by Tara Joyce | Jun 11, 2009 | My Journey | What's On My Mind
I made a mistake. I got ahead of myself. I temporarily forgot my purpose. I got caught up in someone else’s ideas and began ignoring my vision.
Perhaps it was a lack of self-confidence that began leading me down the path – I’d like to think it was a desire to collaborate, improve, share and help – whatever it was, along the way I stopped thinking that my voice mattered. I stopped considering what brought me joy and what felt ‘right’ and instead focused on what I thought I ‘should’ be doing. I am not infallible and I often go astray.
I am no longer involved with InnerpreneurVentures.com or Innerpreneuring.com.
“You never learn by doing something right ‘cause you already know how to do it. You only learn from making mistakes and correcting them.” – Russell Ackoff
I am now back to square one, trying to come up with ideas of how I (and others) can help spread the innerpreneur message and create value for our community.
The next small step I want to take is to create a forum here, where innerpreneurs can connect and share ideas, get advice and plan in-person meet-ups.
I’m surrounded by self-doubt, but inspired by passion. Maybe it’ll work and maybe it won’t. Either way, I’ll learn from it.
by Tara Joyce | Jun 5, 2009 | Cultural Creativity
We’ve got to stop with the blame.
We’ve got to stop blaming ‘business’, aka money, for the world’s problems. ‘Business’ is not a dirty word. Yes, some businesses selfishly seek profits at the expense of their consumers, workers, community and environment but not all. To make a sweeping statement about ‘business’, to reject money as an evil, it makes no sense. It completely ignores how the world actually works. Business and money make the world go round (not literally but figuratively). It propels the community.
You can’t escape it, you can’t deny it.
You need it.
Love money.
It’s okay to want it. It’s okay if it motivates you. It should.
Being an innerpreneur is about making money too. It’s People, Planet, Profit. You get to win too. You deserve to be compensated for the good work you do. So make it a priority. It doesn’t make you, or your business, any less creative, holistic or helpful. It doesn’t make you any less passionate.
The reality is humans use money to show appreciation and support, and it is just as valid an expression as words. So let it pour over you.
Business is the solution.
Our innerpreneurial dreams hold the answers to a lot of the world’s problems. But they’ll remain dreams if we don’t root them in reality. Money is necessary to sustain a business. The distinction between being good and making money needs to be removed.
Welcome abundance into your life in all its forms. Money’s only dirty if you treat it that way.
by Tara Joyce | Jun 3, 2009 | My Journey | What's On My Mind
I should have told you before I left. I just got back from speaking at an entrepreneurship conference in Lisbon held by Gesentrepreneur, a company dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship in Portugal. I was invited to speak on Innerpreneurs. The video is coming soon. You can check out the slides here.
I should have said something before
But I didn’t. I need to learn to be more proud. It doesn’t have to be an ugly word. Which it is…to me. I just looked up the definition of it…the meaning is…actually quite nice.
I am proud of myself. I was proud to be invited and proud of my presentation. And I should be. When I began writing about being an innerpreneur one year ago it was because I felt passionate, lonely and scared. I had found something to believe in, bigger than myself and I needed to share it. What has followed has been the greatest adventure.
My evolution continues
To speak about innerpreneuring, to connect with people around the world, I couldn’t imagine anything more I’d rather do…except write a book on it. Those two dreams, right there, are my truth. I am forever grateful to Joana Nobrega (she found me on Twitter @elleniccoc) and Gesentrepreneur for giving me the opportunity to realize it.
My new friend, Joana Nobrega
So now it seems that my path is shifting. The puzzle pieces are fitting together in a pattern that is familiar yet so unexpected.
by Tara Joyce | May 21, 2009 | Cultural Creativity
I got duped. They seemed trustworthy. But I lost my money and my phone number. And then they insulted me.
This month I got entangled with a bogus VoIP provider. The email above is the only human interaction I was able to establish with them. They sure fooled me with their website.
They used all the ‘keys’ to building trust online.
Most websites use these 5 social proofs to get you to trust them:
1. A site that ‘looks good’.
Check. VoIPGo.com has a very professionally designed site. Perfectly designed to appear credible.
2. Has easy means of contact.
Check. VoIPGo.com allows you to contact them via email, mail, instant message and phone. If you want to speak to a human however, none of these will work.
3. Provides testimonials.
Check. VoIPGo.com even has some on the homepage. As well as on a VoIP review site. Testimonials are the easiest thing to fake.
4. Has an ironclad guarantee.
Check. 30 day money back guarantee. Just try and get them to honour it;)
5. Uses official website seals.
They missed this one. But 4 out of 5 ain’t bad.
But what do these ‘keys’ prove?
According to ‘web experts’, these 5 items are the key to developing trust online. And I actually fell for it. I trusted VoIPGo.com and they stole my money, my phone number and insulted me.
Which got me thinking, these 5 social proofs that apparently are so key to building trust, what purpose do they actually serve? As I’ve learned, they don’t actually prove that you can trust the person or company. VoIPGo.com is neither reliable, true, able, or strong.
These ‘keys’ are proofs of credibility, but they don’t build trust.
Which is different.
Don’t get into the business of proving your credibility, get into the business of building trust.
Testimonials, iron-clad guarantees, snappy tag lines and the like are all tools used to prove credibility. They are tools used to get you to trust and believe what the person or company is saying. But why should you have to convince your client of that? We’re in the business of building relationships and providing value. If you are authentic and good at what you do, that should be evident when a new client speaks to you.
Where trust actually comes from.
Connection. From developing a relationship. From talking with the person or company and deciding for yourself.
Build trust by authentically connecting with your audience. Instead of credibility proofs, show you understand your visitors pain. Show the values your stand by. Be evident of the kind of person and business you are.
And above all, encourage your audience to connect with you, in whatever way that suits you. Only through human connection can trust be built. I had to learn this the hard way. If I had ever bothered to talk with VoIPGo.com before signing up, I would have realized exactly what kind of company they are.
by Tara Joyce | May 18, 2009 | Cultural Creativity, Innerpreneurship
Don’t like something? Improve it.
In three words, 500 years ago, Michelangelo summed up the Innerpreneur and Cultural Creative philosophy. He was conscious that best way to improve something was to come up with a better way of doing it.
Each of us is criticizing business by creating enterprises based upon healthy, happy people doing meaningful work.
Evolutionary, don’t you think?
photo credit: caveman_92223
