For the June 2017 edition of the Indie Business Book Club, we read The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth Buelow, PCC. While the book is aimed at introverts, it is also a great book for any small business owner, solopreneurs in particular, who wants to improve their marketing, collaboration, and networking strategies. If you're not familiar with the Indie Business Book Club, you can click here for more information.
In The Introvert Entrepreneur, author and professional coach Beth Buelow shares how to harness the unique talents and gifts of introverts to build and grow a solid business. While the title of the book indicates it's for introverts only, I found just the opposite to be true. While there are some great tips for introverts in general, the book also contains marketing tips that can help all of us. Whether it's embracing the benefits of networking, improving your social media outreach, or simply learning to appreciate and leverage your personality, there is something valuable for every business owner in this book.
My Favorite Chapter
My favorite chapter of The Introvert Entrepreneur is Chapter 5: But I'm Not a Salesperson. This is the longest chapter in the book, and with good reason. Sales is the thing most small businesses dread the most, even if they are extroverted. It's that much more of a challenge for people who identify themselves as introverted. The book offers some great tips, and here are the ones that resonated most with me.
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Beth Buelow, The Introvert Entrepreneur
- You are the conduit for the message, not the message itself.
There is great freedom in realizing that you are the messenger, not the message. You are the bridge between your customer and your message, and you can put systems in place to deliver the message so you are not a barrier to it.
- You are an educator, not a sales person.
While sales is one of the most important things that must take place in your business, you can view the task through the paradigm of educating people, and by educating, influencing. “Being a teacher takes the focus off of me and puts it on my message and on the listener.”
- Think of your niche as a center flowing outward, and not as a center unto itself.
I like how the author puts this: “Think of your niche as the stone dropping into the water, creating a powerful presence; the ripples are related rings of expansion and curiosity. Each ripple encompasses a new possible market, but you're focusing your time, energy, and resources on the center.
Overall Reading Experience
I have to confess to how lame this is, but the chapters in this book are a bit long. It ws a challenge to isolate the best nuggets because there is so many in each one. I am a big reader, but I do not have a lot of introvert tendencies myself, so this may have had something to do with my personal experience. I joked with the author that the book was really a marketing book first, and an introvert entrepreneur handbook second.
Who Should Read The Introvert Entrepreneur?
Anyone who feels like their introvert nature and dislike of things like networking and social media is holding them back from stepping fully and effectively into leading their business, should read The Introvert Entrepreneur.
If you would like to step-by-step strategies to help you re-frame your approach to marketing and selling your products, this book can help you — if you put Beth's strategies into practice.
How to Join the Indie Business Book Club
Membership in the Indie Business Book Club is free, and you can join us here on Facebook.
About Beth Buelow
Beth Buelow, PCC, serves as a guide to introvert entrepreneurs who want to amplify their strengths and build sustainable, energetically aligned businesses. She is a professional coach, author, podcaster, and speaker, is based in the Pacific Northwest and serves introverts worldwide. Visit Beth's website.
Buy The Introvert Entrepreneur
Buy this and other Indie Business Book Club picks at IBN's Amazon shop.
Of course, you can also purchase the book at your favorite local book store.
Feedback and Share
Did you read along with us? What do you think of this book? How did it help you become a better entrepreneur? If you are inspired to better yourself by reading and applying the principles in this book, do join us, and feel free to share in the comments below, or share on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
