To be featured in prominent media is the dream of many business owners.
And you might think it’s difficult.
Well… what if I told you I managed to be featured in one of Vancouver’s most prominent business magazines with the help of a turkey sandwich?
I know. I know.
It sounds ridiculous.
But as you’ll soon find out, there’s a few lessons to be learnt from my experience, especially when it comes to getting more exposure for your business.
Breaking The Ice… With A Sandwich
About a month ago, I was at an event with Chip Wilson – the founder of 20 billion-dollar brand Lululemon Athletica.
He spoke about the importance of staying authentic, speaking your truth and not letting yourself be boxed into a world where you’re afraid to share how you really feel and put yourself out there. Needless to say, I completely resonated with his message.
After the event, a few people stayed behind to mingle.
And during this time, sandwiches were brought out and served as part of catering.
I grab myself a turkey sandwich, and I think to myself “Where do I go? Should I sit in one of these empty seats?”
But then I look around the room and see a few high-top tables. I spot a gentleman standing at a high-top table by himself and decide “You know, I should talk to him. Just to say hi or something.”
So I start walking towards this guy, and all these doubts start coming up, like
- “Why are you approaching him?”
- “What are you going to say?”
- “You should just sit by yourself.”
- “Maybe he’s just waiting for his wife to come back.”
- “Maybe he doesn’t want to be bothered.”
Luckily, I’ve developed the habit of moving past these fears. I immediately tell myself “You know what? I’m just going to say hi. What’s the worst that can happen?”
I see him holding a sandwich, and not knowing any better, the first thing I say to him is “Hey how’s the sandwich? What did you get?”
He tells me he got roast beef. I tell him I got turkey.
He introduces himself as Nick, and we then proceed to chat about sandwiches. Nothing big.
Sandwiched Between Two Exposure Opportunities
As we progress however, we start building rapport through our shared enthusiasm and ispiration from the key points we received from Chip’s talk.
At this point, another gentleman by the name of Will Chen joins our conversation and immediately picks up on our enthusiasm. We continue connecting as a group on the main takeaways from the talk.
Fast forward to the end of our group conversation, Will gives me his card and suggests that I appear on his YouTube / podcast show as a guest (Will does custom tailored suits for men at Garrison Bespoke), and Nick hands me his card too.
I look at Nick’s card.
“You’ve got to be kidding me”, I think to myself.
See, I’d been working with a PR team to try to get some exposure in business magazines for quite some time, so I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to find out that Nick was in fact the Editor-In-Chief for BC Business, a prominent business magazine here in Vancouver.
As soon as I get home, I contact my PR professional Baila Lazarus about this. She tells me “Well, there’s no point going through the other route of trying to submit articles. Just reach out to him personally. If he likes who you are and what you stood for, then just ask him.”
And so I did.
And I’m fortunate that things worked out and my guest article was featured.
The 4 Takeaway Lessons
There are 4 key takeaways from this experience that I’d like you to learn from this story:
1. Realise the importance of putting yourself in the right environment.
By putting yourself in the right environment, you greatly increase your odds for opportunities to appear.
2. Ensure you take action.
Having opportunities is one thing, but having the courage to take action and put yourself out there to seize those opportunities is another. It’s important to continue acting despite the doubts and fears that come up in your mind.
3. We’re all human
No matter who it is that you’re speaking with, just remember that at the end of the day we’re all humans. You don’t need the perfect conversation starter. Just something you can talk about and connect over – even something as simple (or silly) as a sandwich.
4. Get to know people without underlying intention
I didn’t know Nick was the editor-in-chief of BC Business. I simply decided to speak to someone in an authentic manner and speak my truth. We then connected, I grabbed his card and I eventually got featured.
Opportunities are abundant.
They exist everywhere, everyday.
But often they’re hidden beneath a veneer of fear.
The one thing to remember is it’s not about the result. It’s about the actions and constantly having the courage to put yourself out there.
So if there’s just one tip you take away from this entire post, it’s to take action.
Because action is what will create the confidence you need to show up bigger in this world.
Lucas Mattiello
Level Up Living
P.S. If you’d like to build your confidence rapidly, and you’d like a mentor like myself in your corner to guide you to becoming the most confident version of yourself, visit www.levelupliving.com/apply and fill in the application form for my 3-day ‘Speak With Confidence’ program.
We’ll jump on a call with you, and determine if we’re a good fit for each other. And if we are, this could be the best decision you’ve made for your business.