Business
By the time she was done with me, I was frustrated, defeated, and angry. I was offering my first weekend workshop in New Orleans, which was a considerably larger investment than my typical afternoon workshops. One potential customer, we’ll call her Cathy, called to learn more about it. And for the next hour or so, she gave me every reason why she would not want to buy from me. She told me I was not worth the price. She told me I was risky. She told me that she could do better. And of course, after all that, she hung up. I never heard from her again.As I think back to that time frame and incident, it makes me think of one of the big mistakes we make as entrepreneurs — we work on building a business but not a brand. A business says you are technically and legally ready to sell a product. The brand gives customers a reason to choose you.Now as we emerge the pandemic, there is even greater reason to build a business with a personal brand.