Defining “how can I help?”

“Let me know how I can help.” I say this all the time, most recently as I started my Lagniappe Project. I’m sincere in my offer, so why doesn’t everyone take me up on it? Some are afraid of taking advantage, others are unsure of what they need, but I’m finding that many simply don’t know what my skills are — what makes me helpful.

That’s on me to define. When I say “how can I help?”, I am making an open ended offer without clear guidelines. I can do better than that. Instead, I can offer to help with your marketing plan, read your book draft, or walk your dog. I can make it easy and guilt-free to say yes.

If we don’t know each other yet, I want to make it easy for you too. Here is a short list of things I’ve helped with lately:

• Advice on starting a company.
• Advice on shutting down a company.
• Drafting a speech.
• Restaurant or book recommendations.
• Last minute childcare or pet sitting.
• Brand story and PR strategy.
• Career coaching and advice.
• Selecting and hanging artwork.
• Helping declutter and organize.
• Read a draft of your book.

What can I do to help you?