I was inspired to write this post after reading an article about John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, in which he talks about conscious leadership, the role of leaders in organizations and the emerging paradigm of conscious capitalism. I saw him speak at The Art of Leadership Conference on the same topic and felt as though I was amongst my ‘tribe’ there. I have been talking about the topic of marketing from the inside out and aligning your authentic self to your business vision and values for quite some time and feel immensely passionate about this subject. For the most part because of the relevance to my own journey on becoming a conscious entrepreneur, but primarily because of the shift that is occurring in the business world at large.

The business paradigm has shifted from pushing information into the marketplace, to engaging an audience with our business ‘why’, I call it our manifesto. It’s the reason why we do what we do. In the words of Simon Sinek, “people don’t buy what we do, they buy why we do it.” We are living in a world of hyper connection and consumers want to engage with people who stand for something bigger than them. Companies are being called to wake up to a more socially aware and community-focused population who recognize the impact we have on each other and Mother Earth. They will no longer get away with being self-centered and indulgent.

One of the principles of living and working consciously is to become aware of the contradictions that exist between our values and behaviours.

What do you do when you notice your behaviour is not matching up with your stated values—whether in your business or with your family?

I believe this is the juncture at which we find ourselves when we know, in our heart of hearts, that incongruence exists between what we believe and how we are living our life. It is at this crossroads, that you have a choice. You have a choice to lead with passion, purpose and intention or not.

You have the ability and the responsibility to manifest your own business destiny. In fact, each day is full of infinite possibilities and you are filled with limitless potential, so make intentional choices.

Here are my 3 Steps for growing your business with intention:

The first step in being successful in your endeavor is to design the business you want and not simply tolerate the one you have.

The second step is to re-calibrate your compass to your purpose, which is the foundation on which your business rests. One of the principles of conscious business is leading authentically and operating your business from the inside out. Authentic leaders are those who demonstrate a passion for their purpose, practice their values consistently, and lead with their hearts as well as their heads. And you can do that.

The third step is to get clear about what you stand for by creating a business manifesto. Your manifesto is a public declaration of your intentions, principles, values and philosophies – the tenets by which you approach and operate your life and business. Your manifesto helps you become crystal clear about what you stand for, which galvanizes you to stand out, build authority, create thought leadership and inspire others to act.

Lead authentically and operate your business from the inside out.

Do you have a business manifesto? I realign experienced women entrepreneurs to their business ‘why’, their vision and core values, then guide them to create their own manifesto to use as a roadmap for business success. They come away with a renewed passion for their business, clarity & confidence, and marketing tools to help them thrive, not just survive. Get in touch, to learn how I can support you to authentically market your business from the inside out.