If you’re ready to take your business and life to the next level, these exercises will help you get there. Whether improving your skills or developing more personal habits that make success easier, here are some ways to improve yourself for free! I didn’t have a lot of abilities when I initially started as an entrepreneur. I couldn’t think on my feet, I couldn’t sell, and I was a poor networker. The list continues… What exactly did I do, do you think? Quit? Certainly not! Instead, I worked on honing the talents I needed. How? I devised ten distinct workouts to aid in the development of those abilities.
Exercises to help you flourish as a business owner:
Exercise 1: In sales calls, use random terms.
It would help if you learned to think on your feet regarding sales. It would be best to learn to think quickly because you can’t foresee what others will ask. Start practicing sales calls with a buddy or coworker listening in to learn how to think on your feet. Put your phone on speaker and ask a friend or coworker to provide you with random words to use in your next conversation. For example, a buddy advised me to use “suntan” and “lunch” in the following phrase on a recent sales call. I eventually told the prospective customer… We’ll kill it so badly with your skills and my marketing knowledge that we’ll be lying on the beach in the following six months, getting a tan, sipping beers, and eating sandwiches. This game may seem challenging at first, but it will get simpler with practice. It may also assist you in developing your sales confidence by stimulating your inventiveness.
Exercise 2: Make a list of five facts.
Before each business meeting or phone conversation, do your homework. Don’t only think about the firm; think about the person. The corporations may issue the cheques, but people inside the company make the choices. By running a few Google searches and utilizing apps like Rapportive, you can learn a lot about people. Because of social media, it’s quite simple to do these days. People’s lives are very public. Individuals want to conduct business with people similar to them. Therefore getting to know someone inside the organization is crucial. You can improve your chances of completing a transaction by doing some homework. It’s also never a bad idea to brush up on your research skills. You won’t always have the answers as an entrepreneur, so you’ll have to learn how to discover them via study.
Exercise 3: Embarrass yourself in front of others.
Fear keeps a lot of people from doing what they want to do. You undoubtedly care what other people think of you in business and life. As a result, you’re probably wary of doing anything that can make you seem bad or lead others to condemn you. Doing something humiliating in public is one approach to get around this. One such example is lying down on the sidewalk for ten minutes in just your underwear. Sure, you’ll be a little uneasy at first, but you’ll become used to it. You’ll learn to worry less about what people think of you if you do something humiliating every week. This will eventually apply to your business, and you will begin to do whatever it takes to succeed (provided you aren’t doing anything immoral). Fear and emotion are the last things you want to prevent you from achieving your goals.
Exercise 4: Every day, read the news.
Choose a few news sources you like reading and read them every day. There is no lack of news outlets to select from, ranging from the BBC to CNN. You may gain a strong working knowledge of current events by reading these sites daily.
What is the significance of this?
Here are two compelling reasons to read the news every day:
- Current events impact companies — if anything major occurs around the globe, it may have a detrimental or good impact on your company. As a result, you should stay updated. For example, a buddy of mine owns a gun shop. He realized that his sales increase dramatically whenever a high school shooting occurs. Of course, any kind of shooting is terrible, but he wants to know when one occurs, so he doesn’t blame the increased sales on his marketing efforts.
- People speak about the world — whether you’re in a business meeting or a networking event, people will almost certainly bring up current events. People will notice that you are informed and clever if you remain up to date, and it will also help you stay interested in the topic.
If you’re curious about what I read daily, it’s the BBC and the Economist.
Exercise 5: Become familiar with your numbers.
Do you know what I find many new entrepreneurs forget when I chat with them? Their tally. Most young businesses tend to forget their company metrics, from how much goods cost to how much they charge to their profit margins.
You’ll have consumers and clients who will put you on the spot as an entrepreneur. They’ll interrogate you about things like:
- What is your fee structure?
- How long will the findings take to appear?
- What is the total number of consumers you have?
These may seem to be basic questions, but many businesses freeze and forget or do not know the answers. How proficient can you be in your work if you can’t answer these easy questions? At the very least, that’s what the folks you’re talking to could think of you. On the other hand, if you don’t have a decent response, you’re inexperienced and may not be worth working with. So, study, remember, and know your numbers like the back of your hand. This can help you better understand your company and identify areas where it needs to be fine-tuned to expand quicker.
Exercise 6: Have a good time.
You must learn how to have fun, whether partying, attending enjoyable events, or hanging out with pals. Consider a period when you were a child… Isn’t it true that you had a good time? You and your buddies had a good day, laughed a lot, and made amazing memories. Unfortunately, adults tend to forget how to have a good time. We focus on work, yet this can affect your company in the long run. You’ll become burned out, and you’ll lose money. You may wonder how. I’ve learned that having an excellent product or service isn’t enough. Some individuals will only conduct business with others if they get along with everyone. It would help if you mastered the art of entertaining people and showing them a good time. It doesn’t have to be costly to have a good time; it may be as easy as going on a mud run with a small group of friends. Make sure you’re having a good time no matter what you’re doing. It may have a significant influence on the number of customers you lose.
Exercise 7: Stop passing judgment on others.
Who wants to be judged? I’m sure I don’t… As humans, we automatically pass judgment on others based on various variables such as how they dress, appear, talk, or live. You should not pass judgment on others. Allow people to live their lives as long as they are not doing something immoral. You should be glad for them if they are happy. When you start criticizing people, you’ll find that you’ll start closing doors that may have been prospective business collaborations, and you’ll also start making enemies for no reason. So, how can you avoid passing judgment on others? Say to yourself, “I’m not going to judge them,” whenever someone does anything that would ordinarily drive you to pass judgment. I know it seems ridiculous, but it works. After a time, you’ll cease passing judgment on others.
Exercise 8: Eliminate the nonsense.
I don’t care if you’re the greatest bullshitter on the planet… The public despises it. Stop wasting time and go right to the point. The next time you’re hanging out with pals or coworkers, get to the point. Of course, you don’t want to offend people by being too blunt, but when it’s to go to the point. When it comes to business concerns, people, whether coworkers or prospective clients, start babbling, attempt to interrupt them and get to the point for them. You don’t want to call them out, but they’ll soon realize they need to get to the point. Many people will respect you for it, even if they don’t like it. It also demonstrates your self-assurance, and as a consequence, you’ll begin to land additional business.
Exercise 9: For 30 minutes, have a ridiculous discussion.
Have you ever attempted to conduct a 30-minute discussion about anything ridiculous? It might not be easy to maintain a 30-minute talk even on a logical subject! I want you to start going out to lounges, restaurants, bars, and other public locations where you may meet strangers with whom you are unlikely to transact business. Approach strangers and start-up talks with irrelevant or ridiculous subjects. Make an effort to keep the discussion going for at least 30 minutes. End the discussion when you see the other person’s interest in it is waning and move on to the next objective. It may not be easy to endure 5 minutes at first, but you will ultimately reach the 30-minute threshold. Why are you doing this? First, it will help you improve your communication abilities. Conversation is a necessary skill in business, from engaging to catching your audience’s attention. You won’t be able to do much without it.
Exercise 10: What was she wearing, and what was she up to?
The importance of memorization cannot be overstated. How will you recall the major information if you forget the little ones? I didn’t have the finest memory as a youngster, but I can recall practically everything today. How? My pals and I have been playing a game that has shown to be beneficial. We choose random ladies every time we go out, and afterward, we quiz each other on what they are wearing and doing. We chose them because it’s harder to recall what ladies are wearing. Men frequently wear jeans and t-shirts, so you can usually predict correctly even if you’re not paying attention. Begin observing the individuals in your immediate vicinity, paying close attention to every aspect, from their attire to their movements and body language. You’ll be able to recall more information as a result of this. This activity has assisted me in remembering all of the crucial data about my organization. I don’t need to take notes or keep track of what’s essential anymore… Everything is saved in my head.
Conclusion
Many of the abilities required to thrive as an entrepreneur are lacking when you first start. So, what are your options? Rather than quitting, attempt to acquire the necessary abilities. It doesn’t have to be as tedious as reading textbooks to improve these abilities. They may be learned via enjoyable activities such as the ones listed above. Why not give these methods a try? They’ve worked for me and a handful of my friends, so why not give them a try?
Related Tags
- exercise for entrepreneurs
- why entrepreneurs should exercise
- experiential exercises in entrepreneurship
- entrepreneurship activities
- workshop ideas for entrepreneurs