CLICK TO READ THE NEWEST POST: Exchanging Your Integrity for an Exercise in Mindset? Really?
Is more really better? Now there’s a question for us expert entrepreneurs to contemplate.
There’s so much emphasis today on growing your list, selling more products, getting more people come to your live events. Of course we’ve all heard about “missing the forest because of the trees”, but I often wonder if a lot of entrepreneurs are missing the tree because of the forest – or missing the sunflower because of the field.
Here in central Italy in the summertime you’ll find fields bursting with sunflowers. It’s a spectacular site to see thousands of golden-yellow faces all turning towards the sun at once. Breath-taking really. But even more incredible is what’s happening up close, if you take the time to notice.
Did you know …
- A sunflower (girasole in Italian) looks like one huge flower, but the center is actually made up of hundreds of tiny flowers that will mature into seeds.
- Those wonderful yellow “petals” we see are actually leaves that protect the center of the head while the sunflower is growing. Isn’t that cool?
- As the sunflower matures, it points east each morning to face the sunrise. Throughout the day motor cells in the sunflower’s stem move the head to face the sun (for maximum exposure) and by evening the sunflower is pointing west – it’s moved 180 degrees!
- Overnight the sunflower resets to face east, waiting for the sun to rise, and when the head is completely mature, the stem become fixed so the sunflower faces only east.
Wow, wow, wow … talk about incredible!
So now let’s turn those sunflowers (pun intended) to us entrepreneurs.
When you see your clients up close, you’re able to notice an amazing individual with unique characteristics, attributes and desires. Each has something special to share, to contribute and to express. Yet, too often today the specialness of the individual is overlooked for the power and excitement of the collective – for the impact of the golden field.
Don’t get me wrong. Filling your event with hundreds or thousands of participants is a rush, and the energy of the many can be a amazing thing to experience – not just as a presenter, but as a participant. But the larger the group, the most difficult it is to get a sense of the individual. I know first hand, because I’ve spoken to, and trained, large audiences of many, and small groups of few.
That great thing about working with small groups or individual clients, is that when they become inspired by you to fully realize their own unique gifts and talents – as they turn their faces to the sun – you get to watch it happen up close. Amazing.
So the “sunflower lesson” for us entrepreneurial experts is to create products and programs for both the many and the few. And to celebrate both with equal enthusiasm.
……………………………………………….
Speaking of celebrating things, the Italy Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs 2013 is now open for early-bird enrollment! You’ll save $1,000 and you can choose installment payments if you’d like! Act now … this offer is limited time only! http://theitalyretreat.com