Author Archives: iKapture Networks

Have you ever sat wondering what next to do? Have you ever wondered why you keep lagging when friends are putting their skills to good use? Have you ever wondered how to set and make reasonable goals?

Personal development is the process of self-improvement, which focuses on building up your awareness, knowledge, and skills, as well as an overall sense of identity. To develop

ourselves we need such skills as critical thinking, team building, communication skills, emotional intelligence, and many others.

Benefits of personal development

Working on your personal development is not only essential for your self-improvement but can also help you thrive professionally.

Here are five key benefits of personal development:

 You’ll figure out your passion

When you begin the journey of personal development, you’ll get to know the real you, your abilities, what your values are, what you believe in, and your aspirations.

You’ll be able to make clear goals

By figuring out more about yourself, you’ll be able to set clear and well-informed goals.

And not only will you realize what you do want to do, but you’ll also be able to rule out paths that you find unsuitable.

 You’ll be motivated

With clear and achievable targets, you’ll be more motivated to fulfill them – especially if you have a personal development plan to track your progress.

Note: This is a written account of self-improvement, which also covers the goals you aspire to fulfill – whether they’re career-based, personal, or academic.

You’ll get a better work-life balance

By carrying out your learning and development, you’ll not only be improving your morale, confidence, and knowledge, you could also be improving your career prospects – either to gain a promotion or change in career choice.

 You’ll improve your career prospects

Most employers want fast learners and problem-solvers, when you commit to personal development it is these skills that would help you thrive at work.

 Some personal development skills include:

Communication: Communication includes your ability to speak, write and listen. With these skills, you can understand what others are saying and feeling and also convey your ideas and feelings. Good communicators can speak clearly and confidently, using a tone that is positive and appropriate for the situation. 

Organization: Organization skills include the orderliness of your workspace and your ability to plan, schedule, and prioritize. Good organization can help save time, prevent miscommunications and improve efficiency.

Problem-solving: Problem-solving is the capability to handle challenging or surprising situations. 

Self-confidence: Self-confidence is the belief in your abilities, actions, and decisions. If you have confidence in yourself, you might be more likely to pursue ambitious goals, try new things, and believe you can succeed.

Adaptability: People who handle change well often get along with a variety of personalities and blend with any environment. They don’t get easily ruffled up in difficult situations.

Integrity: People tend to trust those who are honest and stand by their values. Having integrity can lead to a good reputation and opportunities for advancement.

Leadership: is the ability to guide people. Good leaders can motivate others and help them reach a shared goal. They bolster confidence and increase morale.

How to improve your personal development skills:

Improving your personal development skills involves:

 Overcome your fears: Fear can prevent you from growing and progressing. If you are afraid of taking risks, for instance, find a mentor who can help you make good decisions and build your confidence. Grow and learn by trying things you might not be comfortable doing. If you are shy, try starting a conversation or introducing yourself to new people at a reception or workshop.

Read: Reading can expand your knowledge and vocabulary and keep you informed. It can also motivate you and improve your critical thinking skills. Try setting a goal to read at least one educational or motivational article a day.

 Learn something new: Learn a new skill or topic, whether you do it yourself or sign up for a class. You might, for instance, take courses to learn another language, a new software program, or how to write creatively, entrepreneurship, or social media marketing.

Ask for feedback: Approach a family member, friend, colleague, or manager and ask them to give you feedback on a recent project or accomplishment. Use their positive comments as well as their constructive criticism to find ways to improve.

 Observe others: Watch and learn from the people who inspire you, they could be people around you such as a supervisor, family member, or public figure. Identify the qualities you admire in them, and try to replicate those in yourself.

 Network: By interacting with many types of people, you can learn new ideas and understand how to communicate and work with different personality types. You can also meet people and develop relationships that might help you in the future. Attend conferences and events on topics that interest you.

Meditate: Meditating is a great way to gain clarity, awareness and to reduce stress and anxiety. Meditation can help you focus on your self-development and goals in a healthy, positive and calm way.

Get a mentor: You can get further help for improvement by speaking with a mentor. This individual could be a manager, professor, someone you admire, or a professional personal growth mentor.

Find this helpful? For further reading, learn how to improve your emotional intelligence…

First, what is entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

Here are some rules that could help:

 Add Value: It’s not enough for you to have a good idea. Others have to find value in your offering. Your product, service, or knowledge has to provide a benefit to your customers. When you provide a product or service that meets a need and is seen to have a high level of value for your potential customers, it builds customer loyalty. People value when something solves a problem, or makes life easier, for them.

Tip: Don’t spend countless hours trying to invent the next big thing. Start where you are. Start with something you’re passionate about and then find a way to add value.

 Be The Best: If you’re going to do it, do it well. Whatever level of business you’re at right now, there’s always a way to do things better. Maybe you need to tweak your product’s performance before your next expansion. You may consider offering customer loyalty perks like discount codes or fast and free shipping.

Tip: Being the best doesn’t always mean that you have the best product or service… but it does mean that you put the quality of your product and your level of customer service first – and your customers will appreciate that.

Have the right tools: One of the most important things that successful entrepreneurs always do is to choose the right tools for their business. They make sure that they have the right equipment, software, or resources on board to increase profitability and productivity.

 Do your research, look for tools for your business that will set you up for success. These can include the physical tools, the software tools, your virtual tools needed to successfully run your business.

Tip: Don’t put pressure on yourself to have everything all at once. Understand what tools and resources you need to have to get started and make plans to add or upgrade in regular increments.

 Rest is Important: Most entrepreneurs are guilty of working around the clock – but that doesn’t mean that it’s good for you. In fact, working nonstop can be counterproductive for you. You tend to lose enthusiasm for your ideas or lose the ability to make level-headed decisions, all because you’re overworked and worn out. It is very important to have a self-care ritual. Self-care means taking time out to rejuvenate yourself. Realign with your purpose in life – and return to your business feeling refreshed and renewed.

Tip: Drink more water, get enough rest and, exercise. Regularly take breaks both throughout the day and on vacations. This allows your mind and body time to relax. 

 People Matter: Entrepreneurs that create successful businesses always invest in people. It is important to put lots of energy into finding the best and the most enthusiastic employee – the ones that fit the office culture and add value. As you’re expanding your team look for people that care about your vision and are open and adaptable to change. You want your employees to grow with your business and be invested in the company’s success.

 

Tip: Hire people that have a track record of being problem solvers and easy learners. Employees that catch on quickly and are eager to figure things out on their own will save you significant money in training and development costs. You want self-starters that don’t need a ton of hand-holding or constant motivation from you so that you can focus on growing your business, not micromanaging others. 

Apply these rules and watch your business grow…

“Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.” — Oprah Winfrey

Pitching may be used under many different circumstances and occasions. We use pitching for our work when we must convince a colleague or business partner about a new idea or a certain way of doing things.

Often we are not even aware that we are pitching under these everyday circumstances but that changes substantially on special occasions. We use Pitches when we; present an idea, concept, or product to a potential client or business partner.

Pitching in business refers to presenting business ideas to another party. For example, you may pitch your startup business to potential investors or your products to potential customers. A business pitch needs to give your audience a clear understanding of your plan or goals to gain buy-in.

We all agree that in recent times, people have less and fewer attention spans. They have less time and patience to sit through long speeches where you list all your product features and offer a great deal to close.

 In other words, Pitching enables you to present your idea concisely and convincingly, so that your idea, message, or product – no matter what it gets people’s attention.

Types of Pitch

•         One-Word Pitch
•         Social Media Pitch
•         Elevator Pitch
•         Cold Call Pitch
•         Email Pitch
•         Follow-up Pitch

One-Word Pitch

Put simply, A One-Word Pitch is a single, powerful word that best describes your brand. Finding a word that best describes your brand might be a little difficult. But you can select one from your brand’s

•         Aims
•         Values
•         And or Products

For example, Google’s One-word pitch is ‘Search’.

When you find a word, you can use synonyms to make it unique.

This one-word pitch should be used by everyone in your organization—wherever possible. Once people associate the word with your brand, your potential customers will recognize you instantly.

Social media Pitch

This is crafting your social media post around the basics of your brand. It is important because you have to make customers want more.

Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is a short, snappy, easy-to-grasp explanation of your company and its products…

In no more than 30 seconds your pitch should describe the basics of your business  (it should be short enough to cover in an elevator ride, hence its name)

Elevator pitches must be engaging and friendly,

To be great at using this pitch, you need to practice, so it’s clear, concise, and well-paced.

Cold call Pitch

A cold call is when you reach out to a person you’ve never spoken with before, intending to sell them your product or service.

Even though the person may not be aware of your brand, a cold call is made to some who is likely to have an interest in or benefit from your brand’s product.

A cold call sales pitch is unique because it provides an opportunity for a personal connection.

Email Pitch

An email pitch is a sales pitch that is delivered to potential clients and or customers via email. Most times, it is used to create brand awareness; they are brief and serve as a starter for conversations.

Follow-up Pitch

Pitching without follow-up is no pitching at all.  This aspect can either make or break your deal. The quicker you do a follow-up the more likely you are to close the deal.  Do not give up after the first attempt, or you would be missing out on opportunities to make that sale.

So when creating that follow-up pitch try to keep it brief.

A perfectly made pitch cannot be underestimated; you need to make sure that you clearly understand the differences between the different startup pitches and work towards perfecting each one of them.

 The next time you are about to sell that business idea or contact a prospective customer, use the pitches outlined above.

Tell your brand’s story and the success of your products and services and back up with facts and statistics. Work hard to engage your audience. Practice with friends and colleagues until you master the right pitch for you.

What do you think? Can you write an effective business pitch in 10 minutes?

Let us know your thoughts.