Lots of people have come to us when their business has stopped working. Some had a good flow just organically… and then it dried up.
Others worked at it, built it up… but then it stopped.
There are, in general, three reasons why a business that was working suddenly stops.
1. The big contract ended.
This is really common, when someone goes out on their own, and the first client they get is the company they used to work for, or something related to it.
It’s a big contract, it supports them. Maybe there are other small clients that trickle in, but it’s great. More money, fewer hours, more flexibility!
Then… the contract ends, leaving very few, or no, clients. And this big-hearted, talented person discovers they haven’t really built a business yet.
2. They were unknowingly part of a fad or trend.
Sometimes someone is the only one of a certain kind of practitioner in a smaller area, like the first acupuncturist, or whatnot. Sometimes there’s a lot of press for some reason around a certain modality, like Reiki, or clutter clearing.
There’s a lot of public curiosity, or interest, and people flow in. But then, when the trend dies out, or the curiosity about the modality fades, the client flow dries to a trickle.
3. There’s a certain something about the presence.
I see this with energy healers and others, where the presence, the transmission, really gets things going. People are drawn, and clients come in.
However, it seems that the tide turns at some point. Maybe the economy goes through a contraction, or the ripples of personal referrals reach their end, and the clients do, too.
A fourth situation: When you want to grow beyond where you are.
Sometimes someone will have a decent flow, and it’s exciting at first, it’s real money that pays the groceries!
However, it’s not really enough to build up retirement, to really pay for their life, to be expansive in ways that count.
Or, someone realizes they want to move, and so they need to start working virtually, or rebuild their clientele in a new location. And… crickets.
Eek! What do you do?
What these three situations, and others I haven’t named, have in common is that there was some outside context that delivered a flow of clients and revenue. Which is fantastic! It’s to be celebrated! I want this for everyone!
However, what it also tends to do is have folks think they don’t need to do the usual things to develop a business.
These situations are how some folks can be in business for awhile, sometimes years, and not have developed the fundamentals at all. And, you know what, if you can get by your entire career, and it really works, without developing the fundamentals, that’s awesome!
It’s not about doing it a certain way, it’s about what’s effective. And if the business is working, I love it!
However, too many times I’ve seen folks hit these low points and start to doubt themselves and their skills, They think it’s personal to them, or some kind of spiritual failing.
It’s not. It’s just the cycle of life. If a shrub grows in really wet conditions, and then the conditions change, and it becomes drier… will it have grown deep roots to get through drought? Or will it struggle when the water table drops?
The core of the fundamentals is intimacy with your clients.
We niche, we describe our clients not as a business exercise, but as an expression of deep caring. When we care about someone, we care to know them well. What they like to eat, what they like to do, what their struggles and joys are.
It’s the same with your intended audience. You want to know them well, to be able to speak to them, individually, or on a web page, or in an email. You want them to feel seen, and cared-for… and they want that, too.
There’s no shortcut. And it’s so doable.
If you’re in the situation of having a lot of fantastic flow, can I beg you to please, please spend time developing your fundamentals before the flow dries up? To get really good at speaking to clients so they feel seen, and to talk a LOT less about what you do and how you do it?
And if you’re in a dry time, if the flow has dried up (or maybe never started)… all that stands between you and a more in-flow business are the fundamentals.
Set aside thinking about your modality, about your magic, about you. And get focused on seeing your clients, the people you want to reach. Learn to speak empathetically, with love and care, about what they struggle with that you can help with. Learn to get as clear as possible about everything about them… and some clarity about what you do.
You can do it. It’s not rocket science, I promise. It does take a surrender into a deep caring. It does take a willingness to see the other as perfect and Divine while *also* seeing their struggles and pain.
So much of our work here at Heart of Business is about helping you develop the fundamentals, as well as more advanced and sophisticated aspects… which are usually just iterations of the fundamentals.
For today: allow yourself to rest into your heart. And take time really seeing your clients, letting go of the need to talk about your work. Instead, how much empathy and care can you bring to folks, so they feel seen, witnessed, safe?
with love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
My book is a good place to start…
My book, Heart Centered Business, Healing from toxic business culture so your small business can thrive, has a ton of the fundamentals in it, as well as the healing and the love.
And, it’s a book. It’s not a big expensive program. If you haven’t worked with Heart of Business before, if you’re curious, I recommend you take a look:
Heart Centered Business Book
Take the assessment.
If you’re curious about what your business needs, and what stage of development it’s in… and if you’re curious about what the fundamentals are, take our assessment.
The Readiness Assessment
You’ll watch a short video, you’ll answer a number of questions on a form, and you’ll have a sense of where your business is and what it needs.
AND! You’ll get a personal reply from me. Not automated. I’ll read what you write up, and give you my own perspective and thoughts. It may take me a week or so, depending on how many come in, but I will reply!
