Imagine your industry as an enormous electrical circuit. The electricity is the money. O entrepreneur, you have discovered that you are one those mysterious plasticky bits at the top left corner.
Do you want to accept this role? Too many entrepreneurs are. They were never meant to do it, so they sit out at the periphery complaining that no energy comes their way. They are broke but do nothing to change it.
You have to get out of that corner. Your job is to get in the way.
ENERGY DOESNT COME TO YOU
To become electrified, you must place yourself in its path. (For this illustration, we won’t say “electrocuted”, which would be more absurd. Your job is to be wherever the energy is.
It is easy to create a pattern out of repeated behaviour even when it doesn’t work. This is evident in energy failures, the classic: “Doing things the same way they’ve always done”.
How can you get in the way of energy?
Let’s take a look at the circuit from the back to answer this question. The power is controlled by key people in certain positions. They control the money, and they spend it. They are little electronic jugglers who throw energy at the wall and get it back.
These people need to be met. These people need you to be their face and voice. It is your responsibility to make it so that high-ranking players can push energy into the circuitry. You are the logical conduit through which it flows. You must be known.
Here are 5 key prompts for you to consider:
1. Are the top executives in your company aware of who you are? This is important for your career advancement.
2. Are the major players in your industry recognizing your face? It is important for sales.
3. Are you going to industry conventions in the hopes of making new contacts and being a useful resource for them? This is important for your business growth.
4. When was the last time you wrote a letter to an important part of the circuitry. Energy doesn’t just come to you.
Do not be content to be an anonymous bit of plasticky on the fringes of the circuit. There’s plenty of energy! Next time you go on a trip, count all the Range Rovers and then say that there is no money!
It is out there. It’s not under any obligation to visit you. It is up to you to get in its way. You must ensure that you are the logical channel for the energy. Make friends with them. You will make them remember you. Put yourself in the path of success!