Length: 22 paragraphs- less than 4 minutes.
Hello,
I'm always talking about being generous in business, but how can you be generous when you also need to be paid? For most of us who really want to make a difference in the world, it's a hard line to draw. Your business is meant to help people, and when people need help, how do you know when to charge, when to discount, and when to give for free?
I've struggled with this myself. I used to be a 24-hour-a-day rescuer- as a paramedic, as a social activist, as the director of a non-profit. I gave a lot, and there was a lot that was needed. But, I ended up exhausted and burnt-out.
When I went back into business, I leaned the other direction. I tried to get money, earn money, make money. Neither the all-out giving nor the 100% focus on money was sustainable. The first left me feeling burnt out physically. The second left me burnt out spiritually.
It's clear that you need to have a balance. It's finding the balance that can put you to the test. In establishing that balance, there are three questions you need to ask yourself.
1) Can you give? Meaning, can your business afford it?
2) How much can you give? Meaning, if you can afford it, what
feels like the right amount?
3) Who do you give to? Meaning, which people are the right ones?
You absolutely must answer the first question first. Businesses don't get to be in business for very long if they don't make a profit. Don't let your business go this route.
In nearly all faiths when they talk about tithing or charity, you only give if you have it to give. So, take a strict accounting of your business, and see if you have it to give. (Money isn't the only healthy input for a business. See March 11, The Triple Bottom Line. Opens new window.)
Once you know if you can give, you will probably also have a good idea of how much. I have a certain number of barter and free slots in my business. When they are full, it takes an extraordinary situation and a very deliberate choice on my part to give more. For instance, when a friend whose husband had died unexpectedly, and she was facing financial challenges. Free session, no hesitation on my part.
You will make answering the third question much easier on yourself once the first two questions are answered. One, because you will have thought about it, instead of being caught unprepared in a sticky emotional situation. Two, knowing your resources are limited will help you, and who you give to, value what you give.
So, how do you choose who to give to? Let me give you an example of a recent time I gave for free in my business.
Someone wrote me after making contact with my website, and doing the Remembrance Challenge, and told me about her business. She had discovered some insights on how to make small organic family farms profitable here in the U.S.
I happen to believe that small organic family farms are an extremely important link in our economy, in our food chain, and in our environment. I wanted to see her succeed for everyone’s benefit.
Like many of us, she was paralyzed by fear and indecision, and had spent herself down to bare bones after two years of wanting to get her farm marketing consultancy going. In my heart, I knew it was right to offer her help without charging her.
Based on what she told me, and the feeling I had in my own heart, she had paid the price of admission directly to the Source. I was just doing my part and delivering the goods. She didn't ask, but I offered.
If you give too much away, then you are too depleted to give generously and properly when it really is time to give, as in this case. On the other hand, if you are 'cash always all the time' then you miss the wonderful feeling in your heart that comes when you play your part in the flow.
Because of the help I’ve received, often unasked or unlooked-for, I’ve been blessed to be able to do the same thing for others. It's not charity. I’m part of the Divine Delivery Fulfillment Team.
Yet, to do this with integrity, I have to pay very close attention to my own heart, and trust myself when I get the signal “Don’t give here, it’s not right.” even if I feel I "should."
Specifics on setting up guidelines, in Keys to Everybody Pays, below.
Keys to Everybody Pays:
• Sometimes giving when you are empty is actually a great help to your marketing, if that's your intention. Giving away your services or products, particularly when you are starting out, can help establish your reputation and visibility. Even in this case, only give when it feels right to give, and in a deliberate plan.
For instance, if you provide a professional service in sessions, pick a certain number to give away per week, and look for opportunities to gift people who impact you, instead of giving them out randomly to anyone. A "gift" session holds a lot more value than a "sample" session, and you will both feel better about the exchange.
• Don't force it. If you don't feel like giving, trust yourself. Saying "No" to someone can be as easy as, "That doesn't feel right for me right now." Or you can say, if it's true, "I have no barter or free slots available right now."
• Remember that giving is not a technique. There are many promises in the world that "as you give so shall you receive." While this is true, remember to check in with your heart that the giving is real, and not simply an unconscious way to try to manipulate Source into giving back to you. Real giving is rewarded, and your heart can guide you in that.
However, it is true that when you give freely from your heart, you are supported in your giving. Only your heart can tell you if you are truly giving or not.
the best to you and your business,
Mark