Communication is everything. It’s verbal and nonverbal and tonal. It has energy. It has a vibe. We are communicating all the time, to ourselves, about ourselves, from ourselves. It’s what brings us together. It’s what attracts us to others. It’s how we express everything that we want to express. It can be used as a force for good or as a force for evil. It’s all around us and within us, physically, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually.
The key to your success as an aligned business owner comes down to how you communicate about what you do and for whom. What will your brand look like? What vibe do you want to give out? How do you want others to feel when they look at or interact with your business? All of these questions come down to whether or not you are ready to communicate your truth in every way possible. And the way that you communicate your truth is through finding the courage, creativity and compassion to do so.
Courage
Why do we need to be courageous when growing our businesses? Because when we put ourselves out there, it’s scary. When we share our stories, we’re afraid of the response. When we show up, we’re nervous about how we might be perceived.
Brene Brown says, “Vulnerability is not a weakness; it is our greatest measure of courage.” This is a quote I remind myself regularly when I am feeling particularly vulnerable when working on my business. You see, over time, I realized that in order for me to truly stand out and make a name for myself, I had to let my uniqueness shine. I had to open up and share myself, even my stories of struggle and shame. Part of the transformation that I help others through is something that I experienced so profoundly myself. What’s brought me success is the ability to be brave and own my experience. When I took full ownership of my life and worked towards the person I was longing to be, everything changed. I connected to myself in new and deeper ways. I found meaning in places I never expected. I experience gratitude like never before.
The perception that vulnerability is a weakness is flawed. Being vulnerable is how we connect with others. It’s how we relate to each other. It’s how we tap into the deepest, even darkest, parts of ourselves and let another take a glimpse of it. Being vulnerable is the equivalent to being brave. It’s the greatest indicator of a courageous person. When you are vulnerable, you give others the permission to be vulnerable. Or look at it this way, when you’re brave, you give others the permission to be brave. How wonderful is that?
One of the most frequently asked questions I get about being courageous in business is “where do you draw the line?” And it’s a great question, because I do believe that there is such a thing as over-sharing and letting it all hang out. I have a two-part response to this. 1) I don’t believe that you should openly share anything that hasn’t fully healed within you yet. Healing means that you fully understand the lessons from the experience. And, 2) If the story is relevant to your audience and is related to whatever it is that you sell to people, then you can share as much or as little as you want.
In some of my content, I often share the story of how I struggled with burnout as a business owner, prior to my pivot into e-learning. I also share the stories of how I’ve been scared to speak up, of how I was always considered a shy child, and of how there was a time when I didn’t feel connected to the way I was marketing my business. I also share little stories that happen throughout the day – struggles of parenthood and entrepreneurship that might resonate with someone else. These are the stories that I have healed from, and they are also the stories that create resonance and relatability within my outreach.
How do you tap into the courage that is within you? Courage is something that needs to be practiced and acknowledged. More than that, it needs to be celebrated and valued. You are a courageous person.
Creativity
Why do we need to be creative when growing our businesses? Because we need to think outside the box. Because we need to stand out from the crowd. And because creativity is our soul’s expression to the world.
I often think about the book Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert when I think about creativity. I highly recommend it – it’s a wonderful book that gives you loads of new perspectives on creativity and why it is such an essential part of us. I personally believe, along with Elizabeth, that we are all innately creative. However, because of our human instincts, we can often let fear keep us from unleashing it. Or, we often let fear keep it from us altogether.
When growing a business, there are countless resources on all the steps you can take to get the word out. Many of them are even punch-list style and give you every initiative and campaign that you must have in order to make your business successful. Based on a Google search alone, you can easily find out how to create a website, how to write a blog, what social media channels to use, how to create an e-mail campaign, and more. But what you won’t find from a Google search is how to do it all with your unique brand of creativity leading the way.
And that’s why it’s so essential that we think outside of the box when it comes to marketing and promoting our businesses. What do you love to share with others? Maybe you like designing graphics. Maybe you like speaking. Maybe you like writing. Your talents are going to direct you to which mediums and platforms to use. And then, your creativity will show you how to engage with those mediums and platforms. What can you put out there that is unique and fresh and engaging? Maybe there’s a free and unique resource you can share. Maybe there’s a fresh campaign you can launch. Maybe you have some great content that will provide so much value and knowledge. Again, what we share all comes down to value, but how we share it is where our creativity shines.
This is where the things that inspire us matter. Share what is inspired. If it’s inspired, it’s relevant. If it’s inspired, someone will care. If it’s inspired, it will benefit your business. You are the brand, the “thing,” the “soul-power” behind your business. Your unique personality, experiences, interests and opinions are meant to come out in your work and in your word.
How do you reconnect with your innate creativity? You’ll identify the ways in which you can reclaim your creative force. You’ll remember what it feels like to be creative. And more importantly, you’ll realize that you are a creative person.
Compassion
No matter what you offer as a business owner, I’m going to assume that you’re doing it from a place of radical care and compassion. After all, if you’re here, you’re more than likely a heart-centered business owner. Here’s the thing about being heart-centered though. Yes, you are showing care for others, but you’re still putting your heart first. You come first.
There’s a quote from Brene Brown’s book, Daring Greatly. And it is: “Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” We all want to feel like we belong and like we matter. While we extend this feeling to others, we must remember to extend it to ourselves, first. We can’t give to another what we don’t have.
As healers of this world, it’s essential for us to bring compassion into everything we do. From what we share on social media to the experience we provide with our clients, the care that we provide matters more than anything else.
How do you show radical care to yourself and others? As a heart-centered leader, this is part of your calling: to lead with compassion.
To wrap it up…
When thinking about how you want to communicate about your business, remember to be the mapmaker and the traveler. Show others the way but don’t forget that you’re still on the journey too. Want your communication to stand out? Share the journey while also being the guiding light. Let people come along for the ride. Let them sit right next to you as you share tales from yester-years. You never know who you are impacting. Let inspiration guide ethe way, for you and others.
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