One of the things that I love about my business is the opportunity to work with conscious entrepreneurs. What’s a conscious entrepreneur, you ask?
A conscious entrepreneur is someone who has created a deeply meaningful business that is an extension of her or himself in pursuit of the greater good. Many of you started your businesses, side hustles, or have developed a particular expertise after having an experience that left you changed forever. The experience could have been a wake up call to change your health. It could stem from a deep desire to model being in a healthy relationship for your children. It could be wanting to see more people choose a life they love rather than an ill-fitting default life that is just “good enough.”
I took a look at the many people that I work with as well as other entrepreneurs I admire and I broke down the ideals of conscious entrepreneurs into five characteristics. How many of them can you find within yourself?
1. Conscious entrepreneurs are motivated by a strong personal mission to create change. This can be a change within themselves as well as within others. While creating cash to fund your lifestyle is important, you also want to feel good about how you chose to make your money. You are interested in creating a legacy that benefits not just you and your children, but many generations of people to come.
2. Conscious entrepreneurs understand that it is your right to be paid well for what you do. This means no more martyrs for the cause. Coming from a background of working in nonprofits, community development, and teaching in low income communities, I know all too well what it means to serve from an empty cup. I was always in constant fear of my job being cut because one grant didn’t come through. Or even when the grants were all there, it was considered noble to make do with scraps. This doesn’t have to be. When I made a decision to become an entrepreneur, I vowed that I would make my pockets a priority so that I could I truly serve from a place of overflow and not be stressed about it.
3. Conscious entrepreneurs seek to connect with like-hearted collaborative partners for the advancement of business and social change. No entrepreneur makes it to the top on their own. I and many others have achieved what they have in life and business due to mentorship and support either through paid coaching, generous conversations, creating networks, or even just reading books written by women and men they admire. How do you find these like-hearted collaborative partners? You focus on being of service to others. Your service can be as small as sharing another person’s blog posts, volunteering at an event, or even connecting people to one another.
4. Conscious entrepreneurs possess a commitment to joy through self care. Let’s face it: creating change is hard work. It requires patience with yourself as well as with the conditions within which you are trying to build your empire. Even though you may want to quit more times than you can count, you go to bed only to wake and try again the next day. This kind of relentlessness requires self care. I recently went and got an ayurvedic massage and facial. I’ve gotten massages before, but nothing like what I experienced in this ayurvedic spa. The use of soothing massage oils and invigorating essential oils creates an experience that is unmatched by any other massage I have ever experienced. You can bet that I will be in there next month and every month after that. What kind of self care do you need to renew and refresh your commitment to your joy?
5. Conscious entrepreneurs seek opportunities that expand their possibilities. We understand that perpetual learning is essential to advancement. One of my mentors (in my head), Carol Sankar, the author of The Confidence Factor for Women in Business: Strategies for Limitless Success, says she reads 1 to 2 books a day! If a woman who’s making million dollar corporate real estate investment deals has time to read at least a book a day, then I should be able to knock out AT LEAST a book a week! What are some other opportunities you can use to expand your learning? Conferences, networking events, traveling to places where people are different from you. There are loads of conventional and not so conventional ways for you learn as much as you can.
Do you identify as a conscious entrepreneur? What would you add to this list? If you have a burning message you’d like to share in a book, I want to talk to you! Sign up for a free strategy session to help you figure out what you need to help you grow your business with a book!
Halona Black
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