Small Group Coaching – Heart of Business

The Six Month Business Boost,
a small group for 5 business owners.

There’s this stuck point
when businesses get to
low-to-mid five figures annually…

There’s this stuck point when businesses get to low-to-mid five figures annually…

It takes a lot to get a business to this point, where there is some flow, and significant money is coming in, in the low to mid five figures. That’s a real accomplishment, and worth celebrating!

But… it’s hard to celebrate because it’s not enough. The income isn’t enough to truly feel nourished, it’s not consistent enough to depend on, and you find you’re frustrated and tired.

And you’re not getting past this point.

What’s more, the world is really chaotic right now.

How do you stay grounded in developing your business, while also paying attention to world and political events that deserve your care? How do you keep yourself from being knocked on your butt by fear, or consumed with other reactions?

You don’t want to pretend everything in the world is fine, because it’s not. And, you can’t take your eyes off your business, it really needs your ongoing attention and care.

In fact, when your business thrives, you have more freedom to show up in the world in ways you really yearn to.

There are generally three elements you need to pay attention to when your business is stuck in this stage.

I’ve seen this many times over the years, and have been tripped up by it myself. I’ve found that these three elements need careful attention in order to get past this ceiling.

1. Alignment with love.

A lot of strong emotions come up when struggling to get your business where want it–grief, sadness, fear, anger. The last thing anyone needs to do is shut their emotions down, and yet you also need to not be stuck in them. Alignment, and immersion, in love, real spiritual nourishment, and healing, helps you feel more grounded and steady, helps you hear guidance more clearly, and helps your business be more organically attractive to the right people.

2. Marketing from the heart.

For businesses at this stage, the marketing has been good enough to get you this far, but likely needs some care and attention to take you farther. You’ll most like need to make the message more clear, and/or make invitations to offers stronger but not gross. Plus, most need to give real attention to reaching new audiences. Basically having a coherent marketing strategy, not a cookie-cutter, but a strategy based on your own strengths, your own heart. And simple, simple, no weird funnels or anything…

3. Refining the business model.

Sometimes, a part of the ceiling is that it’s hard to bring in the revenue you need without raising your prices beyond your comfort zone. Sometimes it means getting comfortable with that, and sometimes it means working on creative offers that allow you to expand, without creating cumbersome structures that can drain your business instead of supporting it

Numbers two and three depend deeply on the first.

And when it’s all in flow, wow, the results can be amazing. I love seeing clients who let the brilliance of their deep inner connection be strong and consistent in all aspects of their business, in a way that their right people really get!

Who is this really for?

Since the amount of money you’re making isn’t the only, or most clear, indicator, and because most people tend to under-estimate what they’ve accomplished, let me make this super-clear. In this context, you are a good candidate if you tend:

To be pretty clear about who your audience is (you may want more clarity, but you can find people and some of them can find you.)
To be making some money. Probably not enough, but it’s more than coffee money. Congratulations, by the way!
To have a website and marketing that works to some extent (even if you think it could be better or more effective).

In short, you’re not starting from scratch. You can see how far you want to go, but you can also see that you’ve travelled a real distance.

And who is this not for?

Folks who this offer is NOT designed for?

No spiritual orientation. You can have any kind of spiritual orientation you like, yet if spirituality is not for you at all, Heart of Business work won’t be something you like. I’m happy to refer you to some of my colleagues who don’t use spirituality in their work.
In the bare beginnings of business. If you have no idea who your marketing is for, and you’re just starting on the bare basics. Maybe you haven’t had clients at all yet, or just a handful. Our Learning Community is a great place to get support at this stage.
Have complex trauma that makes it hard to be regulated in a group. I have so much compassion for you! Everyone in this culture has trauma to some extent, so I don’t expect folks to not have places that get activated. That said, I don’t have the training or the skill to be able to safely work with folks who have complex trauma that would keep them from being regulated within a group context like this.
Have a larger team or more complex business.If your business is further along than I describe here, you may still be a candidate for this group, or individual coaching may be more of what you’re needing.

The point here is that I don’t want you to take on something that isn’t actually going to help! If you have the slightest doubt, fill out an application, I’ll take a look at it, and we can figure out between us if this group might be a great fit for you or not.

Here’s what you can expect to accomplish in the group:

These, and more, are what we’ll be focusing on depending on what you are needing.

Develop and leverage your business to be more profitable and more dependable, without losing the heart.
Deepen your sovereignty, strength and confidence to be who you really are in your business, without holding back.
Learn how to dependably grow your audience and gain clients and customers that make your heart sing.
Know how to anchor yourself in your heart, and not be thrown off by fear, anger, or other strong emotions.
Gain the courage to let go of what’s keeping you small, and to step into new opportunities.

Being part of a group is probably the fastest and most effective way to do this, for four reasons

1. You have the support of a group of people all facing similar challenges, so people have your back to follow through and step out!
2. You have the guidance of one certified Sufi Spiritual Weirdo (me, Mark)- Someone who started out solo, with an explicit spiritual approach, and has grown it into a company with a team around me.
3. It’s kinda nuts out there. How amazing to have a solid, grounded group to bring out your work in an authentic, organic way without getting caught in the whirl of fads.
4. You’ll have encouragement and support to blend spiritual insights and practices with very practical, nitty-gritty business strategy in proven ways that won’t undermine the beautiful message you are carrying.

About Mark Silver, M.Div.

I’m Mark Silver, M.Div. I’m the founder of and leader for the team at Heart of Business, Inc. I’m also the author of Heart-Centered Business: Healing from toxic business culture so your small business can thrive.

I have an extensive history with small business, activism, and non-profit work, as well as growing up in a family business. Since 1999 I’ve personally worked with hundreds and hundreds of businesses, and Heart of Business as a company has worked with more than 4500. I’ve created a developmental model of business growth, as well as the many learning modules that help business owners implement the different elements of that model.

Speaking of spirituality, I’m a designated Master Teacher in my Sufi lineage and have earned my Masters of Divinity. I bring an integration of nitty-gritty business skills, team leadership and spiritual healing and insight that has high integrity and no B.S.

I love what I do, and I see the work of making business healthy and divinely-inspired to be a huge part of the healing and transformation that our world needs right now.

That all sounds pretty serious. 🙂 Hah! I also have twin teenage boys, love to do woodworking because I have a deep passion for things that are both beautiful and useful, love my wife Holly, and our life on 15 acres in central Pennsylvania, USA, and not taking life too seriously, as serious as it may be at times. I’m also a volunteer with the Horn Farm Center for Regenerative Agriculture here in York County, PA.

If you’re ready to have your business start to feel a lot more fun, healthy, heart-inspired and expansive, here’s how I work with folks.

What’s involved?

Two 90 minutes live calls each month.

Facilitated, with plenty of air time for each person.

We’ll be meeting two days each month, for 90 minutes each time. Thursdays, noon-1:30 pm eastern. The dates are set well in advance, so you can plan for them.

Each call starts with a spiritual teaching and inner connection that is relevant to the dynamics happening for members of the group. Then we shift into direct coaching/focus time for at least half the group. Each member is guaranteed at least one “focus-time” each month.

I have a skill gained from 25 years of doing this work of taking a personal challenge that a group member is facing, and highlighting the dynamic or pattern, and the principle behind what will help, so that coaching is relevant to the entire group.

A private, non-social media, online group

Only for group members, this is a place to support each other, test out what you’re working on, and to help me keep a pulse on what’s happening with you so the live calls can be as powerful and focused as possible.

It’s also where I will give feedback and coaching between calls, so you’re not just dependent on the live calls to get the support you need.

The Heart of Business Learning Community

As a member of my small group coaching, you’ll also be added as a member of our Learning Community, which comes with a LOT of resources to support you. Dozens of learning modules, in-depth spiritual nourishment, and additional coaching and support calls in the community, including a virtual retreat every other month.

Note: If you’re already a member, your monthly membership payment will apply as a credit toward the cost of this group.

A Truly Small Group

The group will have no more than five people, so that everyone gets air time and personal focus, and no one gets lost in the crowd. It’s big enough to have real group energy, but small enough to be intimate and connected.

Your commitment:

Anyone who joins the group must commit to the full six months. This removes any sense of a revolving door, and allows our group to feel like sacred space. Some members feel complete at that point, and others may want other support as it ends.

The Cost

The total cost has some flexibility in it, between $3500 and $3900 for the six months, which includes everything mentioned above. Payment in full for the full six months is preferred, and there is an option where you can pay a $1500-$1900 deposit, then six monthly payments of $334.

Next step is a conversation.

Because of the intimacy of the groups, it’s important that it’s a right fit- that you click with me, Mark, as your facilitator, and that you’re right for the group as well. (And, chances are, if you’re drawn to Heart of Business and how we do things, you will be…)

First, fill out the form below. Once I get that, I’ll read it and we’ll schedule a conversation. Together we’ll figure out if this is the best, most fun way to move your business forward, and also to ensure that the whole group can be really effective.

Ready? Let’s go. Just fill this puppy out below:

Some quotes from previous clients.

The quotes below are some from individual clients, some from small group coaching participants, and some from colleagues.

In 2020, as I stepped into my commitment to demonstrably grow women’s philanthropy across the nonprofit sector, I knew I needed a business coach. I gained so much more than just business support from Mark Silver. His experience in helping small businesses grow is matched by his core spiritual values, and then mixed with his fierceness and commitment to justice, equity and giving voice to real struggles and naming truths. Mark quickly got my core focus that there are effective and practical approaches to grow support from women. He then helped me with my strategies, principles, and marketing – which all helped grow my client base significantly. Yet more importantly he helped me listen to myself and find my voice to lead and speak the truth about how traditional fundraising leaves out women and all the resources we bring to any mission. Mark has been a true partner in helping me do my part for a more just, accessible and equitable world.

Kathleen Loehr

Author of Gender Matters

Mark is an authentic and knowledgeable business coach who leads by example in guiding entrepreneurs and small business owners to thrive in work and life. For more than a decade, I have benefitted from his teachings, his mentorship and his friendship. Looking to bring your whole self to your career? It is possible — and you can trust Mark’s sage yet practical guidance to help you get there and stay on path.

Mollie Marti

CEO at Worldmaker International

I’ve been a client of Mark’s for the past ten years, having been introduced to his work by my husband. As someone who is not naturally business oriented, I was feeling overwhelmed by the day to day running of a business, and knew I needed support. I was looking for solid, practical business and marketing training, but so much of what I found in the marketplace felt manipulative, dishonest, predatory or so focused on making money or ‘creating success’ that it either felt exhausting, and gross. When I saw the line on Mark’s website – “when you want to make a difference, and need to make a profit,” everything inside me went, “Yes!”.
Since that time, I’ve worked with Mark in various ways: 1 on 1, group classes, spiritual retreats, a member of his Learning community and small group coaching. In all of these experiences, Mark’s integrity, sincerity, practicality, and wisdom have helped me both steward my business and deepen my spiritual practices and relationship with the Divine..
In particular, Mark’s teachings on sovereignty, marketing and neediness have helped me access healthy power, market my work confidently (without resorting to manipulation), and better relate to my vulnerability. And his Heart of Money class, indeed, transformed my relationship with money.
If I had to distill to the essence the changes I’ve experienced from working with Mark and Heart of Business, it would be a deeper contentment and trust – where I rest more and more in the Hands that hold me and my business, ask for more help, and feel less pressure, stress and striving to try to do it on my own.
I highly recommend Mark as both a business coach and spiritual guide.

Karly Randolph Pittman

Writer, teacher, mental health advocate

I joined Mark’s Small Group Coaching in 2021. I had already been in the Heart of Business community for a few years but felt that my business could benefit from more concentrated attention and guidance.
Mark and I met to discuss if Small Group Coaching would be a good fit for me and my business. Together we determined that it was a good time, so I started and made a 6-month commitment.
His Small Group Coaching is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and I am glad I joined. His approach is spiritual, emotional, and practical, and he draws from years of professional experience. I learned that Mark walks with sincerity, simplifies issues for clarity, and guides with compassion. He uniquely and honestly articulates solutions while allowing you to retain your power. His way of coaching holds a delicate balance of these qualities that is generously supportive. Although that may sound deep and introspective, let me reassure you that there are times when that’s called for; he’s also funny, realistic, humble, and human.
If you are looking for coaching that will take you deeper, if you are seeking a fresh perspective on your business, if you are ready to commit to your business’ growth, Mark is the coach!

Jillian Rothschild-Scholar

Feng Shui in Motion

A decade ago I would have thought myself the last person in the world who would study business and marketing, let alone with a Sufi teacher and healer. But learning from and working with Mark Silver, starting with his newsletter and then going through his courses and now being able to work with him one-on-one, has been a pivotal element in my life for more than nine years.
Mark is not only a master teacher who continues to hone his skills, but a visionary who helps other visionaries to enact and embody their own visions, step by step by step. Read what he writes, listen to what he says, and be prepared to be surprised at what you find yourself doing. Mark and I met to discuss if Small Group Coaching would be a good fit for me and my business. Together we determined that it was a good time, so I started and made a 6-month commitment.
His Small Group Coaching is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and I am glad I joined. His approach is spiritual, emotional, and practical, and he draws from years of professional experience. I learned that Mark walks with sincerity, simplifies issues for clarity, and guides with compassion. He uniquely and honestly articulates solutions while allowing you to retain your power. His way of coaching holds a delicate balance of these qualities that is generously supportive. Although that may sound deep and introspective, let me reassure you that there are times when that’s called for; he’s also funny, realistic, humble, and human.
If you are looking for coaching that will take you deeper, if you are seeking a fresh perspective on your business, if you are ready to commit to your business’ growth, Mark is the coach!

Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

Author, Poet, Teacher, Translator of Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural