Break all the Business Rules...and Thrive?
Calling all Female Founders and Mindful Leaders: The rules don't apply for you because they were never meant to. You're a trailblazing change-maker who believes business is a vehicle for powerful good and world-changing ideas. Break the Business Rules to Thrive and join me in doing Business as Unusual | Kellie Adkins, Holistic Business Coach
The “Rules” of business-as-usual say…
Work long hours
Hustle harder than everyone
Be everywhere on the internet
Market with sleazy high pressure tactics
Launch shoddy programs …
Then upsell when they don’t deliver results (cue the “from 6-to-7 figures expert advice”)
Sacrifice your talents to “prove your worth”
Undercharge for your services to “stay competitive”
Undercharge because you’re a woman/minority/neurodivergent in business
I don’t want to live (or run my business by) those rules anymore.
There are more important things to prioritize than hustle culture.
Democracy is being threatened around the world.
AI is coming for our jobs and affecting our brains.
Racism is experiencing a global resurgence.
Misogyny seems to be the new(again) standard.
A history of violence against women is no longer a barrier to nomination (or election) to the highest levels of government in the United States.
No longer is it gauche to attack someone based on their beliefs, racial identity, or gender: online or in person.
Which is why NOW is not the time to play by the rules: their rules.
Now is the time to toss out the rule book and get rebellious.
Now is the time to be the change.
Mindful, yes.
Not quiet. Not demure.
Let’s ignore the rules and embrace business-as-Unusual.
Business as Unusual says…
Honor your body’s needs to build a business that doesn’t burn you out
Center in your strengths for optimal productivity and less overwhelm
Be intentional and strategic with your online presence
Market with trauma-informed, ethical approaches that honor agency
Craft thoughtful services and programs that demonstrate your expertise
Invite people into deeper work instead of chasing internet fame
Price to prosperity and sustainability not to fund a “4 hour work week”
Encourage referrals and repeat business through generosity and excellence
Own your place in the marketplace and name that privilege
Break all the Business-as-usual rules (they were never meant for you anyway)
Business as Unusual says your business (or mission-driven organization) is a vehicle for social good and commerce.
Business as Unusual says you get to decide how to structure your services, offers, and products.
Business as Unusual says Take. Up. Space. Especially in those spaces (IRL and in the digital sphere) where you, and those like you, are underrepresented.
Business as Unusual says toss the fear-based marketing and trigger-laden sales tactics: emphasize being of value and generating real connections with the people your business serves.
Business as Unusual says you don’t need to do what everyone else is doing. Write a book. Develop a Course. Lead a Retreat. Start a Podcast. Start a Revolution. You’re the boss for a reason :)
Business as Unusual says there is a season for everything. Honor your seasons.
Business as Unusual = Permission to break all the rules and to ….
⚡️ Expand your business for the greater good
⚡️ Place better boundaries to avoid burnout
⚡️ Cultivate the radical focus that elevates your influence
⚡️ Rise to your own, values-driven standards for success
⚡️ Break all the 'business rules' (except your own Rules for Business + Life Alignment)
If you identify as a Rebel with a Cause, I’d love to invite you into Third Jewel —a growth catalyst and leadership circle community to support your exponential expansion (WITHOUT sacrificing your values).
Join fellow Atypical Founders and Mindful Trailblazers who want to guide their next evolution with the power of intention, community, and strategic action to do more work that matters.
Third Jewel: a boutique leadership circle for female founders + mindful leaders
See you there,
Kellie
Use Intention to Fuel your Goal-Getting
If you’ve ever set a meaningful goal then failed to reach it, you’re in the majority (and welcome to the human condition!). Goals require change —change in behavior, thoughts, attitude or actions (or all of the above). And change is hard.
INTENTION + STRATEGY + ACTION = GOALS, CONQUERED.
Change your behavior
Humans crave change: novelty lights up different regions of the brain, change is challenging and shifts in perspective inspire new insights. So it’s natural that change is something to move toward —in business and in life. Setting goals is a function of change and is a worthy pursuit in business, especially as a conscious entrepreneur with big dreams, powerful work to share, and many passions.
Setting goals is a function of change and a worthy pursuit in business, especially if you have BIG dreams.
But setting goals and actually reaching your goals are very different things.
If you want to make big things happen, you have to commit to taking mindful action that both aligns with your intention and supports your long term vision.
If you want to make BIG things happen, you have to commit to taking mindful action
You can expand your goal-getting powers by using an intention to align your priorities and your daily actions. That (plus a little strategy) equals your business goals, conquered.
Consider the following examples...
EXAMPLE 1
Jane sets a goal to grow her massage therapy practice by 100 clients this year. She first sets an intention to expand, then takes mindful action each week to identify new clients, reach them with her message, and invite them into her practice.
EXAMPLE 2
Cathy sets a business goal of packaging her expertise into a training, product or program this year. Cathy sets the intention of reaching more people with her message, then carves out 2-5 hours a week to develop her program, host a beta offering and learns how to market your signature offer.
In each of the above examples, the goals are specific, realistic and time-sensitive. Each goal-getting plan includes a set of actions (goal-supportive actions and behaviors) that bring Jane and Cathy closer to their goal. Both Jane and Cathy set an intention and use that intention to fuel their commitment to achieving their goals. Finally, both Jane and Cathy are laser-focused.
First, Commit to focus
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again:
You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.
What is the “anything” you will do —this year, this month or this week? That’s where focus is required. And as a result of this level of focus, you are better able to identify the supports required and to take the specific actions that will move you toward meaningful goals.
Next, identify the support required
What supports are necessary for you to reach your goal? For Jane and Cathy, those supports were a set of actions and behaviors needed to get different results in their business. Jane had to reach more people with her message —which required upleveling her marketing and being specific in her networking.
Cathy needed to learn about course development, the ins and outs of marketing her signature course, and the technology behind delivering her material. In your own goal-setting practice, the supports required become clear when you are able to articulate (and focus in on) the specific goal.
Next, develop your meaningful goals
Develop your meaningful goals by ensuring they are ….
specific (grow practice // package expertise)
measurable (by 100 clients // into a training, product or program) and
time-sensitive (within a year)
As in the examples above
specific (EXAMPLE 1: grow practice // EXAMPLE 2: package expertise)
measurable (EXAMPLE 1: by 100 clients // EXAMPLE 2: develop a training, product or program) and
time-sensitive (EXAMPLE 1 + 2: within a year)
Finally, take action!
Remain intentional in your daily actions and avoid any behaviors, habits or attitudes that distract your from your focus. Keep taking tiny steps forward every day and if you get stuck —reach out for support.
If you are stuck turning your intention into meaningful goals, take some time for self-reflection. Rather than being distracted by the "you've got mail" sound and the impossible-not-to-click headlines floating through your social feed, visualize laser-focus on your most fulfilling projects, dreams or life goals.
Get out your journal and answer these questions…
What do I want to more of —in life or in business?
What do I want to create?
How do I want to show up in the world?
What is my grandest vision for my business / life / sacred work?
Bottom line: if you want to turn your goals into reality, stay mindful and apply focus to align your intentions and your actions.
If you struggle to develop, set or reach your goals, accountability could be the missing link. Loads of loving accountability (and hand holding) available right here.
From Vision to Execution: How to Stoke Your Motivational Fires
While those around us are indulging in holiday-season nostalgia, we heart-centered entrepreneurs tend to look forward instead of back. And while I encourage all business owners to make the most of the current year before it ends, I also know that we’re neck-deep in prime planning time.
While those around us are indulging in holiday-season nostalgia, we heart-centered entrepreneurs tend to look forward instead of back. And while I encourage all business owners to make the most of the current year before it ends, I also know that we’re neck-deep in prime planning time. The year is ending! SOON! And very few of us are so organized that we can sail through December without pausing to formulate a few key strategies for January and beyond.
But it can be overwhelming to contemplate those strategies without guidance and structure. So today I wanted to share a simple but effective checklist that can help you sort through your priorities and begin taking action on them!
Let’s dig in, shall we?
Create a vision
If action is the finish line, vision is the starting line. And you can’t have one without the other, so begin by letting your creative juices flow however they flow best. Whether you use an art journal, a vision board, or good old-fashioned pen and paper, creating a vision for your business is essential for crafting your plan.
Before goals, before action, before anything else, you need a vision for your business.
Think about how you want your work to impact your own life, your community, and the world. Think about what you love doing, and how you can do more of it while still making a profit. Think about what you’re best at, and which aspects of your business naturally thrive. Think about who you want to help and why. Think about the standard of living you’d like to maintain or achieve. Think about the things you do that make you feel proud and accomplished and just plain good about your work. Do your best to incorporate as many of these things - plus anything else that rises to the surface as you ruminate - into your vision.
Want help?
Have a plan
After the vision, comes the plan. You need to outline the steps you’ll take to bring your dreams into fruition, and refine any steps you’re currently taking that aren’t proving productive. You need to create something that makes many holistic entrepreneurs tremble in their shoes: A business plan. (Dun dun duunnnnnn!) I PROMISE that crafting a business plan doesn’t need to be traumatic or dull or overwhelming. It can be an enlightening, invigorating, even enjoyable process, if you let it! And if you just feel ill-equipped to tackle the task on your own, there are several free tools available around the web to guide you, including my own free resources and the Holistic Business Blueprint. Take your time, and imbue your work with the care and love it deserves. A business plan is an organic, living and breathing thing. You are free to change things as needed and your plan should allow you to be responsive—rather than reactive—in business.
Want help?
Turn amorphous dreams into time-sensitive goals
The jump from plan to action can feel like a giant one. Tackling action a bit at a time by setting small-to-medium, concrete, time-sensitive goals will make the transition feel more seamless. But be aware: as humans, we often underestimate how much we can accomplish in a year and overestimate what we can accomplish in a day. Narrow down your focus to your annual achievables then begin dividing those into quarters, months, weeks, then, finally, days. (You’ll be amazed how manageable your business plan suddenly feels!)
As humans, we often underestimate how much we can accomplish in a year and overestimate what we can accomplish in a day.
And remember that what you focus on expands: focus is practical magic. What do you truly want to create in your business in the coming year? You can do anything you want, but you can’t do it all at once. Prioritize your business dreams, decide when you’ll do what, and carefully select your focus for the coming months.
Use time-chunking to tame your to-do list
Still feel like you’ve got more to do than time to do it? There are many, many secrets to crafting productive work-weeks, but time-chunking is one of my all-time favorites. If you tend to overload your to-do list and find the weeks flying by with little progress toward your long-term goals, consider using this strategy yourself.
Time-chunking is using the same timeslot each week for the same task. So blocking off 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Tuesday to create your digital content, allotting two hours every Friday to populate your social media scheduler, scheduling a weekly payroll review on Monday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. This only works if you actually block off the time in your calendar! Don’t just make a mental note, create a repeating event in your calendar of choice. With reminders.
Time-chunking is an effective method to schedule business growth tasks that propel you toward success in the coming year.
Turn vision into action through discipline, dedication, devotion and determination.
If you’re a yogi, you’ll recognize that those are the four D’s of Ashtanga yoga. What works on the mat works in business, too. The most admirable vision and carefully crafted business plan in the world will fall flat if you don’t adjust your mindset. Set tasks and stick to them. Constantly recommit to your goals and vision. Pause every day to remember why you do this world-changing work. And never, ever, EVER give up on yourself, your dreams, or your ability to help people live more fulfilling lives.
Want help?
Women Entrepreneurs, NOW is the Time For Change
I launched my business as holistic business mentor to make waves. I wanted to empower my clients to empower their clients to live happier, healthier lives using the principles of conscious lifestyle. And I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life to that mission. I believe in change. I believe in the power of a tribe, a dedicated and motivated group of people on a shared mission to transform the world in actionable, concrete, lasting ways.
I launched my business as holistic business mentor to make waves. I wanted to empower my clients to empower their clients to live happier, healthier lives using the principles of conscious lifestyle. And I’ve dedicated the last 15 years of my life to that mission.
I believe in change. I believe in the power of a community, a dedicated and motivated group of people on a shared mission to transform the world in actionable, concrete, lasting ways.
I hope you'll agree that the world needs more of your voice. More voices speaking up for tolerance and speaking out against tyranny, more voices banding together, more voices supporting one another. But also more voices sharing the messages of conscious lifestyle, connection, healing, and harmony. Messages of renewal and self-care, consciousness and wide-open worldviews that are so essential during times of great upheaval.
And that's where you come in.
Whatever your specific modality, your work is transformation. As a healer, a helper, a coach, a guide, a mentor, a teacher, or a leader, you work for change and you believe change begins with you.
I believe that, too.
And for too long, I've kept silent about some of the real challenges facing female founders + holistic entrepreneurs who want to earn a meaningful living doing the purpose-fueled work of transformation. In no particular order, I’ve seen brilliant, gifted, driven women entrepreneurs grapple with:
Fear of worthiness, prominence, and power
Lack of trust in their abilities (and its cousin, Imposter Complex)
Difficulty setting boundaries and saying, “No”
The energetic toll of work that supports clients with deep-seated emotional needs
Fear of visibility, and of the intolerance that often comes with being a visible woman
Uneasiness with marketing
Distaste for self-promotion
Limiting beliefs around money
Choosing comfort over the discomfort of bold, intentional action
Putting others’ needs and desires first, letting business take the back-burner
I've worked with clients deeply in debt or on the verge of bankruptcy who were still under-charging, convinced they couldn’t ask clients for more money for their transformative services. I've witnessed despair and exhaustion in women entrepreneurs 10+ years into building their businesses, burned out and with no tangible assets to show for their hard work. I've listened to stories of women walking away from their heart-driven work because their ethics and their bank accounts felt misaligned. I've heard from hundreds of women entrepreneurs working in the transformative arts, eager to build sustainable incomes doing what they love … but failing to first learn the basics of business.
And I’m over it.
I want you to get a little mad. I want you to use the energy of that anger to reshape the reality of being a female entrepreneur in the business of personal transformation. I want you to get revved up and prime yourself to make some tough changes.
Because the world needs your work now more than ever. This is your moment. Our moment. And we need to embrace it with both arms.
Every single one of you who feels like you’re stuck in a tape-loop of repetitive suffering in your business, it’s time to break free.
Every single one of you who’s ready to effect real change in the world—and who feels driven to do that by sharing your purposeful work—it’s time to step up.
Every single one of you who’s ready to break through to better business—ethics intact—it’s time to push forward.
There’s no time like the present. Let’s do this.
Together.
Supporting each other every step of the way.
If reading this lit your inner flame, but you're not sure what to do next, I'm here to help stoke that intention into a fire of action. Apply here for a complimentary Breakthrough to Clarity coaching call and I'll listen, process, and advise. I promise to find ways to unlock phenomenal personal success while simultaneously continuing the work you do to heal our world
Keep Business Sweet, Simple (and Sustainable) for the Holidays
We holistic entrepreneurs and small business owners know that the winter holiday season can be rough. Hectic. Overwhelming and incredibly hard to manage. It’s meant to be a time of celebration and relaxation, but many of us opt for worry and stress instead. We get anxious over year-end numbers, scramble to throw together customer appreciation events, pressure ourselves to add new offerings, and gradually pile more items onto our already-full plates until we’re ready to keel over.
We holistic entrepreneurs and small business owners know that the winter holiday season can be rough. Hectic. Overwhelming and incredibly hard to manage. It’s meant to be a time of celebration and relaxation, but many of us opt for worry and stress instead. We get anxious over year-end numbers, scramble to throw together customer appreciation events, pressure ourselves to add new offerings, and gradually pile more items onto our already-full plates until we’re ready to keel over.
We’ve already chatted about maximizing your time during the holidays to fill offers and secure new clients, and I certainly don’t want you to abandon those tactics! But today, let’s look at the all-important flip-side: Simplification.
If—like many of us—your stress levels creep ever higher the closer we get to singing “Auld Lang Syne,” then clearing the decks, paring down your activities, AND planting seeds of intention for the new year are all beneficial practices. Let’s talk details.
Create a DON’T List
We all have time-sucking tasks that creep in when we’re avoiding harder or more complex work. Plust tasks that we enjoy and justify as important, even when we secretly know they’re non-essential. So if you’re someone who’s subject to Holiday Inundation Syndrome, force yourself to make a DON’T list of projects and activities that can be temporarily abandoned.
MICRO: List out three things you will NOT do today. Either make a new list each day, or enforce a single list throughout the season. (You’ll know what will work best for your specific business model … and bad habits!)
MACRO: Take a hard look at your business now that we’re rounding out the year. What worked? What didn’t? Slash what didn’t work, and you instantly have more bandwidth to build on what did work.
EXAMPLE: Streamline your offers to reduce the amount of confusion (for your clients) and overwhelm (for you). If you have multiple offers, packages, or services but several of them aren’t performing, now is the ideal time to slash the ones that don’t generate income. Train your focus on your top performers, and let the rest go.
Get Back to Basics
After you’ve considered what to put on hold or jettison entirely, ponder your non-negotiables. And I’m not talking about “paying the rent” or “making a profit,” I mean higher-level goals and deep-seated needs. Think back to why you love your work, and which aspects of it feel utterly essential. Then force yourself to simplify.
MICRO: Ask yourself, “Which self-care needs must be met for me to feel the way I most enjoy feeling—in business and in life?” Find ways to meet those needs every single day. Seriously.
MACRO: Ask yourself, “Which basic business practices MUST be in place for me to have a happier holiday season?” If you need help keeping those practices humming along, prioritize finding that help.
EXAMPLE: To give yourself more breathing room for self-care and the energy to focus on essential practices, front-load some of the promotional and back-of-office processes that need to run in the background. Pre-write blog posts, pre-schedule social media, automate your billing and invoicing, hire an assistant, do whatever it takes to ensure you can pare down your activities without missing a beat.
Take Baby Steps Toward World Domination (for the Greater Good)
As the year draws to a close, we all end up doing some goal-setting for the year that approaches. But typical resolutions don’t always work for conscious entrepreneurs. So instead, I’d encourage you to gaze into the (near) future by portioning your big visions and dreams into achievable action steps. And challenging yourself to take action on one thing every day.
MICRO: Define your primary purpose in this world for more inspiration and energy. Take time to journal, self-study, or reflect on what you feel you are truly meant to do. Try boiling it down to a single mission statement or summary. (Mine is “I am here to be the person I needed.”) Stuck? Try this formula: I'm a ___. I help ___ [do]___ so they can _____.
MACRO: Once you define your big dreams for your business (and life), the next step is putting a timeframe around them. What aspects of your Big Vision will fit into the span of a single year? How about 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?
EXAMPLE: If your goal is to help as many people as possible heal their relationships with their bodies, make a list of organizations doing similar work and connect with them via email or social media, one per day. When you run out, research individuals doing similar work, and connect with one per day. Soon you’ll have a robust network of like-minded healers, and the ability to reach and help a much larger pool of people.
It’s so easy for me to command you to simplify your practices, and far more complicated for you to actually DO it. I know, and I want you to know that I know. But here’s the thing: If you want to make it through this holiday season with less stress, more focus, and a mindset that will prime you for a truly amazing year to come, simplification is the only way to fly. And I hope these suggestions will help you do just that.
Need help finding more concrete examples of how to pare down your practices? Come on over to the Conscious Kula and hit us up for ideas!
How to Stay Proactive When Life Gets in the Way
“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” - John Lennon
Eloquent words from a modern poet-prophet, to be sure. But sometimes, life isn’t limited to the swirl of activities on the sidelines of your work and ambitions. Sometimes life actually monkeys with the plans you’ve made. Life can be hurricanes and broken legs, busted carburetors and cancelled flights, sick kids and lost dogs. Sometimes life is an unexpected mini-disaster that brings everything to a grinding halt. Sometimes life is the hulking bully who runs down the beach to stomp all over the exquisite sandcastle you’ve been building all day long.
You can be meticulous and careful, have capable staff on-call to help in emergencies and a half-dozen backup plans … and still get screwed by natural disasters, germs, or planned obsolescence. No matter how diligent you are in your business plans and entrepreneurial actions, sometimes life steps in and derails you.
I watched this happen to a dear friend of mine just last week, so it’s top-of-mind for me now. And I realized that many of you lovely readers could likely benefit from the advice I gave to reassure her that all was not lost. (And to prevent her from constantly hyperventilating.)
Here are some simple, smart actions you can take when life throws roadblocks onto your path to success:
Simplify your business plan
Remember: 80% of your income is the result of 20% of your efforts. Your top-performing classes or offerings are always exponentially more profitable than less popular ones, so when life gets hairy, cut the dead weight. Identify that uber-profitable 20%, and simplify your business to that / those offers. Even if this is just a temporary switch, it can make life in emergency mode SO much more manageable. Need support identifying that 20%?
Choose one point of focus per week / month / quarter
Conscious entrepreneurs are chronic multi-taskers., and we tend to try to do everything ourselves. It’s a risky way to operate, but many of us make it work right up until the studio floods or the server crashes. When that finally happens, we are forced to focus. Focus is practical magic and the more you can laser in on the things that need to happen to move your business forward, the easier juggling everything else will become. Separate the day-to-day operations tasks from the growth tasks, and assign out the former to trusted employees. Pick a single item from the latter group to tackle each week, month, or quarter. Just one. That’s plenty. And focusing on it will help you feel productive and forward-looking even when you’re functioning in the wake of catastrophe.
Stay narrow and strong
Which of your regular responsibilities, roles, or offers are causing your now-limited energy to dissipate? The more you stay in your strength zone—your zone of genius where your unique magic lies—the less of a drain your business will be. And it’s essential that you conserve and manage your energy in times of crisis. Not sure what your zone of genius is or how to identify your unique magic? I’ve got you covered right here!
Let it go
Let’s be real: Sometimes life happens and you absolutely have to breathe into the holes that it creates in your business. Let it go and ride the wave: this too shall pass. (Even if it feels like it never will.) Remember to be gentle with yourself as you put the pieces back together. Ease yourself back into the swing of things when you can, but don’t apply any undue pressure.
Self-care is a business strategy
Speaking of which, never forget to listen to your needs and ask for help when catastrophe comes a’callin’. You are the beating-heart center of your business, so self-care is absolutely a business strategy! Identify three or four self-care practices that encourage you to feel vibrant, healthy, capable, and strong. Then stick to those come heck or high water. Promise me!
Find a community
If you’re in the throes of a business-derailing disaster right now, I sincerely hope some of these tips feel do-able to you. But if not—or if you could use an extra shot of support and empathy—come join us at the Conscious Entrepreneur’s Kula. Don’t go thinking this is “just an online community.” This amazing group knows how to help, heal, and nourish its members, and we’ve always got room for one more.
Crises can teach us essential lessons and illuminate what’s most important in our lives. But that doesn’t make them any more fun to live through. The next time life gets in the way of your plans, use these strategies to keep yourself moving forward.
