As business owners, we sometimes have a tendency to live in our own bubbles.
I know I do. I think I spent at least two years eating, sleeping and breathing finance. Even before that I was eating, sleeping, and breathing anything having to do with blogging.
It actually wasn’t until recently when I started purposely leaving my bubble in an effort to gain a new perspective. At first, I did it because I was sick of finance and needed to have a little fun. But now I’ve noticed how it’s actually helped me grow my business.
Here are some of the ways business owners can get out of their own bubbles to gain a new perspective and improve their businesses.
Make new friends.
One way to gain a new perspective is to make new friends. Note, I don’t mean you should ditch the old ones. I simply mean you should expand your horizons and meet new people.
This is something I’ve been doing for the last year or so as I attend meetups and different events around town. What turned into me simply wanting to meet new people has actually turned into speaking opportunities.
It’s also given me a new perspective in so far as I’m seeing the value I provide into the world. As much as I love my finance people, sometimes it feels like my work is preaching to the choir. Because of this, I tend to forget how valuable it is.
Since I’ve been expanding my horizons, I’ve gotten so much validation from people who don’t live in my little financial/business bubble. I’d forgotten the importance of what I do, and these people have reminded me.
Go to events that are the polar opposite of those in your own industry.
In the last couple of months, I’ve attended art events, food events and fashion events around town. My only purpose was to get out of my financial bubble and see how other industries roll. And you know what? I’ve actually learned a lot from them.
For example, at the art events, I learned the importance of making personal finance not just easy to understand, but also beautiful. This is going to add a new perspective to my brand. A perspective I simply couldn’t see before because I was consumed by numbers.
Additionally, my eyes have opened up to other worlds and once again I’m seeing how my work in finance not only affects other industries but is actually an integral part of them. I’ve spent years thinking the popular industries in my area simply didn’t care about finance, and I’m learning that’s not true.
Just have fun.
As business owners, we sometimes forget to have fun. We get so consumed by our work that we forget there’s a whole world out there full of experiences and adventures.
I know I’ve been guilty of this, which is why I’ve made a conscious effort to actually get out there this year – whether it be by traveling to new places or doing what I’ve already mentioned in the article.
The new perspective I gain from doing so is invaluable. For example, when I came back from a trip to Mexico earlier this year, I was reinvigorated in my business. I needed a break. I needed to have fun. And with that, came a new wellspring of creativity.
