“You’re the Central Nervous System of your business. Your Business Should Radiate Your Purpose”

Want to know the real secret to running a successful business?

You’re the secret! So many entrepreneurs think that if they just learn the basics of business, they’ll be able to wing it. But here’s the thing: you have to have strong business foundations, but you also have to be ready and prepared yourself. This is especially true for first-generation entrepreneurs, as well as women entrepreneurs.

We tend to invest so much financially and energetically in our businesses and barely spend any time investing and pouring into ourselves. But here’s the truth: if you’re not healthy, if you don’t take care of yourself, then your business won’t ever be healthy either. You are the core; you are the central nervous system of your business.

Mindset Training is not Enough…

You’ve been told to be a visionary, think big, dream bigger. You’ve read the books and completed the courses; you’re doing the mindsets, mantras, and meditations, yet something isn’t adding up. You’re not reaching that next level of success that you SHOULD be by now, but why? It’s because all of this mindset training is great and even necessary, but it doesn’t get deep enough. Without an understanding of how the human brain and body work together “success mindset” won’t ever be enough to help you succeed in your business.

You can never out-think your body. The way you think affects how your brain works AND how your body feels. Your thoughts affect your neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) which in turn affect your hormones which then affect your physical health. You are a brain-body system, not a machine running on autopilot. What does this mean for entrepreneurs? It means that overworking in a capitalistic environment pushed you into entrepreneurship.  Don’t continue to work in the same manner that caused you to start your business!

Define Your Path

Stepping into entrepreneurship is your opportunity to create your own work schedule, live life on your own terms. You might feel like you have a million ideas about what you want to do next … and that’s great! But before you can launch anything, you MUST have a clear plan that’s rooted in your WHY.

What’s your calling? What’s your purpose? What are you passionate about? It should EXCITE you! Your business should be dripping in your why. Does your business have your essence? Does it amplify your message and delivery that only you can offer? If your answer is ‘I don’t know’, you have to focus on getting clear here before doing anything else. If it doesn’t, you have more exploring to do.

Once you get crystal clear with your why? then you can set a clear goal around HOW you want your business to grow and how that aligns with your purpose and calling.  Ask yourself, can anyone else do what I’m doing? HOW is my approach different? What do I love about my business and am I sharing that with others?

It takes a TEAM to turn your Calling to a Reality

When I opened my private practice, all the therapists in Sacramento were white women, so I knew I would be the only Black Owned Therapy Practice in Sacramento. I wanted to deliver services that were culturally sensitive and accessible to BIPOC. My WHY was because I wanted to intentionally reach out to families who weren’t receiving the support they needed. I had seen and heard too many times that Black and Brown boys & girls were not getting therapy in schools, and as an employee, I was limited in how I could help.

Goal #1 – Make sure therapists and team are culturally sensitive and compassionate. I embedded this in my interview process, and onboarding.

Goal #2 – 1:1 therapy was meaningful but wouldn’t be enough to make an impact on changing the current dynamics of therapy and accessibility to BIPOC families. So I made an intentional effort to do speaking engagements to advocate for kids with special needs at schools, universities before therapists graduated and at conferences with teachers who were interested and proactive.

To execute these goals, I surrendered to KNOWING I could not do this by myself. While I would be the driver, breathing life into my vision, and clearly articulating to employees, contractors, and clients the therapy services I offered, I KNEW it would require me consulting with others and creating relationships with others. I had to create a system to push past my personal fears and a system for my business, both ensuring the livelihood of my practice, this calling that was coming to life. My team consisted of a therapist, an OT mentor, and 2 business coaches from SCORE.

Conclusion

Simplicity, Efficiency, and Self Fulfilment; are three central tenants that can be applied to all areas of life. When you embrace your business as an extension of yourself and maintain a clear plan to support that vision, you will inevitably achieve the right results. Having clarity at the outset is paramount, so make sure that you spend the appropriate amount of time to explore the possibilities and assess what makes sense for you. Then, follow through with action. Being organized, focused, and steadfast can get you far in your exploration into entrepreneurship. Most importantly, don’t let your business overwhelm you. Your business is only part of what makes you a whole being. The day-to-day running of your business should become familiar and not feel like a giant mountain to climb or an epic journey that you can’t even figure out how to begin.

If you need personal guidance on HOW to do this, Schedule a Complimentary consultation session to get clarity on where you’re stuck!