If you missed it, I was on the Bosses and Booze podcast a little while ago discussing all things life and business. Meghan even unearthed one of my pre-entrepreneurship secrets - I was a pageant queen in my youth. As we were talking about that experience, I started to think about the ways being a pageant queen paralleled to marketing and entrepreneurship.

Believe it or not, there are actually three core ways that the two connect! As a pageant queen, you're focused on selling yourself to a panel of judges in a way that highlights your greatest strengths while still honoring your weaknesses. You're trying to connect with others (hello, #misscongeniality) without losing sight of the main prize at the same time. You're also centered on perfecting your talent, whatever that might be.

As an entrepreneur, you're focused on selling your services to clients who connect with what you do on more than just a surface level. You're trying to advance #communityovercompetition without losing sales yourself. You're also centered on gaining new skills and expertise.

See? Parallels abound.

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU:

If you're struggling to figure out your marketing strategy...pretend you're competing for Miss USA (or even Mister [Insert Your County Name Here]). Outline your talent as if you were preparing to perform. Lay out your interview questions as if you're preparing to answer them Miss Congeniality style. By getting outside the standard box of marketing yourself based on a boilerplate marketing strategy, you'll be refreshed and will open yourself up to new ideas.