Selling vs Providing

I am a member of a business development group. We meet each month, and the facilitator asks us challenging questions about being in business, enabling us to grow and thrive. 

It’s taken a long time for me to realise I am in business. I love what I do, and it benefits so many people that it’s difficult for me to attach the word business to it, especially as I see business as a money-making vehicle. 

However, as I am in business, and a key aspect of it is selling.

For me, the word selling conjures up images of door-to-door salesmen with their briefcases or call centre workers. Lifeless people with only targets to meet. I do not like this type of selling, as it often involves pressure tactics and persuasion. In a previous lifetime, I made and sold my own jewellery. I enjoyed the creativity, but I was ridiculously bad at selling, as I do not feel comfortable with the hard sell. 

 What am I selling now?

I’m selling myself. I am the product; my skills and experience are what I offer for sale. 

I can list what I do: I primarily teach English and maths skills to neurodivergent children and young people, using these subjects as a vehicle to develop their executive functioning and emotional regulation skills, and to learn about how their brains work and strategies to support them. 

Maya Angelou said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel".

I live by this. So, where do emotions come into play in what I do?

I sat and thought about my students and their families, as well as their experiences and words. This is what I came up with. Let me know your thoughts.

I provide children and young people with an understanding of self through education about neurodiversity. This understanding leads to feelings of safety and happiness, allowing a child or young person to learn effectively. This ability to learn fosters confidence and higher self-esteem, enabling individuals to continue learning and thriving.