A few weeks ago I hosted an invite-only event for leaders of mission-driven transformational businesses – the Conscious Business Playground. Some of the most successful and brilliant people on the planet were in attendance, and that made it a truly eye-opening and remarkable experience. I learned a lot and wanted to share some of my juiciest take-aways with you today.
1. No matter how successful you are, there is more to learn and there’s more to grow into. We often think that success is a destination, but it’s really just a pathway to continually becoming more of who we are meant to be. Success won’t make us happy, so we might as well make the pathway to success be joyful.
2. Sleazy marketing and pressure sale practices are universally despised yet they are unfortunately the norm in the marketplace. The reason why so many business owners practice them is that they work. Here’s the antidote: when you put your potential clients first, when you respect them, and when you treat them like you would want to be treated – you feel good, your potential clients feel good and your income grows at the same time. Here’s to sleaze-busting…
3. We all wear masks that hide who we really are. Success can be worn just like any other mask. So can our guru or expert status. So no matter what stage of business you’re in, unmasking and allowing others, including your audience to see you who you truly are is never easy BUT is the only way to go.
4. Very few business owners like you truly measure and track the success of their clients. They simply don’t look at the metrics and statistics of the results they provide. Are we truly delivering on what we are promising with our service? Tracking results is the only way to truly know. And it’s a scary thing to find out that perhaps our service isn’t as good at delivering results as we think.
5. We all manipulate. Since we were babies, we have manipulated to get what we want. Now as adult business owners, it is our responsibility to be conscious of how we may be participating in manipulative business practices. Here’s what my partner, Patrick Dominguez says about it: “Truth is, we all manipulate (i.e influence others for our own gain) all the time. Doing it from service, positive intention for the others, kindness, and transparency is the ultimate pathway.” Amen to that!
6. In order for change to occur, we all need space in our lives. If we don’t have space for transformation and we don’t have space for whatever it is we’re want to create, things will continue to stay the same. Create more space in your life for reflection, for assessing, for evaluation, and for calibrating our course.
7. Fun is way undervalued. The more fun you have in your life, the better your life is and the more success you will create. Now if you can add fun directly into your business and directly into you work with clients, that can only add to our enjoyment of our business. What’s the point of being in business if we aren’t enjoying it.
These are just a few of my take-aways…. Stay tuned for more (including some amazing materials that the Conscious Business participants are creating as our gift to the world). Can’t wait to share it with you.
Please reply below with your thoughts!
Warmly,
Bill
P.S. I’d love to know which of the 7 take-aways was your favorite. Let me know below. It will only take a second or two.
#1. Might as well!
Yes and Amen! I agree too that we all manipulate (according to the standard definition of the term). And that the intention behind it is what makes the difference. My desire is to see my clients thrive as called and confident messengers. The more messengers we have – the more lives we can change.
Patrick and Bill – I’d love to know how to be invited to the next event or join the community where I can connect with other conscious entrepreneurs.
Thank you Bill and Patrick for creating this field so we can collectively explore what it means to be a conscious business owner. The journey has been uncomfortably vulnerable, joyful and fulfilling, scary-all of it. It is calling forth in me an new level of trust. Love what you wrote here Bill. Sounds like the CB Manifesto is on its way. xo
#4 tracking client success
Bill and co.: Thank you, thank you, thank you!! What a great feeling to be reminded that we (as leaders) are all in this together. Here is a Snowism: ” A real leader displays her vulnerability.” The old paradigm of coming across as “knowing it all” still plays in my head and sometimes I forget to display my vulnerable side. Hooray for revealing our “weak” sides. Autumn Blazes from, Snow Thorner
Amen to transparency and kindness! Treating clients and prospective clients with dignity and respect, just as we’d like to be treated is the way to really rock it.
I love your saying “Fun is way undervalued. The more fun you have in your life, the better your life is and the more success you will create. ” I just began a new folder for quotes for my biz, and yours is the first! Thanks! Wish I’d been there with you all! :+D
#6 definitely resonated the most with me. (In fact, most of them are not part of my life, thank goodness!). I enjoy my life very much but don’t have time left over to make space for transformation. Yet it must be done — thanks for the reminder/scolding! Karen
Hi Bill, I Love ALL of these insights! Especially the one about removing the masks/identities, so that you can be Present as the You that you are now. Instead of a status/identity. Love it all! And treating clients with the utmost integrity is IT! Working energy and doing everything one can in their business from the place of impeccable integrity, truly does make all the difference! Thank you! Would Love to know more about how you track your client’s success with one’s work!
With much gratitude and Joy, Veronica
Hi Bill,
As always, great stuff!
I totally agree with Patrick on #5. Studies show that even babies try to manipulate/control things in the crib. If they push a button and that causes a mobile to move then they feel good about that and will do it more. The bottom line is we are programmed both spiritually and physically to WANT TO HAVE INFLUENCE OVER OUR ENVIRONMENT. The only difference is WHY we want it. To serve others fully and to express our highest potential are two really good reasons to cultivate positive influence “over” others.
You are a stellar example of using influence in it’s most positive way. Thanks for all you do!
Love and blessings, Vicki Howie of chakraboosters
1.We think success it destination, but it’s really a pathway to becoming.
2.antidote…Put client first, respect them,treat them as I like to be treated, I feel good, client feels good and income grows at the same time.
3…..unmasking and allowing others to see who I truly am, it is the only way to go.
Fun! I agree with this totally and might add that we are wired to experience pleasure and pure joy. Thanks for sharing.
Amen to that!