This way of working has created a gap between you and making your business something you can be truly passionate about. Being a care-centered bookkeeping service, the team at Five Star Professional Bookkeeping understands this very struggle that you face with your business finances. It’s not easy, but we’re here to help you get back to the heart of your work.
Okay so, you’re probably wondering what “care-centered” actually means? Well, it’s really all about living and practicing a life of purpose. “Being care-centered means that we approach life from a place of inner strength, resiliency, courage, integrity, authenticity, and truth.” Working through life without purpose is a prison sentence that none of us should ever have to serve.
So, now you have a better idea of what this care-centering business is all about. With this new understanding, it’s time to ask yourself this very important question.
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Are You & Your Business Care-Centered?
It’s not uncommon for most of us in business to fall into a slump. Much like a day at the races, when we first started out in business, the gun goes off and we hit the ground running. We’re filled with this sense of:
- Excitement
- Passion
- Drive
- Wonder
- A desire to WIN
However, as the race runs its course, so many of those running it are fatigued, fall behind, and lose sight of the real prize they so wished to achieve in this mad dash for success in business.
Does this sound a bit like your professional situation? Don’t worry! As I already said, this is a common affliction among all of us that work in the professional world–especially busy bookkeepers. CEOs, business owners, and employees alike. You’re not alone in this!
Let’s start with the bigger picture here.
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Making the World a Better Place
Making the world a better place is as easy as we’d like it to be. To do this professionally your work and business should have a clear understanding as to how your service or products make a difference in the world, or even just to a few people’s worlds.
With this understanding clearly defined and at the front of your mind, you can truly see why you do what it is that you do professionally. There is no time like the present to explore the reasons that you are drawn to what it is that you do. There are a billion choices that each of us could make in applying our talents and skillsets to work. What was it that made you choose the path that you’re on?
As Simon Sinek put it best, START WITH WHY. Play the why game with yourself until you’ve reached your core motivations. I highly recommend starting this practice before each workday. It’ll help you to strengthen your connection to this deeper understanding and help clarify your major priorities on that ever-expanding to-do list.
Personally, my “why” is the relationships I’ve built. People are at the core of my business and my life. I value my professional connections and personal relationships above all else.
Put aside about five to ten minutes at the beginning of each workday and in this time ponder, meditate, or free write on your WHY. When you start with your workday with your WHY you find purpose in your daily work and business. You become more heart-centered.
Another helpful trick here is to insert reminders of your work’s purpose in places where you can easily see or access them throughout the workday or in those moments of self-doubt. Trust me, we all have those moments of doubt. It’s when you don’t have these consistent reminders that you easily forget why you’re working on what you’re working on. This is where you can lose that sense of purpose in your work.
Don’t let this happen to you! Write that note on the back of your hand. Stick a post-it note to your desktop screen every time you leave your desk so you’re reminded of WHY every time you return to your workstation. Put photographs up around your office or home of the people whose lives have been touched by your business. Whatever helps you to always remember your true purpose.
Part of making the world a better place is for all those that live in it. So, a good part of your work should be focused on helping others that truly need your business.
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Helping Others
Many entrepreneurs can feel a lack of confidence in promoting their work and their businesses, whether they consider them to be heart-centered or not. What you are doing here is you are making the world a better place by improving the lives of your clients.
You have a responsibility, and obligation to find and connect with the people who will benefit from your services or products the most. So, for those of you who feel that lack, it’s about time you built up a little confidence. Remember, what you do makes the world and people’s lives better! Never forget that.
Our daily lives are bombarded with information and notifications pulling for our attention. Take a moment and brainstorm for those executing strategies that cut through the clutter and draw in prospective clients who need you and your business.
Be clear and define your location, message, and package. Your location is where your customers are (online or physically). Your message is how your products and/or services will improve the lives of others and the world around you. Your package is your professional design that stands out and engages. And, of course, add YOU! You, as in your voice, passion, and personality.
When these four elements add up you have a clear picture to show your customers. And, when your customers can see what you do clearly, you help them make better decisions for their purchases of products and services. Helping others allows you to create deeper connections with your community, longstanding, new, and potential clients. This is key because here is your next step.
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Building Long-lasting Relationships
The most important part of running a care-centered business and being a care-centered businessperson involves redefining the traditional definition of business success. Instead of only including the traditional metrics (e.g. numbers of sales, amount of profit, etc.), including qualitative reviews of relationships you’ve formed with potential clients, customers, your community, and members of your own and adjacent industries.
There are two methods to guarantee quality relationships. The first method you’ll want to implement is having meaningful conversations and interactions that focus on your audience. Joining a professional community, such as BNI, for example, provides you a community of professionals that can help you build better business relationships.
And secondly, provide free value. I mean, when you think about it, when you have truly cared about others, you want to give for the sake of helping or making a difference in their lives. I’m not saying that you should give away anything for free. But go above and beyond what is expected of you and your business. Provide free value that compliments or enhances the products or services you and your company have to offer.
Only pursuing transactional relationships with your customers and community will severely limit the satisfaction you get from working in your business. And, limits the satisfaction of your audience with you and your company. It can also be detrimental to your bottom line because customers are much more likely to buy from genuine people who they enjoy and who have demonstrated their ability to provide true value.
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Being True to Yourself
Just the other week my partner and I were catching up on what we’d been reading lately. She had shared with me a passage from a book she was reading, as she often does, about the top five regrets of the dying.
Can you guess what those BIG five regrets were? I’m sure you can predict of few of these major regrets from the list but let’s go over them from the greatest wish to the least.
- I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
Now, why am I bringing all this sad stuff up you might ask? Well, because when you live your life with fewer regrets it means you allow your heart to lead you and your life. Being heart-centered is you being true to yourself.
Alight, alright, I get that I’m only telling you what you already know now at this point in our story. But you might still be wondering “how do you actually do this?”. Well, I have a few helpful tips here that can help you get started on your journey to practicing a more heart-centered self and business.
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Four Helpful Tips for Care-Centering
Now that you have a bigger picture here are four ways to help you all lead a care-centered life.
- Stop thinking so gosh darn much.
- Try to connect with your heart.
- Try to connect with your intuition.
- Set the intention to live from your heart.
Keep these tips in mind and you’ll find yourself centered at the heart of it ALL.
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Examples of Care-Centered Businesses
Do you still need a little convincing that this whole care-centering thing is what you as a businessperson and what your business really needs? Well, here is a shortlist of just a few companies I know you’ll recognize.
- Chewy
- Freshly
- Zappos
These are all companies that go to the heart of it all in business, and their reviews and reputation demonstrate that. With clearly defined values, missions, and company cultures, each of the businesses listed above has outdone their competitors and lines up those three important Ps. Passion, purpose, and profit. In many ways, these company’s services and products have helped make their customer’s lives easier and the world around them better for it.
So, how will you help make the world a better place? I think you know where to start this adventure.