From a scaredy-cat to a confident business owner
Parul Banka
Helping mid-senior leaders bounce back, rebuild successful careers & happy lives when life happens. Leadership & Career Coach. Facilitator. Storyteller. EDI advocate. Trauma Informed. A career break=pause, not full stop.
As an ex-corporate employee, I told myself for months, “I was not an entrepreneur!”
A story I had practiced for so long that it had become my ultimate truth.
Everything that followed on from there, supported this story I kept telling myself.
??Why people weren’t buying?
??Why only a small % of coaches were successful and I wasn’t one of them (yet)?
??Why it was harder because there was no support to build my business from my family?
??Why it was harder for me because I was rebuilding my life back up after cancer?
Playing the victim felt easy because it did not need me to take ownership. I could always blame something or someone else. And like a kickass victim, I hated to be called out and told that I was playing the victim.
The thing with stories is that we can tell ourselves anything; they make us justify our decisions but it does not mean that they are doing us any good or are even true!
In parallel, my reality screamed:
??Without clients, I had no business; I was only keeping busy with my expensive hobby.
??I felt rubbish about myself.
??I craved the good old ‘high achiever’ tag from the times when I worked in the corporate world.
My F*ck-Aha-moment came when it dawned upon me, “That if my spouse was not supporting me financially, I would be out on the streets”.
Yes, it was as simple and as honest as that.
It literally felt like I had been kicked in my guts. I must confess that I wanted to tell myself that it wasn’t true but it was.
From there on, my choices were pretty clear: Go back to the BS stories I was giving myself or take ownership and do something about my life.
1) My first step was my decision to change things. I did not want to feel the burden of shame and guilt anymore.
2) The next step was to work on all the stories that were keeping me stuck and tweaking them into stories that helped me make progress. Massive thank you to my coach back then.
3) The final step was to replicate my success as a storyteller: When I could inspire people from the stage, there was no reason I couldn't use that skill to build my business!
??It took time.
??It took effort.
??It took support.
??It was not easy but it has been worth it.
Sounds like you?
Check out Vicki's and my new offer ‘Sales is an inside job: Where Mindset Meets Story’ that will help you:
??Sell without feeling salesy and icky
??Overcome the BS stories that are keeping you stuck, small and poor
??Overcome your fear of sales (Hint: Your fear of sales is about your mindset, not about your market)
??Stop exchanging time for money and do value-based pricing
??Be excited at the prospect of selling instead of feeling stressed and overwhelmed
??Offer your products and services like a boss with powerful speaking and storytelling
??Lead your business message with your personal story and build an aligned audience through connection
We start on the 9th of November 2020. Ready to bin those ridiculous stories for good?
Comment below or DM either Vicki or me for details of 12 weeks of deliciousness.
Let's finish 2020 strong and start 2021 strong. ????
Parul x
P.S. I am celebrating my journey as a business owner and as an individual with the launch of this program. From a scaredy-cat to a confident business owner. ????
#wetellstories #storycoaching
University students and graduates, do you want to feel confident about landing your dream job and building a career? Instead of letting time drift, Talk to me, and you won't be disappointed!
3 年I love your story ?? minus the profanity ??
Social Media Advertising | Web and Graphics Designer| Self starter and Open To Job Opportunity.
3 年Our mind indeed believes what we feed it. Perhaps, why most end up in the victim's mentality. Story well told and I'm glad you decided to change your own story.
Develop & package the uniqueness of marketing & creative agencies to guarantee more high-quality leads & sales ?? Provide a ‘go to market strategy’& plan ?? BD team support ?? Pipeline building & nurture ?LinkedIn?Expert
4 年Loved reading this article Parul! Such an exciting journey
Nonprofit Director of Organizational Strategy | DEI Professional | Communication & Resilience Coach | International Keynote & TEDx | PMP | Very Queer Person ??????????
4 年Our stories are our lives! They inform so much of what we do, and the more we intentionally craft them the more we create space for fulfilment in our lives. ?? Cheers Parul Banka, Story Coach, ACC!
Ranked one of the top 15 coaches in Cardiff area 2023. Put on your ‘can do shoes’?-unleash your power to live without limitations Coach #reiki practitioner
4 年No one wants to be stuck here.