Money has never been the main reason I do what I do. I would continue building houses if that were the case.
But the “Do what you love and money will follow” approach totally failed me.
“Out of sight out of life” would be a much more accurate way to describe my situation for many years.
And I’m afraid I wasn’t the only one.
Statistics show most coaches and holistic practitioners share a similar frustration. They don’t make enough to sustain themselves and their families. (Ouch!)
As painful as it is, it makes sense: When you don’t pay attention to the income part of business, money doesn’t show up miraculously.
I understand…
We have big hearts, charging for our work feels wrong, and making money doesn’t motivate us at all.
When you feel bad for charging for your work
Of course, there is a stage in any business in which it’s completely normal to not make enough. But it can last only so long before we either run out of steam or run out of funds.
Money needs to be part of the equation of doing what we love…
…or just keep it as a hobby and save yourself a ton of stress!
So how do you make an income in a way that feels good to your heart?
I’ve seen two ways in which solopreneurs relate to making money. I call them the Fossil Fuel vs Solar Panel approach to business.
The fossil fuel approach to business
Many of us run our business like a gasoline car. For a minute, imagine yourself in the driver’s seat. What do you pay attention to while you drive?
The road, of course. And then…
Do you pay attention to your speed? to the engine’s temperature? the fuel level?
If you are like me, you’ll mostly keep an eye on your speed, and will take a quick glance at the other from time to time.
You won’t care much about your fuel level unless it’s getting low. And that’s when it becomes your priority.
True?
Many run their business exactly like that.
They ignore the money part till they almost run out of it. And then it becomes an urgent need.
This puts a lot of pressure on the business owner, who then feels tempted to use whatever marketing tactics promise to make some income soon.
With your car, you wouldn’t wait to refill your gas tank till it’s empty, would you?
Then, why would we do it with our own business?
You don’t want to put yourself in that situation. It’s not a good place to make wise decisions, those that come from the heart. Moreover, fear will be coloring your choices and you’ll be more prone to fall victim to manipulative tactics or feel tempted to use them yourself.
There is another way, though.
A sustainable (and soulful) way to make an income
Wouldn’t it be great to have a car that recharges its batteries while driving it?
It would have to be a different type of car, I know, with a new design that used electricity instead of gas and maybe fed by solar panels.
Wouldn’t it be great if it would recharge by itself while you were happily driving it?
Sounds great to me! And a lot more sustainable.
Likewise, you can make money as a byproduct of running your business if you design it like that. Design your business model in such a way that you make money with the activities you enjoy doing.
Ideas into Action:
First, make peace with the idea of making money. Dissolve any inner frictions you might have around that, or you’ll end up sabotaging most of your efforts.
Second, give some thought to your business model. See how you can offer services and products in a way that feels natural and flows effortlessly from your shared content. Maybe looking at money as a measure of how well you are serving your clients’ needs.
Additional resources (Free) :
Need a bit of help clarifying your business model? Here is a great article by my business mentor George Kao, with whom I share the values of authenticity in business: .
You can read it here: Simple Model for Authentic Businesses
And if you need to shift your money mindset, here is the interview I did with Liesel Teversham where she shared a powerful tool you can use to release your resistance to charging for your work .
Enjoy!
To your Purpose, Prosperity and Inner Peace
Charo