Are the borders in your mind or in your business?

After being in business for more thanfifteen years, I have learned a lot about what works. I have also had lots of those “what doesn’t work” reality check learnings too.

One observation I have made over the years, and a hurdle I had to cross myself, is thinking too small. When I had two businesses (training, mediation and employment services), a team of 10+ staff, two brick and mortar office locations I was content. The challenge with content is that it doesn’t push you to think beyond the borders. My business was local. We serviced local corporate clients and local community residents. That may be the case for you too. Now, technology allows you to remove the borders of being local.

For example, one of my team members (my speaker manager) lives in California. Our publicist is from Florida, and I have never met her, but, she is phenomenal. Many of the freelancers we contract live in other parts of the world. And technology allows us to connect with and do business beyond our original business borders. When I lead tele-classes and webinars the audience is from all over the world.

At a recent networking meeting one of the participants said “I am a massage therapist, I can't just jump a plane to do a treatment in the US” and the lady next to her said “no, that wouldn’t be a good use of time or business capital however, you could write ebooks or do teleclasses on health, lifestyle or massage and be accessible as the expert around the world.” I could see the excitement building. Her pen scribbled wildly across her note pad as she dumped idea, after idea, after idea about how she could be “global.”

"Nothing limits achievement like small thinking; nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination." - William Arthur Ward

What are the ways that you can offer your product, service or expertise on a global level?

Are the borders in your mind, or in your business?