Earlier this year I went on over 100 coffee dates in 100 days with 100 entrepreneurs from around the world. It was definitely one of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had in my life and it has definitely impacted me and my business on so many levels.

From listening to the stories of others I was able to find clarity and began taking action to create Bloom: The Creative Membership.

While I have pages and pages and spreadsheets on all the things I’ve learned, I wanted to share 3 of the biggest insights on my coffee dates.

The most profound things I learned on my 100 business dates journey

1. I observed that the people I met who were in the middle of or far into their careers that were very successful all had 1 thing in common: they worked mostly in their zone of genius and the business they built revolved around a skillset that came naturally to them.

• By tapping into their natural skillset, these entrepreneurs were able to work way more efficiently because they were putting their energy into something that came effortlessly to them. Building a business that revolved around what lit them up and was easy for them to share time and time again is what I saw to be a marker of success and longevity.

2. Every conversation became a mirror as I changed and refined how I introduced myself and shared my story

• On an unconscious level, I hadn’t realized the changes I was undergoing until they manifested in the moment. For example, I had attached my identity to much to being a photographer and I would always introduce myself as a commercial photographer. Somewhere along the way my language changed. I’d introduce myself and then say I owned a photography business. The change in language signified an identity shift and was something worth exploring over the 100 business dates challenge

3. I was unconsciously delaying my own progress

• For the past few years I’ve had the idea of creating something like Bloom in the back of my mind. Going on the coffee dates accelerated my decision making. I was having multiple conversations a day and what would’ve probably taken another 2 years to make my decision ended up taking me 2.5 months before I started to act.
• I had no expectations going into the coffee date journey, but it really showed me how much I was holding myself back because of all these invisible expectations I had placed on myself. I’m still working through them now, but I’m eternally grateful for betting on myself and going on a self discovery journey that shined the light on the important things.

4. BONUS: The 100 Business Dates taught me how to receive

• We’re taught early on in life to deflect. To deflect praise, compliments, help, energy, etc. The coffee dates taught me to receive instead of reject. I received so much information over the course of 100 days. Being able to listen to every conversation with a beginner mindset and be grateful for every lesson allowed me to expand my capacity for receiving.
  
  I used to deflect any praise for my photography work or articles I wrote. Now? I’ve learned to say thank you and graciously accept them.

So where do I go from here?

I’ve spent the summer cracking Bloom open and re-examining the fledgling business I launched in June. It’s been an eye opening journey of trying to figure out the context of this next iteration of business. And I won’t lie — it hasn’t been easy at times.

Bloom: The Creative Membership is an online space for diverse creatives who want to be in community with other like minded entrepreneurs. In Bloom, my focus is to help you reclaim your confidence to show up more authentically in life and business, and help you take action to get to where you want to go.

To learn more about Bloom, click the link here. We’d love for you to join if it’s the right fit.