LifeGrid Magazine May 2017 | Page 34

FEATURED ARTICLE LEAH RANDO ‘Connecting Authenticity in the World of Online Business’ I ‘VE GOT THIS” HAS BEEN MY MANTRA for as long as I can remember. Well, at least for the past few years since venturing into another career path completely foreign from where my previous journey had taken me as an education- al professional. Not sure if I was actually trying to convince myself that I was doing the right thing, or if I truly believed that my leap of faith was actually going to have a soft landing! Two and a half years down the track, I have come to the realisation that there is no soft cushion safety net for a safe landing in the network marketing industry, due to the nature of the industry itself, however, it is these complexi- ties and challenges that stimulate my enquiring and analyti- cal mind. I no longer fear what I thought I would as I know that with each new challenge comes growth. The growth of me the individual, and me the professional. Today, the networking marketing industry has become a platform for growth and individuality. Like traditional business, it too has its highs and lows, with positive and negative aspects, but the most exciting component of this platform is the various connections from all over the world that bring colour and excitement to my business, mainly LIFEGRID MAGAZINE | LIFEGRID.COM.AU through modern technology. Technology…..oh yeah! In the beginning, this was a major challenge in itself! More accurately, and if I am being totally honest, a real internal struggle! Not that I was totally technological illiterate, but I was faced with learning how to connect and build relationships within my new online world through the various forms of social media. I had the impression that in order to be successful in engag- ing with my wider audience, I had to be “Linked”, “Tweet- ed”, “Faced”, “Snapped” “Pinned”, “InstaG’d” “Webbed”, “Tubed” and “Tumbled”! Seriously? No clue! So, I had to face the honest truth and really think about what I wanted to achieve in my business, how was I going to progress, what was I comfortable with and what I wasn’t and ultimately, what client base did I want to connect with. Was I prepared to be “Tweeted”, “Pinned” or even “Snapped”? In my former life as an educational professional, connected- ness with others was never really an issue. In fact, it was a definite strength as it was always at face value; body MAY 2017