It’s just amazing how the Lizard Brain can sneak up on us and sabotage us. I did it to myself the other day, in spades. It was a serious learning experience for me, and I hope it will be useful to you, too.

I thought I was prepared for the Company of Women‘s Women in Business trade show. I rented a table, I got a friend to come and help. I brought all my beautiful bottles and arranged them nicely on the table, including several unopened ones for sale on the spot. Then I discovered what I hadn’t brought.

My order forms.

I knew exactly where they were. I truly do not know why they didn’t make it into my bags, when I brought everything else I could think of (I even cut up little pieces of construction paper for people who might not have a business card on them for my draw). I had my Square ready to plug into my phone so I could take credit card payments. I had my receipt book on the table for anyone who wanted to pay by cash or cheque.

Ah well, said my resourceful brain. I went to the BlackBox website on my phone and wrote down all the appropriate prices on a piece of paper. Not as impressive or convenient as order forms, but it would do. Then I put the piece of paper down on the back of the table, away from the bottles.

For two and a half hours, I stood in front of the table. I chatted with lovely ladies and explained everything to them about my wonderful product. I did not ask a single one of them to buy anything. I did not show them my price list, I did not even tell them that the unopened bottles were for sale. I did ask them for their cards and permission to add them to my mailing list, so I could draw a name and give somebody some product for free. But I did not ask a single person to give me money.

I had a wonderful time talking with women who have small businesses in this province, including a couple of networkers whose product I could see myself getting involved with. I bought a bag of tea from the lovely young woman behind the Epicure table.

All in all, this wonderful networking experience cost me about $100. It’s unlikely I could have recouped that in sales on the spot, and it’s quite possible I will get some sales from the connections that I made.

But I am still racking my brain trying to understand why I was so resistant to actually selling anything to anybody there that night. I had everything I needed (well, I didn’t have the forms, but I could have done without them). I just didn’t do it.

I keep thinking that I’m making progress in my transformation from academic to entrepreneur, when the Lizard Brain pulls this kind of trick on me. I really need to work on my money issues, it would appear. Maybe that will be the impetus to start blogging again. Would you like to follow me on that journey, would it be helpful to you?

Let me know! I need to know that I am being helpful to somebody … I think that’s the only way I’m ever going to be comfortable asking for money. How about you, does that ring any bells?