Melanie Ammerman is the Co-Founder of VaVa Virtual Assistants, promoting business growth and work-life balance.
As a natural introvert, my entrepreneurial life involves an intentional approach to networking and business relationships. Throughout my career, I have learned to recognize my instinctive boundaries while also challenging myself to grow. This helps me carve out my unique space in the business world that is both true to my personality and my goals as a business owner.
Recognize Your Personal Limits
Early in my career, I didn’t quite understand the impact that prolonged social engagements had on my energy levels. After attending conferences, networking events or even some business meetings, I would find myself exhausted or in a bad mood afterward. Even though I found these aspects of entrepreneurship engaging and productive, they still wore me out. This was frustrating because I wanted to participate and give my all each time.
My nature is to be observant and reflective. I require quiet time to make decisions and to sort out my thoughts fully. By contrast, most business events involve first impressions, fast interactions and quick thinking. For introverts, these environments can get in the way of the internal rumination that we’re used to and require a surplus of cognitive and emotional energy. Like debriefing after an event, reflection needs to happen later.
Now, I know that I need downtime afterward to recharge. It’s a necessity that I expect and purposefully incorporate into my schedule. Part of recognizing my limits is communicating them to others I work with. My business partner is an extrovert, so our needs as business owners differ. Recognizing that my needs were different from hers helped us work together and compromise.
The Risk Of Neglecting Your Needs
As I gained more experience in business, I slowly became aware of the best ways to care for my needs while growing as an entrepreneur. Mapping out your needs can take some time, and your needs may also change over time as you gather more experience and confidence in business. Try to stay attuned to what you need to work at your peak while maintaining your energy levels. Know when to pull back or put yourself out there when needed.
Sometimes, you won’t know when you’re pushing yourself too far. If you stretch outside of your comfort zone for too long, you will burn out quickly. When I feel burned out or start getting overwhelmed too easily—which is par for the course for any busy entrepreneur—I know that I have started to overlook some of the basic needs of who I am. I have taken on too much at the same time or have not given myself the buffer time I need to decompress. Attending to these needs is essential for me to continue to provide value to the business and those I work with.
Embrace Social Business Obligations
Being an introverted entrepreneur does not give you a free pass to avoid professional social events! While these moments might not be the most comfortable for an introvert initially, they are absolutely necessary for building a successful business and growing a network. If you have resistance to this area of business, challenge yourself to reframe your thinking. Recognize how these events will help your business get ahead and focus on the inspiration in each new entrepreneur encounter.
Prioritize the parts of these events that you find the most comfortable. I truly enjoy putting energy into my business and my community when I’m able. And when I practice having the needed downtime built into my schedule, I succeed at doing this. Business events have given me the opportunity to meet some wonderful and inspiring people, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that without pushing myself outside my comfort zone.
Challenge Yourself Frequently
You won’t be able to grow as an entrepreneur—or as a person for that matter—without challenging yourself. As a naturally quiet and shy person, public speaking and networking always felt like a stressful part of my job, but I wanted to get better at it. I knew it would be good for my business, and I also wanted to grow as a person.
Driven to improve, I found ways to exercise and strengthen my skills, like participating in improv classes. While they were fun and goofy, they also helped me feel more confident. I learned how to stay present and think on my feet even in the most unexpected situations, and it’s a skill that I’m now able to use every day. I also make a point to handle the tasks at work that make me the most apprehensive. I volunteer to have hard conversations with clients and my team while holding my ground. I also regularly take opportunities to practice presenting and public speaking.
Each time I challenge myself in these ways, I gain more confidence and build on my expertise. It helps to remind myself to take my time. This is especially helpful when you’re nervous. It’s easy to speed through meetings and presentations, however, slowing down helps you focus. It may seem like you’re talking in slow-mo, but to the audience, you’re just being steady.
Expand Your Comfort Zone
When challenging yourself, start small. If you’re anxious about public speaking, your first step doesn’t need to be a presentation in front of a hundred people. Choose an achievable goal like speaking up in meetings, even if you just give a confirming comment. Know that when you speak up, you’re adding value to a room, not burdening it. And remember, everyone else is too caught up in their own heads to worry about anyone else. Any significant inconvenience you think you’re making is not perceptible to others. Give yourself the space that you deserve, and build on your success. The more often you do this, the easier it becomes.
By taking care of your needs and taking steps that ease you out of your comfort zone, you’ll start seeing just how positively you and your business can grow.
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