Revisit some of this year’s best advice and head into the new year more prepared to build and grow your company.
At LIFT Labs, we convened experts in pitching, marketing, time management, and entrepreneurship to share insights with startup founders and business leaders in 2022. During their talks and workshops, they shared tips for developing relationships, cultivating skills, and building businesses.
Here are the top takeaways shared in 2022.
Admit that you’ll never master time management, so get better at procrastinating.
“Let go of trying to do something that is systematically impossible in order to free up time, energy, and attention for what really matters. Procrastination is not something to get rid of in your life. It’s something to get better at. You have to say, ‘I am focusing on these three things now, and I will move to the others later.’ It takes guts not to multitask, but this is the best way to accomplish more.”
–Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks
Networking is for everyone, even if you’re an introvert
“It’s not about going out and meeting 1,000 people. Instead, start building deeper, more genuine relationships with the contacts and networks you already have. When was the last time you went on LinkedIn and reached out to 10 people you haven’t spoken to in the past six months? That strategy of following up is where amazing opportunities come from.”
-Malla Haridat, speaker and business coach
Outstanding customer service always wins
“It is a superpower to provide great service and leave people feeling cared for and nurtured. [A nail salon owner I worked for named] Auntie Monica had some of the same clients for the last 30 years — that provided me with incredible lessons about lifetime value and customer retention. When you treat folks well and care about your operations, it shows.”
–Sherrell Dorsey, founder of The Plug and author of Upper Hand
Define your goal before every pitch meeting
“If you have no goal, there is really no strong pitch there. Each version of your pitch should be focused on a single ask of your audience. You must prioritize the most important, pressing, and/or achievable goal as you progress in your project.”
–Meghan Ross, actor, writer, and Head of Creator Success at Seed&Sparks
Keep one long to-do list and one short to-do list
“It’s a deliberate bottleneck in your system. You won’t start anything else until these important tasks are handled. It’s hard to make some things wait, but if you try to make progress on all fronts, you make progress on no fronts.”
–Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks
Build your personal brand
“It is a branded world. Have a website. Get your LinkedIn up-to-date. Have a friend do a photo shoot with you against a white background. How we show up in the world is how we are received. Are you showing the prowess of your work? Are you submitting projects to GitHub? Employers or venture capitalists want to know you can do the work and that you are a strong team player, have a great attitude, and have a can-do spirit.”
–Sherrell Dorsey, founder of The Plug and author of Upper Hand
Don’t cram everything into a pitch. Focus on building a relationship instead
“You don’t want to come on too strong or too thirsty. Nine times out of 10, a good impression will benefit you in the long run rather than just rattling off your pitch as quickly as possible.”
–Meghan Ross, actor, writer, and Head of Creator Success at Seed&Sparks
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