There have been several occasions, throughout my career and in my businesses, where tasks or opportunities have come up that I was unfamiliar with how to handle them.
However that has never stopped me from saying YES and making forward progress.
As the great Richard Branson says, “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it, say YES — and, learn how to do it later!”
That is one of the greatest quotes that I have ever heard, and I relate to it so much in my life.
After I closed FITzee Foods, and started The Pitch Queen and my podcast, Success Unfiltered, I didn’t really have a plan. I took it day-by-day, seizing every single opportunity that came my way, never saying NO (unless it wouldn’t serve my higher purpose).
I didn’t start my podcast, Success Unfiltered, and immediately have sponsors. I didn’t even have a plan in the beginning, I simply knew what my end goal was and that I had to be a great interviewer and listener to get there.
I may have had NO idea how to get to my end goal, but embracing the “can do” attitude instilled inner confidence in me and pushed me outside my comfort zone, where I had NO choice but to sink or soar.
I obviously chose soar!
I’ve also experienced the exact same scenario with my accounting sales class. When I created the course, I started with a BETA course. This way I could have accountants take the course, actually experience REAL success and then provide me with feedback so I could make things better.
The course wasn’t an instant success. I had to jump in, create something, offer it to interested accountants, and then make tweaks as they went through it so each person achieved the results they were looking to achieve.
I could have said NO to this opportunity. I could have decided that I didn’t know the first thing about working with accountants (though, I did go to college to be a financial analyst & worked at an accounting firm for 3 years when I graduated). But, I knew this was THE THING I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to niche down and start helping accountants more closely. I saw the problems and I knew I was the person that could help them.
That’s what I did, and now I have had 25 accountants go through the course and provide me with glowing testimonials because they experienced abundance from the sales techniques and strategies I taught them.
And, now I have people who are dying to work me. I don’t share this to gloat, I share this because all of it was possible, because I said YES and kept my forward momentum going.
Fake It Till You Make It
Sara Brooks, a guest on Success Unfiltered, did not grow up with an entrepreneurial family. When she decided to go out and start Covet Public Relations, she had NO idea what was in store. And, she honestly believes that this is a good thing because if she had known, she admits she may not have taken the leap.
One thing that Sara believes is so important to being a successful entrepreneur is being confident in your knowledge and being unafraid of taking leaps, even if you don’t know how to do a task.
She embraces Richard Branson’s message of saying YES, and then figuring it out later.
When Sara began her firm, it was comprised of only her and 2 other people. They were a small firm that wasn’t really known yet. They were willing to take on pretty much anyone, even if they were outside of their genre (which is focusing solely on CPG brands in the food, beverage, and beauty space).
They knew they had to build their name. Sara knew that without taking on clients, even if they weren’t the perfect fit, she’d never get the opportunity to work with the billion dollar brands that she has now.
She said YES, even though it wasn’t where she wanted to end up. She looked at her end goal, and knew that if she wanted to work with major food brands, that she’d have to start small and build up her name.
Now, if you have a look at Covet’s client experience page, it is FULL of names that you’d recognize when you frequent your local retail store’s shelves.
So, say YES to the things that will help you reach your end goal!
Surround Yourself with a Network of Amazing People
Can we be honest with each other? It doesn’t matter what industry you’re working in, there are going to be some real SHIT filled days.
Entrepreneurs often allow these shit days to turn into fear. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. And, even fear of success!
When you say YES and decide to take massive, scary leaps, and you fail, there’s NO magic pill that will fix how you feel afterward.
However, one of the best things you can do is surround yourself with people who have been through the whole process before. These are the people who can help you see that the shit day you just experienced, actually included a lot of lessons learned, or maybe even a fresh, new opportunity.
There’s something to be said for knowing that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
For Sara, this meant surrounding herself with great mentors and being part of a network called Entrepreneur Organization. Sara now has people that she can call to ask questions and to get support when things start feeling lonely in the entrepreneurial world.
Seeking and getting support is not a weakness. Having people that you can just call and share your journey with, and who can offer support, be invaluable.
Don’t allow your FEARS to keep you from saying YES to every opportunity (or challenge) that comes your way.
In Conclusion
I would love for you to be that person! Be the person who knows that YES should be your default answer in business. The person who goes out and says YES to every opportunity that comes your way. You can always figure out the “HOW” later.
Take it day by day, your confidence will build, and keep your end goal in mind!
Have you ever been presented with an opportunity that you have NO clue how you were going to tackle it, but you said YES anyway? I’d love to hear how it turned out, please share with me in the comments.
