I have recently adopted a business philosophy that I call “Doing Business Consciously”. One way that I have achieved this is through a process that I have named “Networking Consciously”. These two ideas have allowed me to transform the way I do business. I now approach each day at work with a sense of excitement, joy and positive anticipation.

I have recently made significant changes to my business. I relocated from a home office into a business location, changed the name of my company from Gryphon Designs to Lynle Ellis Designs and decided to expand the size of my business. I had come to the conclusion that it was time for me to claim my space and name in the world of interior designers.

I have been a practicing interior designer with my own business for numerous years, but I only took on two to three projects a year. I was balancing raising a child and working as a designer, hence, the at home location of my business. This year my son showed me that he was ready to start flexing his wings on his own more. I will be honest, it was hard to see, but I know that my job as his parent is to guide him and then set him free. What his “wing flexing” did do is open up more time in my schedule to pursue my interior design business full time.

 Once the logistics of moving into a business space were taken care of: insurance, business licenses, new letterhead and business card designs, etc., it was time to settle down to do business. One issue I immediately realized was that not enough people knew about me. I had to get out there and start networking and expanding the number of people who had heard of Lynle Ellis Designs. Now that should not be a problem for someone as outgoing as I am except, to me, it felt dirty. Let me explain. I thought that I had to go out and SELL my business to everyone I met and that did not sit well with me. I do not like to “sell”. Now I realize to a certain level that I have to be able to sell my interior design services or no one would ever hire me. My issue was that I did not like having that be the predominate thought I had to have when I met someone. It seemed too desperate to me. The answer to my dilemma came to me in an e-mail.

I received an e-mail about learning to network without that four letter word SELL.  I immediately signed up for the three hour seminar on what I have since named “networking consciously”. Now this was not new material but this system caught my eye and made me go out there with a whole new attitude. I am a spiritual person and always believed that this life we are living is about helping other people succeed and grow, which in turn allows us to succeed and grow ourselves. I was not sure how I could relate this philosophy to my business when networking and needed to be shown.

This new attitude showed me that I could go out there and form strategic alliances with other business people, who shared the same target market as I. What a shift in my consciousness! I did not have to “sell” to them. I actively went out each day looking to help people get better at their business. I asked myself, “How could I go out that day and help my alliances succeed in their business? Who did I know that might be a good contact for them?  Did I have any information that would be of interest to them personally or professionally? ”

 I realize that the idea of strategic alliances and helping other people grow their business is not new information either; yet, I ask how come more people are not out there doing business with this attitude? How do I know most people are not following the concept of helping others grow and succeed? I know because when I go out to a networking event I feel like I am being sold to by almost everyone I meet, especially during a sluggish economy. There is an air of desperation around them. They are thinking “How can SHE make ME more successful? Is she my next client? Not how can I help HER be more successful?” That is a consciousness shift to being of service to our fellow human beings and not what can you do for me?

Networking consciously got me fired up to get out of bed each day because I now had the proper thoughts for me to do business consciously. I had always put my client first in my business, but I did not have the tools to grow my network to get more clients. Now I knew how. I was not longer fumbling around, but had the steps to grow my network. It seemed so simple, yet no one had told me this before. When networking, genuinely want to know about the person you are standing across from. Ask questions about them. Find out what they do and why. Do not just wait for a pause in their dialogue so that you can talk about yourself, your business or attempt to get a sale. This is not the time or place to do that. This is when you need to find out about how you and the other person can be of service to each other, begin forming a connection. Have you ever met someone that could not wait to hand you their card and talk about themselves? How quickly do you want to remove yourself from that conversation?

I was able to go out and enjoy meeting people and find out what they did while not once expecting them to be my next client or even know my next client. “Networking consciously” is about being honest in your desire to see the other person succeed. Who do you think will provide a better recommendation for you? Someone that you helped by sharing information, sourcing or even a lead; or someone you only tried to sell to? For me it is a no brainer.

This philosophy carries over into the work you do for your clients. Clients can tell when they are only dollar signs to you. I find that the more I genuinely want to help clients by listening to all of their needs and creating a perfectly aligned interior for them, that my life is more enjoyable. My clients have a better time working with me and I with them because they know that I ask questions, listen to their answers and then work with them to create the perfect interior based on their desires. That is what I call “Doing Business Consciously”. It is not “Me or You, but Me AND You”. Go out there every day with that attitude, and I guarantee your life will be more fulfilling. Mine already is! 

Copyright 2009  Lynle Hawkins-Struble All rights reserved