Is Your Business Authentic?

iStock_000007279757XSmallYou may have noticed the hullabaloo around authentic business building lately. Most businesses can’t pull it off because it’s like trying to put a suit on an ape.  No matter how sharp the suit the ape wearing it is still a monkey.

If 60-80% of your employees are unhappy in their work it’s impossible to be an authentic business without expressing authentically.  To make such a business authentic they’d have to say, “We hate our jobs but we’re here to serve you for as long as we can stand it.”

This is where we solo practitioners have a positional advantage. Since we are the business we can engage and express every aspect of business building authentically. Our edge is our individuality.

Instead of searching for a profitable franchise or a high cash flow business to buy why not discover your true calling and build a business around that calling?

What aspect of being authentic challenges you the most?  What aspect of your authenticity in action requires the most courage, focus and boldness?

Which of the following authentic business building activities challenge your genuineness?

1). Choosing to play the biggest possible game.
2). Communicating your message transparently and directly.
3). Delivering your service with an openhearted intention for the highest good of all.
4). Asking for a fee that reflects the inherent value in the service and honors all.
5). Following a marketing strategy that enthuses you because it reflects your personality and values.
6). Setting policies and operating your business in ways that make you feel clean.

By engaging your uniqueness – you are the business, so the business is as authentic as you are.  It takes a really big set to be who you are frequently and consistently but that’s the only way to be completely fulfilled and wealthy.   Authenticity is extremely attractive.

I like to call it being authentic all the way, in every way.

Regular readers know that I’ve committed to my one true path since mid August.  It’s my calling to seek out all those who want to connect their link between authenticity and abundance and help them become fulfilled and rich by expressing their true calling.  I’ll be delivering both virtual and live events to make this happen.  The first live Big Link Rally is January 2, 2010 in Pittsburgh.

So what do you find challenging about being yourself, all the way, in every way?   Choosing too small is one trap that wastes a lot of effort and good intentions.

Callings come from within.  Your link with abundance simply can’t be reconnected without the authentic expression of your boldest and biggest dream.  But discovering and expressing your true calling is much more than simply committing to a dream, business or career objective.

That’s only the beginning. Since everything counts to move you either forward or backward authentically, every aspect of your work must be chosen authentically.

You can’t fully reconnect your link between authenticity and abundance without being completely genuine at every possible turn.

This means that you must create the intention and act in ways that honor your natural preferences and personality quirks.  You must act, think and express as the once bold creator you were before toxic conditioning pushed you back inside yourself.

You must express, your most authentic idea, brought out in service to those you most want to serve, in a way that pumps you up.

Every characteristic about the expression of your true calling must be authentic to you.  The more authentic it is – the greater chance it has of being abundantly profitable and wildly fulfilling.

I offer this warning because too many folks try to compromise on their calling and then they wonder why the money doesn’t follow.  Or they wonder why it takes so much effort.

Or they seem close but don’t understand what they need to adjust.  Often it is because they have chosen a lesser dream.  They have tried to lessen the risk by being and playing smaller than their true self and that just won’t work.

But many choose a calling well and then fail to be authentic all the way in every way.

All the way, in every way, I’m doing it my way. Mantra on Big Link Rally t-shirts.

That means all expression must come from a place of deep personal preference so that it reflects your own style, personality and power.  Yep and that includes the marketing.

Spiritual solo practitioners can be very authentic in their choice of business but at the same time be very inauthentic when it comes to marketing. How can your marketing be inauthentic?

One common breach of good sense is when an authentic business owner chooses to follow a marketing system or strategy that she doesn’t really support.  When this occurs the owner’s link between authenticity and abundance remains severed since she’s fighting the very strategy she’s trying to use.

Here’s a very big clue for you.  Find your point of resistance and allow that direction to show you where you need even more authenticity.

If you’ve always resisted developing essential marketing expertise it’s silly to try and push through a campaign that you don’t believe in.

Instead look at your point of resistance and ask this question.  “How could I accomplish my objective and communicate service to my market in a way that expresses my natural enthusiasm?”

The world needs you to be you in your business.

The world needs you to deliver the very best that you can and to ask for support.   If you’ve always been challenged with self-promotion or with asking for business go back and see if you’re really following your calling.

Go within for the biggest, hairiest dream that scares the living shit right out of you and share that with a world that is waiting to make you rich.

Join me on October 15, 6:00 PM New York time for this powerful and free wake-up call:   Validating Your True Calling.   Enroll here.

Comments

  1. Hi Tom,

    You are so right about the marketing – it’s one place where we shouldn’t necessarily be stepping out of our comfort zone (at least right away).

    We can learn a lot about marketing our own business by how we, ourselves, like to be marketed to – what kind of copy we “buy into”, whether we pay more attention to word of mouth or search engine ranking, or whether we like more subtle and clever over Las Vegas style blinking lights and the threat of “buy it now or you lose” styles.

    I love your line, “Instead look at your point of resistance and ask this question. “How could I accomplish my objective and communicate service to my market in a way that expresses my natural enthusiasm?””. Perfect, just perfect! And, yes, I will be asking that all the time, from now on! 🙂

    Love and light,
    Keena
    PS I love the rallying song lyrics on the t-shirts. Cool! Can’t wait to see what they look like 🙂
    .-= Keena´s last blog ..Why do you want more money? =-.

  2. John Morlan says

    Wouldn’t we be happier and richer if we gave ourselves permission to follow our own “True North” – knowing with absolute certainty what we hold most dearly, what we value above all? Aren’t we naturally more attractive when we honor our highest values consistently? Then, because we are attuned to those values, we can readily identify others who share those values. The point where their path crosses ours (common values) is such a strong connecting point that it is easier, if not effortless, to ask for their business. “How might I best serve you, given our shared values and where you would like to go with your business and your life?”
    As you said Tom, “You must express, your most authentic idea, brought out in service to those you most want to serve, in a way that pumps you up.”
    Feels great to be pumped up and to be in the midst of experiencing my very own Big Link! Looking forward to the virtual conference on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. EDT – an appetizer, I suspect for the live Big Link rally on Jan. 2 – Thanks a million!

  3. I just got some feedback from a district that we presented our canyon at last year. We saw all of the 5th graders in this district- the kids who were taking the state test on science. ALL of the schools achieved the highest rating due to increased science scores. The district score went up by 10 points with one of the schools science score improving by 31 points. When the teachers were asked what made the difference this year on their scores, they said it was our Big Canyon Balloon presentations! How cool is that?

    Authenticity is the key to success! I’m loving developing our business in a way that is a perfect fit for me. Life is good!

  4. My biggest challenge: 2). Communicating your message transparently and directly.

    And because of that much of my other marketing has not been entirely successful.

    And I still resist my newsletter every month…

    I’m in the process of writing down my marketing practices, what has worked and where I have resistance… we’ll see where that takes me!
    .-= Stacey Shipman´s last blog ..How I Found “Work Happiness”, Finally =-.

  5. Hi Tom – I like your link between authenticity and prosperity very much. Now to go and figure out what the biggest, hairiest dream that scares the living shit right out of me is…
    .-= Robin´s last blog ..Can Limitations Be Useful? =-.

  6. Suzanne @ vAssistant Services says

    What aspect of your authenticity in action requires the most courage, focus and boldness?

    Definitely #4). Asking for a fee that reflects the inherent value in the service and honors all.

    It’s getting easier, but it still requires the most courage, focus and boldness from me.

    A major realization for me recently is just how valuable what I know (and take for granted that I know) really is to those who don’t know it. Ha! Who’da thunk it? (Until recently, not me!)

    I think that might be one of the big obstacles we have in linking our authenticity to our abundance – not recognizing how who and what we are is valuable to others, and then once recognizing it, trying to put a fee on it.

    It still seems somewhat shocking to me that everybody else doesn’t know what I know, too. So if I’m running around thinking, “There’s nothing so special about me, everybody knows this stuff…” it’s gonna be a helluva lot harder for me to ask a fee that reflects the inherent value because I’m the one not recognizing the value! Duh!
    .-= Suzanne @ vAssistant Services´s last blog ..Free Teleclass: Open Q & A – Thursday, Oct. 8, 2:30pm EST =-.

  7. Keena – Funny you should mention song lyrics. You must be thinking of Old Blue Eyes. 🙂 There will indeed be a Big Link Rally Anthem. Glad you like the authentic marketing question. It’s served me well indeed.

    John – Yes absolutely that intersection of values is a very powerful point of affinity that makes marketing conversations easy. That’s why I’m seeking to serve those who value authenticity. We speak the same language and stand for the same way of doing business.

    Robin – I bet you don’t have to look very far for that big dream! Look within – you won’t find it out there.

    Laurie – That is very cool. Life is good and it gets better when we recognize the positive effects of doing business authentically. I’m very pumped for you.

    Stacey – Be sure to ask this question. “How could I accomplish my objective and communicate service to my market in a way that expresses my natural enthusiasm?” It’s not about marketing so much but how we feel while presenting our calling. Contagious attractive marketing is powerful because of the energy more so than the strategy.

    Suzanne – Yes I think that is your biggest challenge. It’s not for everyone but certainly for a lot of us. It’s also not just what we know that they don’t but also the deliverable essence in what we know. What does what we know mean to the client’s business? What’s that worth to him or her? Charge that and some will pay, even at a premium.

  8. Kevin Doherty says

    hey Tom, Great post.. This teaching that the true path to abundance is found only through authenticity is one that we need more of in our world. There is so much cultural conditioning at work that suggests that the only way to be secure is to compromise our values.. thanks for holding a higher standard and getting people to shift to a higher way of perceiving their purpose.

    Kevin Doherty
    .-= Kevin Doherty´s last blog ..Prosperity Consciousness–Finding the Delicate Balance Between Action and Receptivity =-.

  9. Hi Tom,

    As I was reading this I could sense your enthusiasm for your new endeavor. Without marketing, you’re marketing it. I love how that works. It’s like what you said in reply to Stacey, “Contagious attractive marketing is powerful because of the energy more so than the strategy.”

    I also agree with Suzanne. Putting a value on what we know can seem daunting. Ironically in our “real” business, we don’t have a problem saying “this piece of equipment with an operator is $X.XX per hour”, but when I think of what my own time is worth online, like Suzanne, it’s tougher to put a price on it.
    .-= Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..Caution – Read At Your Own Risk =-.

  10. Kevin – Welcome. I knew we’d be singing to the same tune when I first read a post of yours. We’ll hold them to that high standard together. It’s an uplifting world revolution that has begun.

    Barbara – Thanks I appreciate you recognizing that. true calling does come equipped with more than enough enthusiasm to carry the day. I’ve had a lot of experience in raising fees. It’s important to note that when you raise your rates – do it for you. Then make sure that you deliver commensurate service. Buyers show up because their worth matches your own.

  11. Hey Tom,

    Where did you find an ape suit that fits so well? 😛

    I’m hoping that today, tomorrow and moving forward ‘business’ can evolve, to cut out the middle men, and provide value direct to the customer. Here’s hoping that freelancers, consultants and contractors lead a new surge of ‘small businesses’ were they are the one man (or women) show.
    .-= Andrew´s last blog ..You only need one idea… =-.

  12. Andrew – Welcome man. I only look slightly better than the ape. 🙂 I like your vision. The world was a more connected, genuine place when everyone did business in their own name.

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