Part 3: To grow your business, get out of your own way

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 | By Patricia Drain

Secret No 3 in the series of seven secrets of top producing executive recruiters

What do I mean, get out of your own way?

If there was anything that got in the way of my own business growth, it was me.

As I have worked with other recruiting business professionals across the US I’ve found the same rang true for them.  We didn’t plan to do it, but never the less…we did!

How?

Each of us was born and raised in different parts of the US, came from different ethnic backgrounds, and we were “conditioned” to think and act a certain way.  My conditioning was, when you grow up you can be a secretary, a teacher, or a nurse.  I became a teacher.

As everyone knows income growth opportunities for teachers are very limited. so imagine my surprise when I walked into the world of sales.  I discovered I could earn as much in one quarter that I could in a year as a teacher.  I had to change my conditioning about making money.  I had to say it is ok to make a lot of money placing people in new careers.

Don’t be sucked in to this economic crunch we are in; there are still many ways to make money in our business.

Don’t forget the words of wisdom  you give away for free everyday, for instance, when you help a candidate you can’t place.    Consider starting to charge for all of your work as a career coach.    

Most importantly, don’t forget to get out of your own way of success and prosperity.

(Patricia Drain is a US-based business consultant who has built and sold four recruitment businesses.)