We were lucky to catch up with Gina Ahtof recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gina, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I had worked in my industry for about 12 years before I decided to start my own business. I had plenty of confidence in the bank through positive reinforcement from previous employers and customers. My last boss empowered me by letting me know that I could accomplish any task no matter how large it was. That was huge for me. I really did feel like I could accomplish anything under his mentorship. But when I started my own business, it felt like I started at close to zero with confidence. I knew my job and my industry, but I certainly didn’t know how to run a business. Because of that Achilles heel, I didn’t exude much confidence. To prioritize my business, I joined a prominent networking group that had a strict attendance policy. I figured it would help me gain confidence and this is what would really get my business going. Every week I would get up and talk about my business, I started to develop more confidence because when somebody asked me a question, I could help them with the answer.
As I started gaining clients, I began to develop a little confidence and I also faked it because I didn’t know what else to do. I also spent time with other business owners who were in the same situation and we lifted each other up. It was great to be with peers who are all feeling the same way to some degree. After a few years of faking it, getting positive feedback from referral partners/clients and talking with my peer group, I started to realize that I wasn’t faking it anymore. I had confidence! Don’t get me wrong, I still feel like an imposter sometimes, but I think about my biggest achievements or I call one of my peers and it pulls me back to reality.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a swag expert! I help businesses market themselves with the right promotional products and printing. I love my job because I get to the heart of who my clients ideal customers are. I ask many questions to find out who your clients are and what they have in common so we can speak directly to them with swag. We have been spending some time lately building online/company stores for companies with remote employees who want to create a sense of team with swag. We have also been helping colleges and universities streamline their swag buying process and saving time by therefore money. You’re busy enough with what you do, let us handle the swag.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Coming off of my previous job, I had confidence in marketing, print, and promo. I knew I was solid in my industry and that I could help people because I had been doing it for a long time. It helps having some confidence and bravado to start building your business.
I am tenacious. I don’t take no for an answer. If I feel like something should be able to be done, I won’t stop until I’ve figured out a solution and a way to get it done. This has helped my customers tremendously because I’ll go to bat for them and they know it. You have to be stronger than rejection because you will hear no a lot!
I am authentically myself. Who I am networking is who I am when selling is who I am when you meet me on the street. People will help you if you they feel like you are being honest with them. When you start your business, you need a lot of help and people will see right through an act.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The Pumpkin Plan was super important in helping my business move into the next phase. I learned how to prioritize high yielding clients and developing ways to grow and adapt to new situations. It’s an easy read with so many complex ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.promoprintplus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/promoprintplus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/promoprintplus
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gahtof
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
