A Formula for Success: Always Stay a Student

Back in the day, when a young college graduate would be interviewing for an entry-level job with a big corporation, a favorite question from an interviewer would often be: “Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?”

If the young grad was feeling confident, the interviewer might hear, “I see myself behind your desk.” Now, the interviewer could either appreciate the moxie and hire the grad on the spot, or recoil at the brashness and show the youngster the door. 

Sure, building a successful business takes experience and planning, of course, but it also takes a bit of that young grad’s moxie. And if we’ve learned anything while navigating through a pandemic, it’s this: Things change. You need to have the nerve and self-confidence to change with them while keeping your eye on the larger goal. 

Always stay a student

One of my mother’s favorite sayings is “Always stay a student.” It’s so important for all of us to keep our eyes, ears, and minds open to new ideas and ways to grow our businesses. In fact, as technology has evolved over the last few years, even the last few months, staying a student about how we can communicate better has been vital for my teams at Pure Romance.

Here’s a great example: Less than two years ago, you probably didn’t know what Zoom was. Now, you’re probably using it daily for business meetings, happy hours, even wine tastings and cooking demos. You may not have been comfortable with the format at first—how to navigate all those screens, knowing when to mute yourself, and more—but you figured it out. You stepped out of your comfort zone to find a way to keep going. 

Zoom, and related technologies, have helped our sales consultants keep their sales booming while they remain focused on their primary goal: a successful business.

And even now, as we return to in-home parties, the Zoom virtual parties will never go away. In reality, Zoom has become an essential tool for our consultants to grow and serve their customers. By necessity—and by staying a student—people have come up with better and more efficient ways to do their jobs! 

Keep your long-term goals in focus

Don’t forget though: As you grow your business, it’s so important to keep your long-term goals in focus, like that college grad eyeing a future role behind a sleek corporate desk. The key is to use day-to-day, short-term goals to create a pathway to get you there.

Don’t be discouraged if these short-term goals take time. You might not reach the corporate level you wanted by age 30, but that doesn’t mean you won’t reach it at age 31. Look around to see who got the promotion or landed a new deal; look at how they handle their business opportunities. Be a student and learn from others’ success.

This guest post was authored by Chris Cicchinelli

Chris is the CEO of Cincinnati-based Pure Romance, LLC, where he leads business development, operations, sales, and marketing for more than 40,000 Pure Romance ambassadors worldwide. He’s the author of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller The Secret Is YOU: How I Empowered 250,000 Women to Find Their Passion and Change Their Lives. Learn more at secretisyou.com.