I have been having a fairly serious business problem lately:
I am in the process of starting up my own professional coaching practice and one of the actions that I knocked of my list early on was getting business cards made. My SNS support group convinced me to get the job done right, so I hired a designer and had unique cards made instead of using a template off the internet.
Totally worth it
I am proud of my business cards. My business cards give me confidence. My business cards make me feel like I am a professional coach and that I am running my own business.
My business cards are a perfect example of a supportive environment that is going to help me be successful.
The problem
Even though my business cards are fabulous they are also completely ineffective in helping me grow my business as a professional coach.
Why?
They are trapped and rarely see the light of day. All of that wonderful confidence is kept out of my reach by an impenetrable barrier that I cannot surpass:
my wallet
Wallet as a mental block
You see I don’t own an adult wallet. I carry around a bulky trifold wallet, the kind with the velcro strip that holds it shut. The kind that makes a horrible “Scrrrriiiiiiiitch” sound when you open it and highlights to everyone around me that I am not playing the game of business seriously.
It is the “Scrrrriiiiiiiitch” that has locked my business cards away from the world.
Not networking
I was recently at an event that provided an excellent opportunity to do some networking. I met an old contact that would have been an excellent candidate for providing me with referrals. We talked and everything was flowing nicely. I reached into my pocket to grab my wallet and offer a business card and that horrible sound echoed in my mind:
“SCRRRRIIIIIIIITCH!!!”
I pulled my hand out of my pocket, the conversation and opportunity ended, and we parted ways.
I was incapable, mentally, of “scritching” open my wallet and offering a business card.
My wallet had, and has become a totally unsupportive environment of my success.
I am experiencing defeat by wallet.
You better have kicked that wallet to the curb! Or punched it in it’s face! Or both!
I can’t keep myself laughing about the kind of wallet you’re using. I had it once when I was young. But seriously, I think you not should be bothered by your wallet, it only manifest your lack of enthusiasm and authority. Be the coach that your are.
Michelle: you will have to wait for part 2 to find out the fate of my wallet. But it is a happy (if somewhat expensive) ending.
Walter: I agree I should be functional no matter my wallet, but it just hasn’t happened that way. One of my coaching focuses is becoming environmental design, so this topic is closely related to me being the coach that I am!
Thanks for the encouragement.
Jeremie
[...] This is part two of a post. Check out the first part here: Defeat by wallet [...]