Introduction: The Boys Turn One

Today, November 11, our twin boys turn one year old. <stunned silence> It’s hard to believe.

What’s not hard to believe is that I’m not really around Heart of Business much today. So if you send an email, or leave a comment on the blog, I so look forward to reading it and getting back to you after today.

For now I’m spending my boys’ birthday with the family. Have I mentioned how much I love the freedom of having a small business?

One More Thing Before the Article

It’s been amazing how the boys have grown in a year. They’ve gone from little-bitty blobs in their NICU isolettes, without strength to even cry, to walking, and eating food, and pulling stuff out of the cupboards.

Businesses (can) grow more quickly than little boys, if they have the nourishment, environment, and love that they need.

That’s why we created the year-long Opening the Moneyflow course. It’s not really a course. It’s a year-long community and environment for helping your business grow up. Your business is ready and eager to grow naturally, if it gets what it needs.

Check it out for yourself: Opening the Moneyflow Year-Long Course.

And finally, we’ve arrived at the big issue for the day:

When People Love You But Aren’t Buying

When you first get that strange feeling in your skeetle, which means, “Hey, I’m starting a business,” it usually comes with side portions of passion, awkwardness, fear, and excitement.

Shazam! You’re out of the gate, a bit wobbly, but you’re on the track. And people start to respond! They like you. They like what you’re doing. “Interesting!” people say. “Love it, I’m going to tell everyone I know on Twitter, my blog, Facebook, at the knitting club.” And they do.

In the midst of the hububb, something starts to feel odd. Strange. At first you’re puzzled. Then you’re hurt. Then you’re scared. Then you’re back to being puzzled.

Because as much as they like you and what you’re doing, hardly anyone is putting money down.

Down At Hankins Hardware Store

Before we had kids, I used to have an office supply fetish. I guess I still do. But recently a different part of my personality has snuck up on me: butchness.

I wasn’t raised to do my own home repair, but a long list of baby-proofing tasks, plus the need to move my office out of the play space and into the basement has pushed me into the world of drill bits and sandpaper, grout and screws, saw blades and IdeaPaint. I’m even planning on replacing the upstairs bathroom sink, whose porcelain is cracked due to my very own right foot.

I’ve been enjoying the heck out of it. But here’s the thing–I don’t go to Hankins Hardware to window shop. I go because I need something, like the 120 grit sandpaper to prep the basement office walls.

While 120-grit sandpaper may have it’s own brand of coolness for the right people, I’m not one of them. I just need the sandpaper, because I need a smooth wall. So when I finish writing this, I’m going to walk down there and buy me some.

Let’s Take a Look At the Instant Replay

I am trying to do something. In order to finish it, I need something. So I go get it. Not because the thing itself is cool, but because it will help me get somewhere.

The very butch, solid-looking, uber-competent hardware store clerk that I meet at the hardware store won’t try to convince me that what I really need is to build an addition on the house. Nor will she try to upsell me on some over-hyped sandpaper bonus gift pack.

Is Transformational Work Any Different?

You probably aren’t selling something as commodified as sandpaper. You’re probably offering a type of healing modality, or consulting work, a service that you provide that has a lot more “soft” in it than sandpaper. Love, transformation, that kinda stuff. Just like we do.

It’s really amazing work. I know your work is amazing, because ours is, too, and fair’s fair–we all get our own slice of amazing.

I don’t go into rapture over sandpaper. I’m kinda doubting the hardware clerk does either. But I do go into rapture over spiritual connection and healing the world of business.

And you know what the Sufis say about rapture?

Let’s Not Say “Rapture;” Let’s Say “Drunk”

It’s hard to read Rumi, Hafiz or any other Sufi poets without coming across the drunk-at-the-tavern metaphor. It’s not really about grain alcohol in a paper sack. It’s about how love makes you lose your senses, and you become totally focused on the Beloved. Nothing else matters.

It’s a beautiful state. And it’s somewhat temporary. Meaning that it is possible to integrate it into a state of inclusive awareness, aka “enlightened,” but for most of us we taste it for a moment, or a minute, or maybe even a bit longer before coming back.

While becoming enraptured by Love and the Beloved is deeply nourishing, letting that distract you into becoming enraptured with the coolness of your own work is less so. It’s all the worse because other people, raving fan clients, friends, colleagues, either in wanting to support you or in a genuine excitement about the rapture, cheer you on.

Struggle against your ego here. Let go of the focus on your work. Ask the question: What wall does your client want smooth?

It takes humility, but if you can bring your work down to the level of sandpaper, you can see it a little more clearly. It’s not cool in itself. It’s just a step forward for your client, getting them closer to where ever they want to go.

With a strong personality, or just good hostessing skills, you can attract a following on Twitter, your blog, wherever. But those folks won’t necessarily put their money down unless you’re helping them do what *they* want to do.

Figuring It Out

You may think that the hardware store has an easy time figuring out what to offer, because the projects we customers do are so, well, concrete. But I say the hard work was done before the owners chose to open a hardware store. They decided, first of all, hardware. Then they decided “neighborhood.” Then they decided “home improvement.”

They aren’t trying to do Rejuvenation Hardware, high-end glitz. They aren’t trying to do A-Boy Plumbing, focused entirely on hardware for kitchens and bathrooms.

You may or may not have thought about this before you opened your business. But if no one is buying, it’s time to take a look at what your clients are really trying to get done.

Keys to Figuring It Out

• List Top Five Client Problems

Can you list the top five problems your clients have? Good. Now throw that list out. Make a new list of five problems, only this time write in their own words. How do *they* describe, define, talk about the problem?

• Add to Them the Desired Outcomes

For each problem, can you also define the outcome they are wanting to get to? Not the outcome you want for them, but the outcome they want.

And not just the outcome, but what it will do for their lives. If they get that outcome, what happens for them? If I can make a wall smooth, roll on the primer, and paint that super-cool IdeaPaint on successfully, what happens for me?

Write it out, in their words, as they might describe it.

• Now Put a Package Together

Pull out all the stops. Gather all the different modalities, techniques, information you have, and put it in a (metaphorical) pile in front of you. And ask your heart and the heart of your business, If I wanted to help someone solve one problem and reach the associated desired outcome, what would I need to provide for them? Perhaps you’d need a little of modality A, and two shakes of information B. Topped with a little special sauce C.

Whatever it is, put it all together into a package, and offer it as a solution to problem X in order to reach Desired Outcome Y.

If people are already kinda thinking what you do is interesting or cool, or they already like you, then your business has a lot going for it. Take the next step, see and name the walls they are trying to smooth, and help them with that. I’ll bet you get a few more buyers out of the process.

p.s. We Did Just That for Our Year-Long Course

I know one big desired outcome: having your business support you. Not to be mega-rich, at least not yet. But just to have a dependable income doing what you love.

And I know the problem: too much to do, too confusing. Even if you learn something, when you try it, you struggle to figure out how to really make it work. Add to that the fact that you’re all alone trying to get it done.

So we made a big pile of everything we have and created something that will solve those problems and get you to the desired outcome.

It’s a year-long course called Opening the Moneyflow. There’s content, there’s daily feedback and support, there’s community, and there’s spiritual practice and healing.  At the end of the year, we want you to have a business you can depend on.

There are limited spots, and you do need to fill out an application. Check it out:
Opening the Moneyflow yearlong course

And if you have any questions, please ask.