I want to share the three biggest lessons I learned during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic.
1. Providing value is essential.
As entrepreneurs, we often feel like we are self-made and that we are the ones making everything happen.
But without God’s grace, we are nothing. He is the one who chooses to bless us, but please don’t think it’s all just by faith.
James 2:14-26 says, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”
Now, what does that mean? It means that simply believing in God is not enough; we must take action to pursue our dreams and receive blessings and abundance actively.
Life is all about balance and priorities. During the pandemic, with churches and synagogues unable to have in-person services, some switched to virtual services. After some research to learn if any churches had podcasts, I found one that I really liked.
This church’s energy and relatable message made it a clear winner for me, but there are no losers—whoever is praising God and spreading the gospel has already won!
Keeping God first was a critical component of my success. For you, that may mean keeping some form of belief in a higher power.
As we were all impacted by Covid, we needed to have a spiritual force to believe in when it seems like the world was against us and nothing is right.
2. Providing Value comes in at a strong number two. Whenever and whatever room you enter, you must do three things: show up, show out, and provide value! That goes for bricks and mortar rooms as well as Zoom meeting rooms.
Those three things will assure you are remembered in a room with a bunch of big dogs and heavy hitters. We must be able to recognize others strengths and weaknesses, and once we do that, we should be of service and add value to them.
While in Atlanta attending a networking event, I felt that I had a lot to offer. Most of the attendees at the event were entrepreneurs, not podcasters. So, with that in mind, the smart move for me was to offer value to these entrepreneurs who did not already have a specified platform by providing them with just that—a place to tell their story and promote their brand at a time when podcasts were filling a huge void in people’s locked-down lives.
Remember, value is something you exchange. Now entrepreneurs could provide my audience and me with valuable content based on real experiences from real people. Our audience would normally have to pay for this content in a coaching session, course, or expensive mastermind class.
The moral of the story: lead with value, and all your relationships will be meaningful.
But here’s a warning– be cautious in all interactions.
