How To Run A Heartfelt Business
If you’ve been around my business for awhile, I would hope that you know that I am centered around running a heartfelt business and helping others to do the same. I started my business with the mission to serve and love others above all else. Yes, I need to make money to pay the bills and buy diapers, but those worries are secondary to me. And thankfully, I know there are other people out there like me. There are business owners who seek and strive to serve their clients well. They aim to be heartfelt and honest in their business. They want their business to make a difference in the lives it touches and serves. This fact gives me so much joy and hope.
But, let’s talk business.
If you’re doing something you love, but aren’t making a profit, then it’s a hobby.
And if that’s what you want--perfect.
But, if you’re like me and like to put food on the table and diapers on your babies and travel on the weekends, then you need to make a profit.
Plain and simple.
So, here’s the real question: how can you run a heartfelt, compassionate, world-changing business and make a profit without feeling icky and sales-y?
In this blog post you will learn:
Why running a heartfelt business is important
How you can be heartfelt AND profitable
When to get started
And how to communicate your mission to your audience
Why is running a heartfelt business important?
I’m guessing if you’re reading this, you probably already have a pretty good idea of the reasons for running a heartfelt business. But, let’s go over them, shall we?
If you are spending hours and money and energy on building a business, but there’s not bigger or deeper meaning and/or purpose, you will get burnt out. Having a reason behind your work and a mission behind the hours you pour into your business propels you to do more and dream bigger. I would bet money that if there is no deep purpose to your business, you will quit.
Action Step: what’s your mission statement? You aren’t just selling a product or service. You’re selling a story and an improved life. What story are you telling?
If you are running business for your personal gain and success, I might guess that you will not find a lot of people willing to support your brand. If you’re YOU centered, you won’t touch the lives of others and gain their trust.
Bonus tip: building trust with your audience is the secret sauce to finding more clients/customers.
Running a heartfelt business will leave you feeling empowered and fulfilled. If you want to end a long, draining day of work feeling rejuvenated and exhilarated, then you want to run a heartfelt business. Running any business is hard, but if it’s a heartfelt business it’s worth it. You will feel tired and energized all at the same time.
How to be heartfelt AND profitable:
Connect with your audience in a way that makes them feel a PART of your business. When people feel like they are part of the story you’re writing, they are more likely to invest. You want to speak to them in a way that shows them that you’re relatable; that you get them.
Sell with heart: when it’s time for you to sell something, do so in a way that feels honest and kind. If you’re just constantly asking for people to buy something, they will get sick of it. But, if you tell a story with your product and/or service, people will listen. Explain why you made the product or created the service. Give details about how it will SERVE them.
Share your life and story: be vulnerable with your audience. Be kind and courageous and honest. Your business is more than a pretty logo and sleek website. Your business is a brand and you need to share this with your audience. This will continue to build trust so that when it’s time to sell something, your audience trusts you. They don’t question whether or not they need the product/service. When a client/customer loves you and your brand, it takes out the thoughts of questioning whether or not your product/service is needed. They want to support YOU. Bottom line.
Give away a lot before you ask for a sale. For me, this means offering a lot of educational content on my blog and monthly free downloads to my email list. What’s something you can give away to your audience?
So, when do I get started?
Um, yesterday! Jkjk. If you feel like you want to run a heartfelt business, but haven’t taken the steps to make this a reality, it’s time to make changes! There’s no better time then today to get started!
It’s time to tell your audience what you’re all about.
So now that you’re ready to make some changes to your business so you can be profitable AND heartfelt, what exactly are those changes? Glad you asked, pal. Let’s take a peek:
Wait, do you know what your business mission is? Start here. Then it’s time to find your ideal client.
Next, you need to make sure your social media platforms have the theme of being heartfelt. Are you captions on Instagram heartfelt? Do you share about your life? Do you encourage others? Take an inventory of your last nine posts and see if your captions are heartfelt. If not, try it out for your next post! This could be posting a hand-lettered quote (make sure you properly credit the artist if it’s not you!) and offer encouragement or a vulnerable story to your audience.
Now it’s time to take inventory of your website. Does your about page talk about your mission? Do you talk about WHY you started your business? It’s time to get deep and honest, girl.
Next, share your story more. Talk about your struggles and your wins. Share about your fears and what might keep you up at night. Are you keeping a facade that you have the perfect life? News flash: nobody does. So, you aren’t fooling anyone. And it’s way more freeing and fulfilling to be REAL.
At least once a month, share a post on social media about WHY you do what you do and what keeps you going every day. People need to be reminded and as you gain new followers and customers, you need to inform them!
If you want to take a deep dive into being heartfelt on Instagram, sign up for my FREE 5-day Instagram challenge: #theheartfeltgrid