By Forward Life Network

Not too long ago a friend said to me "Understanding you is like being handed a completely solved Rubik's Cube, you're complex but simple and you want to be understood. The problem is when people try to figure you out, it's like they are taking the Rubik's Cube and twisting and turning it, which messes it up. Instead of accepting the paradox of who you are, they make assumptions about who you are, when you clearly show them."

After hearing my friend say this to me, I was astonished, in that I couldn't believe how on point that person was. In the digital age that we live in, our lives are less face to face and more prone to being a string of highly-edited snippets instead of an honest account of who we are.

Likewise, in a business we can fall into that same trap, but it's important to connect with clients in a way that builds creditability and the only way to do that is to be authentic.

5 Steps to Creating & Promoting Authenticity in your Business:

1. Find Your Reflection: If you don't know where to start, when it comes to being authentic, then take a moment and think about the businesses that you truly admire. What is it about these places, that genuinely resonates with you? It could be anything from, their quality of service, to their products, to their inspiring owners or anything in between. Make a list of these companies and then next to each company, list what it is that makes you such a fan of them. After writing out this list, you will see the qualities that you appreciate in other companies and will have a better sense for what speaks to you!

2. Cut It Out: Deciding to be authentic takes courage, because many times it means saying no to "good" ideas in favor of the "best" ideas. Don't be afraid to cut out things that truly don't reflect your vision. This can be true in any area of your business. For example, you may want to be a business that gives back to your community. However, instead of feeling pressured to give to many organizations, if you're being authentic, there may just be one or two that you feel truly passionate about. As such, you should cut out the other organizations out and just focus on making a big impact with the two.

3. Create a Culture: Culture is everything in a business, but it starts with authenticity. Think about it, both Wawa and Starbucks sell coffee, but how each does, is completely different. Look at everything within your business, and ask yourself "is this communicating to my clients, the authentic values, vision, etc that I'm trying to create?". If it does, great... keep cultivating those things, and continue to build the culture in your business. If not, it's time to take a step back and re-look at your vision for your business. Are you a Wawa who are trying to get customers through your checkout line quickly and out the door? Or are you a Starbucks and want people to hang around for hours sipping coffee, chatting about their life. Look at how you do everything, and make sure it's matching up with your end game.

4. Click with your Clique: Social media is a great platform to promote your business once you authentically know what it is you're promoting. By utilizing social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube) you can reach tens of thousands of people each day. From this reach you can connect to those who share the same ideals as you do.

5. Then turn your Clique into a Tribe: Once people have an idea of who you are, and you've gotten the word out. Now it's time to build a following. Every day people are following companies on Social Media, but the companies that create the best followings are those who have a clear message about who they are, what they sell, and why they sell. Finally, in this step, you want to go beyond just Facebook likes and actually work on solidifying your relationships. Find ways to deepen the online relationships, like having special private Facebook groups, or being conversational and listening to suggestions, and ideas from your group is another way to strengthen bonds. In the end, you want to have a tribe of people who become advocates for your business.

All in all, creating and promoting more authenticity in your business will help you to build a base of clients that are as radical about your business as you are!