subject: Business Lessons from a City in Transition [print this page] Oakland, California has struggled for years with what can only be described as an "image problem".Starting with Gertrude Stein's declaration that "there's no THERE there", and taken down by high crime rates, Oakland was not on many "Favorite City" lists. .But Oakland is having a renaissance as a city and its transformation serves many lessons for entrepreneurs all over. Old boarded up buildings are re-opening as restaurants, waterfront warehouses now cater to loft living hipsters, and there are lots of friendly people walking around feeling good about their city.Locals are approaching people in restaurants saying "Thank you for spending money in Oakland." The entire city feels like it's on board for more great things to unveil.If Oakland can go through a transformation so profound, so can you!Transformation of any kind is a potent experience. It's exciting, it's exhilarating, and even a tad nerve wracking. When you're in transformation and not fighting it, you understand that the process of change is leading to something new... you may or may not know exactly where you're going but you have a pretty good idea that it's going to be better than where you are.Look around you... look at your business. Look at the way you communicate about your work, look at the people you're connected to via social media, look at how you face your work.Now is a perfect time to bring a spirit of transformation into your business and life. Follow Oakland's lead and take the plunge!Here are 3 Easy Places You Can Get Started:1. Update How You Describe YourselfTake a risk and be breathtaking. If your bio or how you describe your business feels lackluster, then now is the time to update it.Oakland suffered many jokes, but now it's reinvented itself with new images filled with civic pride. What can you do to make your business more cool and exciting?2. Get Honest Feedback from Trusted SourcesFind a trusted colleague or associate who can give you qualified feedback about your strengths and weaknesses. Drop what's not working and focus on what is.3. Rewrite the RulesGet rid of the "have to's" that don't bring you joy. If certain marketing tasks don't feel joyful, then create a new plan. Customize your marketing plans so they work on your terms (without sacrificing profitability)When you're feeling inspired, it shows. People around you can feel it. They'll want to hang around you, read your stuff, buy from you, promote you. It's a visibility strategy that starts from the very core of you.
Business Lessons from a City in Transition
By: Paul Wise
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
