs that produce electric energy, and Powerwalls that store the electric energy produced in the day to be used at nights. It seems that for Musk, the need for more innovation is on the forefront of his business goals.

There is never a better way to learn effective leadership than by looking at the successful examples. Elon Musk is such an example. His approachability, authenticity, toughness and geekiness make him an iconic figure in the business world.

What do you think of Elon Musk? Comment below!

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https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/what-if-elon-musk-ran-your-business-4-lessons-from-the-real-life-iron-man/

The 7 Secrets of High Achievers Revealed

We all have goals in life, but very few of us ever learn to consciously set, work on and see our goals through. In our naturalness bias, we marvel at those who have set and reached their goals thinking they have some esoteric abilities that we don’t. We overlook that the final product is the result of a series of mistake-ridden, unrecorded pains. What if we could learn from the process, the habits and rituals of the high achievers?

Below are the seven core habits that high achievers went through to reach mastery:

1. They made a decision

It is arguably one of the most important components of goal-setting: Making a conscious, deliberate decision to set and see your goal through. This is a singular moment, when you say; “That’s it! I have had it! I can’t take it anymore.” You decide that the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of changing. Those who have successfully reached their goals have all had those awakening moments.

Steve Jobs made the decision that he was going to make a dent in the universe after he knew he was adopted. Muhammad Ali made a decision that he was going to be a great boxer after his bike was stolen. They made a decision! Reading, watching motivational videos or even reading articles like this mean nothing without a deliberate decision to change.

2. They built on past successes

We are naturally inclined to focus on our flaws, we know everything that is bad about ourselves. We are experts at proving the “negatives.” The people who are deemed high achievers are the ones who know that they have flaws and that they also have unique talents. How many times have you found yourself saying things like; “there is nothing good about me, I screw everything up, I always have and I always will.” Those words limit your world. No one can consistently screw up everything, there is undoubtedly a time when you have succeeded at something. Find that moment, and use it as a foundation to build momentum.

“Be better today than you were yesterday. Be better tomorrow than you were yesterday.” – Lorenzo Snow

3. They practiced Kaizen

Those who reached their goals know that constant improvement is the norm not the exception. They have made the Kaizen or “continuous improvement” their life philosophy. There is no room for complacency. They know in our neophiliac nature, one way to remain motivated is to learn new things that relate to our goals. Don’t compare yourself to others. In this instance, I am reminded of Steve Job’s words: “life is too short to spend it living someone else’s life.”

Comparing yourself to others can be as delusional as being complacent. High achievers know the value of mentors and role-models, but they also know that real success is how they bring their uniqueness to what they do. Have the courage to be yourself. Fail, learn and improve. This is the virtuous cycle that will guide your self-improvement journey.

4. They have a great people only group

People who succeed know the importance of social circles. They associate themselves with great people only. These are the people who they could rely on when the going gets tough. They are energy givers, they listen to you and they boost your spirit. As a matter of fact, a myriad of studies has shown that people whom you associate with can have great impacts on your overall wellbeing.

Plato, at the peak of the Greek Empire noted, “what is honored in a country will be cultivated there.” Psychologist Emma Seppälä, PhD noted “we are wired for empathy.” Our behavior, attitudes and actions are a direct reflection of whom we spend time with. Starting today, build a social village with people who share your vision.

5. They had a bias for action

It’s been a month since you said you were going to start working out. To motivate yourself, you even acquired a treadmill. Everything is set, the first day you are excited, but suddenly a friend calls, it’s urgent you have to be there. You say: “well, I will have time tomorrow.” It’s been six months now since you’ve been saying “I am going tomorrow.” Sound familiar? Taking action can be the most daunting aspect of goal-setting.

Fear of failure, procrastination and fear of embarrassment, among many others, stop us from taking action. The people who made it knew the value of taking action, they got their hands dirty. Take action! Think of a goal you have been putting off, write your next action. Don’t continue until you’ve written it down. Don’t just think it, ink it!

6. They were flexible

“Where attention goes, energy flows” is a popular saying to help us focus on our goals. However, well-intentioned it may be, some of us seem to misunderstand it. We single-mindedly focus on a goal as if it’s a must-have, that attitude may create tunnel vision that can be detrimental to our goal in the first place.

The path to effective goal-setting is more ambiguous than we may think. Some of us are fortunate to find a goal early in life, while some of us don’t. For those of us who don’t, we need to navigate different paths before we ultimately settle down on a single goal. It’s best to have both a deliberate and an emergent strategy.

While we deliberately choose a life purpose, we should keep our aperture open to opportunities. Be strategic in your goal-setting endeavor. How do you know when to change strategy? Listen to your heart.

“The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.” – Blaise Pascal

7. They were persistent

Having a clear, compelling goal does not guarantee a smooth ride nor does it exempt you from failing. The high achievers knew that great talents, inordinate amount of time and effort do not bulletproof them from temporary defeats. In order words, they knew that failure is part of the journey.

Failure is definitely an option, giving in is not. There will be times when there seems to be no way out, those moments are meant to strengthen you. Be persistent. Failure is neither pervasive nor permanent as our minds have us believe, but temporary setbacks to make us shine brighter.

High achievers ensure that every action taken is in alignment with their overarching goals. Contradictory actions will distract you from your reaching your goal. Make every day count and every single action meaningful. Keep your eyes on the prize! There is no one-size-fits-all answer. How much I succeed in writing this article depends on your willingness to be creative, flexible and bold.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-7-secrets-of-high-achievers-revealed/

A Step by Step Process That Will Help You Make the Impossible, Possible

We have all been there, looking at something and wishing we had it. The girl, the car, the money, the family, the lifestyle…but then we tell ourselves “Yeah, but that’s not me”. The people who get that are cut from a different cloth and we keep telling ourselves that until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We waste the wings we got believing the entire time that we can’t fly and that it’s impossible for us. We don’t even see our wings most of the time.

1. The Invisible

This is the area we know nothing about since it’s is not even on our radar. We don’t know that it exists, only when we discover (by accident) or someone else tells us that, do we move the needle from the Invisible to Impossible.

Let me give you some examples of The Invisible.

1. Ibrahim Hamato – A table tennis player with no hands. He plays using his mouth and neck, but the biggest surprise is how he serves.
2. Building a 15 story hotel in 6 days in China is an every day activity.
3. Charlie Munger reads 500 pages per day. Considering that the average book is around 250 pages, that means he reads 2 books a day or 650-700 books a year. An average American reads less than 4 a year.

The Invisible now becomes visible. You know that it’s happening somewhere out there but not here, not where you are, not in your life. So that’s why the Invisible becomes the Impossible. “Oh wow, that’s amazing. But it’s impossible for me.” So welcome to the second stage.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

2. The Impossible

This is the area of get-rich-quick schemes. This is where the hagglers mostly operate, promising to give you something that would move you from the Impossible area to the Actual area, but it doesn’t work like that in real life. You are not accustomed to that kind of lifestyle and you can’t handle the jump.

If you need a proof of that, just look at what happens to the lottery winners who go from rags to riches. The suicide and depression rate within that group is one of the largest in the country, and the paradox is that they were happier with their lives before they won the lottery.

All of the steps need to be taken in order and you can’t jump through them. You need to feel each and every single one of them and figure out how to get from one to another. From the area of the Impossible, you start questioning how. How do I get there? How do I move ahead? This asking leads you to the mindset shift (from fixed to growth mindset) needed to make something impossible, possible.

3. The Possible

When you shift your mindset from a fixed to a growth mindset, that’s when you reach the Possible area. You start believing that it is possible FOR YOU to achieve that. It is no longer something which exists out there for someone else and it’s no longer for the people you think are made from a different cloth.

You start believing (and proving to yourself) that there is no “made from a different cloth.” You realize that there is just hard work, perseverance, and belief. Now, the biggest hurdle has been jumped and it’s time to give your mindset shift complementaries. The complementaries are based in knowledge and skills. When you start working in the area of the Possible, that’s when you step into the next area of the Probable.

4. The Probable

This is where you mix your mindset shift and the belief that you can do it, with the necessary knowledge and skills to do it. This is where your Why and How gets its What.

In the area of the Probable, you learn the What of the craft. You learn how to make your dream and your vision a reality. This is the part where habits and every day (compound) actions take place. This is one of the longest periods because most skills take so much time to become second nature.

If you want to achieve your vision and dream, you need to attain mastery in the field which would bring you there. Mastery simply takes time, but don’t be discouraged, you are now on the right path and success is inevitable. Just keep on pushing, keep on working, keep on grinding and believe it will happen. When it happens, you will begin to enter the last phase.

“No one gets very far unless he accomplishes the impossible at least once a day.” – Elbert Hubbard

5. The Actual

This is where your vision and your dream becomes a reality. This is the end goal you will feel, touch, smell, and live through. But only if you believe, work for it and achieve mastery. This is the place where dreams come true but it isn’t a magical place that fell from nothing. It is a product of your beliefs and hard work you put in for years until you saw the desired results.

At that moment, the hard work and perseverance finally pay off in the best feeling in the world, the feeling of accomplishment. The moment when you conquered not the people around you or the environment, but the moment when you conquered yourself.

And because of that, you are now living your dream in the reality.

What’s next?

On to the next goal you have. The circle never stops, the only thing that changes is our position on it. I have obtained the Actual in one area of my life, but in the other one, I am still at the Probable phase so there is still a lot of work to do.

How about you? Which area of your life’s dream are you in and how would you continue your pursuit towards the Actual? Share with us below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

from
https://addicted2success.com/motivation/a-step-by-step-process-that-will-help-you-make-the-impossible-possible/

How to Keep Your Mind Away From Distractions in This Tech-Loaded World

Social media notifications, push notifications, email notifications, and messages from chatting apps, keep peeping from the notification area of our smartphones and invite us into a world of a never-ending loop. Perhaps, even if it is ending, it is not until we have wasted 15-20 minutes of our productive time in just checking different apps and emails that we realize the need to get back to what’s important. No wonder many organizations insist employees on keeping their mobile phones in lockers prior to proceeding to their desk!

Technology is so enslaving that we don’t realize what an endless loop we are stuck in when we are constantly replying to our friends and relatives on social media or checking that limitless newsfeed on our timelines. If all the time of the day is put together, we can observe that we spend almost 4-5 hours on social media with the total output zero and sometimes negative.

Of course, keeping smart phone on airplane mode or switching it to Do Not Disturb mode, or somewhere away from us is the first line of defense against distractions, there are other steps preceding it to really spend your day productively.

Adopt a Proactive Approach

This implies that prior to beginning the day, you must take-charge of it. Instead of letting the day rule you, it should be vice-versa. You must adopt a zealous approach by planning your day and if possible, hours. You should have the determination to pay no heed to distractions in place of just letting them ruin your day by reacting to your impulses.

Instead of acceding to the fact that distractions are surely going to come your way and take up the major portion of your productive time, think about the ways in which you can tackle them.

You need to ponder on the need to focus and be determined to remain so during the day. You need to take the following steps for it:

1. Plan how you are going to spend the hours of your day and deadline for completing tasks.
2. Consider your to-do list as a choice rather than a chore to be completed.
3. Remind yourself of the consequences of surrendering to distractions instead of completing your work. For instance, getting a reprimand from the manager for consistently low productivity and quality or having to rush to complete the work at the end of the day.
4. Visualize the benefits of the time you gained by winking at notifications. Perhaps, you can spend more quality time with your kids or researching your new business idea.
5. Note down hourly productivity – How many tasks did you accomplish in the last one hour?

“An addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production.” – Robin Sharma

Enhance Your Concentration Power

What keeps your mind stick to a task until it is sufficiently completed, is your ability to concentrate. If your concentration power is stronger, distractions will not bother you. You have to sharpen your power to focus by consistent practice. Meditation is a great way to improve your ability to work on a single task for a long time. If possible make meditation a part of your daily routine. It will keep your mind silent and give it the power to resist distractions.

If you cannot find time to meditate at the start of the day, it is advisable to do a one minute meditation every hour or every time you get that urge to check social media or chat with a friend. This will bring back your attention to what you have to do instead of what you want to do.

Here is the best way to improve concentration power: Take Regular, Refreshing Breaks.

One of the major keys to staying charged up for work is to take regular breaks. Continuously working for hours is only going to make you feel more tired. Instead, take planned breaks and do what you like the most during those breaks.

Of course, you should check your phone to be aware of any urgent messages or calls; remember to take refreshing breaks rather than just keep scrolling through that never-ending newsfeed. Rejuvenate your senses by reading some motivational stuff, watching an inspiring video, taking a walk in the lobby or having a non-work related chat with a colleague, to recharge your batteries and get back to work with even more focus and passion.

One technique utilized and propagated by productivity gurus is the Pomodoro Technique. It is the practice of working in chunks of 25 minutes and then taking a break of 5 minutes. After 4 such sessions, you can elongate the break time to 15-20 minutes.

Have an Organized Mindset

Adopt an organized mindset towards all aspects of your life. Keep clearing irrelevant mails, adding e-mail addresses to spam, organizing all your photos and videos on one drive, keeping all your documents accessible from one place, etc. Keeping your life clutter free and organized right from your shoe-rack to your locker, empowers your ability to spend your time in a disciplined way.

Even when it comes to online browsing, keep it limited to certain topics rather than just browsing and then jumping from that topic to all the related topics. Note down the ideas you would like to research on a specific day instead of randomly browsing through a plethora of topics.

Also, jot down the points which you found useful. Set aside an hour or 30 minutes of time for this. If you feel the need to read that lengthy but useful article, then save it under bookmarks, instead of swaying and spending more than the planned  time on it.

These seemingly little, yet practical things, help you adopt the same approach towards your day and work.

“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” – Christopher Columbus

It is a fact that technology has taken up major share of our life, however, it would be a misjudgment to regard it as bad. If maneuvered the right way, it can help us live a more disciplined life. It is a boon but if we let it rule us instead of us ruling on it then it may eat up most of our focus and productive time of our day.

What distractions do you feel take most of your time? What steps you have taken up to put the brakes on them, apart from just whining about them? Ponder over it, take a proactive approach, and share your action plan with us by commenting in the section below.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-to-keep-your-mind-away-from-distractions-in-this-tech-loaded-world/

8 Key Factors That Discourage Investors From Putting Money Into Your Startup

Today’s ideas are tomorrow’s winning businesses. Ideas executed brilliantly and with proper investment bring your business success. That is how the world of business got the likes of Apple, Google, McDonald’s, Amazon and so on.

But why in spite of the brilliant and promising ideas at the core of their business, many startups fail to attract investors? Why do investors hesitate to put their money into some startups? Well, investors have reasons and only by deciphering these reasons we could get hold of some deterrent factors that hold them back.

Let us explain some of the vital factors that prevent investors from putting their money in the startups below:

1. Inefficiency or Absence of Leadership Qualities

Inefficiency is the most significant deterrent factor for pulling the success of most startups. This can also be referred to as the lack of leadership qualities. Investors always want to make sure that they don’t lose their money through a company that has an extraordinary business model but no efficient and skilled business leader to make it successful. When fetching investment from investors, you need to offer a clear prospect and detailed plan of how you are going to achieve the goals.

2. Lack of Trustworthiness

An investor puts his money on a venture purely on the basis of the credibility and trustworthiness of the business. This is why besides having a sound business plan with clear objectives, you need to establish the integrity in terms of the security of the investor’s money and how the fund is going to be invested to give results as per business plan.

If an investor has a feeling that the startup may not have enough customers to fulfil its financial liabilities or if it finds that the business is hiding some information, it may further push the trust of the investors down. Total transparency and establishing the faith of the business brand are crucial for finding investors in favor.

3. Lacking Experience in Business Management

You have a great business idea backed up by a sound business plan and solid trustworthiness based on your background, but you have zero experience in managing a business. This is a serious reason for an investor to deny making any investment in your business. An investor cannot put his money just to allow you trying and learning your management skills the harder and riskier way. Uncertainty is the single biggest turn-off factor for any investor and lack of managerial experience is synonymous to that.

4. Business Model is Not Sound Enough

You have a business idea, some efficient, competent and experienced professionals as leaders, the great stamp of trust and pretty much everything that make a company look promising. But what about your business strategy and business model? Are they sound enough to take on the market competition and challenges for business growth? Well, this is what investors are most interested in.

In most cases, a business model is what makes an investor think twice and even take a backward step from investing in a startup. After all, your business model and strategy will decide how your business and products will be able to withstand competition and become victorious.

5. Taking Investors for Granted

This is a big mistake on the part of many startups. Just by becoming confident in the potential and the soundness of the business model and prospect, a business can consider getting investors on board requires just a little effort and time. But in reality, getting investors on board is the toughest thing a business can think of.

This is why without proper and meticulous preparation, it would be foolish to approach investors for your business. Most investors receive hundreds of such emails and a similar number of approaches through other means and they coldly just let them pass. This is why you need to send them very detailed proposals backed by strong recommendations and referrals.

6. Targeting the Wrong Investor

Every business has a target customer base, right? Not all customers are interested in every product in the market. Similarly, not all investors are interested in your business. Investors based on their prior experience and industry exposure, put their money in businesses that they know like their own palm of their hand.

So, targeting an investor who has no interest in your business will only drain your energy and bring you unnecessary frustration. When you are seeking investors for your software startup, don’t approach someone investing in real estate business.

7. Non-Realistic Proposal for Funds

Investors normally come with huge experience of your industry and so they have a clear idea about the fund requirements for your business startup. Moreover, they already have invested in other ventures or have gone through many proposals. Naturally, they have every bit of estimate already in their mind. So, any proposal claiming a lofty and unrealistic amount will only face rejection.

This is why it would be wise to become meticulous about your estimation of the required fund and calculation of various cost factors. Have meticulous details about every facet of investment backed up by breakup of the costs. Only when you can convince them with correct estimation, investors can take interest in discussing the matter further.

8. Make Sure Your Product Solves a Customer Problem

Will any investor put money in building a simple calendar app now? No, simply because such an app idea has no value for the end users now. Will an investor put money in a product that has already been outdated and has no use? No, no investor has to even go through such a proposal for dismissing them.

Well, to fetch investment, your product must be thoroughly customer-centric. It not only has to solve a problem but has to deliver some competitive value in comparison to similar products in the market.

Obviously, finding an investor for a new business is not an easy task, considering the huge competition that businesses need to deal with. But, if your business idea is unique and you fill all those requirements correctly as mentioned above, finding investors may not be as tough as it sounds.

from
https://addicted2success.com/startups/8-key-factors-that-discourage-investors-from-putting-money-into-your-startup/

7 Reasons Why Meditation Is Key to Keeping Yourself Cool and Calm

New age, new thought processes, and new ways of living – all three go hand in hand. We are in the 21st century where everything is different from what it used to be a couple of centuries ago. Despite all luxuries, people face more problems today as compared to the previous era. The reason is quite simple – the dreadful lifestyle promoted by hurriedness in life. The speed of life seems to be overtaking even the speed of light.

Although this is a new era with advanced problems in front of a generation, the solution is still age-old. Since agitation is a common issue in today’s time, all we need to do is remain calm and composed. The ancient practice of Meditation is sponsored by most of the health experts. In fact, millions of people all over the world enjoy the delight of Meditation to stay healthy.

Talking about the relevance of Meditation, the India-born exercise has been an awesome friend of humans since the Vedic era. Meditation is a prominent topic of discussion and practice in all major Yoga programs.

Below are 7 reasons why meditation is key to keeping the mind cool and calm:

1. Promotes inner contentment

Satisfaction is a key component of one’s composed personality. This is an extremely important trait of people, who want to explore the world with ease. For attaining any goal in life, you need to be happy in life. You should make your life joyful in order to survive on the planet quite happily.

With the practice of meditation on a regular basis, you learn the art of surviving even in limited resources. Most people are not happy with what they have, and are always looking for more. This is a major source of trouble in life. Meditation nourishes the mind, body, and soul of a practitioner to stay satisfied with what he/she has. With satisfaction comes happiness and peace in life.

2. Helps preside over anger

Anger. Seems quite relatable, isn’t it? After all, such has been the dominance of anger in today’s style of living. Whether you are in the office or in your home, the issue of getting angry is quite common. It can arise any time and when it comes, you get a step closer to ruining your beautiful life. People who practice meditation are able to control their anger in quick time.

In fact, there is no space for resentment and outrage in a meditating mind. The yogic exercise prepares you to fight moments of anger. Many times, you get splenetic over someone’s words for little reason. Meditation teaches you to see everything in a positive way. When the world looks positive, there is hardly any reason to be wrathful.

“Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.” – Valerie Bertinelli

3. Lets you follow your goals

One of the most basic things we know about meditation is its concentration power. Even newcomers to the world of Meditation know the beauty of this mindful exercise in maintaining mental focus and concentration. Whether you are an office-goer, a student, or a business person, focus is the key to success.

Reaching the point of success gives the happiest feeling of life. There is no better way to walk on life’s path than by remaining composed, which is, of course, attained through the practice of meditation. The journey to the goal becomes a fascinating one while feeling the charming aroma of this yogic exercise. You can spend your life quite comfortably and with restfulness when the beauty of Meditation adorns your life’s garden.

4. Takes Care of Health

Diseases make one’s life hell. Since the living style of the modern generation is so poor, there is always space for diseases to attack the body. When one is not physically well, he/she cannot be fit mentally.

Meditation plays a significant role in keeping the body healthy. The problem of high blood pressure can be cured by meditation in a completely natural way. Also with daily practice, the systems of the body are balanced. The body, heart and mind improve with daily practice of meditation.

5. Meditation is about the spiritual well-being

Through the practice of meditation, you develop the ability to look inward. Instead of reaching out for answers here and there, you realize that the answer lies within.

Meditation is the path to achieve interconnectedness with all the other beings on Earth as well as with the higher self. A person realizes the true essence of life and that everyone is a part of the universal being. Ego, anger, hate, selfishness, and pride no longer get any importance and that leads to spiritual upliftment.

“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there.” – Deepak Chopra

6. Nurtures the decision-making skill

A person with good decision-making power is sure to remain serene-headed. There are moments when you need to make certain decisions in a little amount of time. Many struggle to do so but not those who have the blessings of meditation by their side.

This practice is about improving the intellectual mastery of a person so that he/she emerges as a better situation-handler. All these are possible only when the brain is clear from all sorts of unimportant issues. Meditation makes the mind a peaceful space for the storage of information and wisdom to flourish.

7. Anxiety has no place in a meditating mind

In the workaholic environment, stress and anxiety are never far. Your mental tranquility is always in danger with the load of work. The majority of the working population lose their temper amidst a heavy task.

When you are in the vicinity of meditation, there is no chance of stress attacking the body. You remain extremely calm and composed even in the scariest of circumstances. The exercise acts as a pressure-soaker so that the mind does not feel the heat of a stressful situation.

Do you meditate or want to begin? Share with us below some of your thoughts on meditation!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/7-reasons-why-meditation-is-key-to-keeping-yourself-cool-and-calm/