Wendy Harris
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 37 years of business, it’s this: you don’t need a hundred clever strategies to grow. You just need one conversation that matters.
It might be a phone call with someone who finally gets what you do.
It might be a chat at the school gates that leads to a referral.
It might be someone sending your name to someone else simply because they trust you.
And just like that, without a pitch, a funnel, or a campaign, something begins.
We often think of business growth as a grand, complicated thing. But when you strip it all back, business is built one conversation at a time.
The Right Conversation, Not More Noise
We’re surrounded by content: advice, templates, scripts. There’s pressure to show up everywhere, say all the right things, and market like a machine.
But when you focus on just one real, sincere, purposeful conversation at a time, something shifts.
Whether you’re asking a client, “What would a good result look like for you?”
Or messaging a new connection with, “Here to help whenever you need.”
Or simply being present enough to listen properly.
You’re not just making contact. You’re making it count.
Moments That Matter
I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
- At LinkedIn Local Ayrshire and Glasgow, where people who never imagined themselves as ‘networkers’ walk away with new confidence, new collaborators, and new clients.
- With business owners I coach, who learn to trust their own voice over a script and watch their results transform.
- And in the everyday exchanges that seem small but lead to the next big opportunity.
It’s not always about more. Sometimes, it’s about meaning.
What Happens When You Show Up
When I started writing this column, I wasn’t sure how my business-to-business experience would translate into something for magazine readers enjoying a quiet cuppa. But do you know what? Conversation is universal.
Whether you’re running a business, working in one, or simply navigating day-to-day life, we all want to be heard, understood, and connected.
That’s what real conversations do. They create that spark.
They remind us we’re not alone.
They open the door to something more.
A Thought to Take With You
If you’ve read any of these columns and thought, “That sounds like me,” then take this as your gentle nudge:
Start the conversation. With a client. With a colleague. With someone you admire. With someone you’ve been meaning to get back to.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be sincere.
Because that next great moment in your life or business?
It’s likely waiting on the other end of one powerful, simple conversation.
