Hola gorgeous hearts!
As you can probably guess, with all the bedrest + hospital stays happening here in Leonie World, I’ve had a lot of time for reflecting and thinking and musing. As much as this illness has been hard, it’s given me a whole different perspective on my life and business.
So I thought it would be useful to share this with you… the top ten insights from building a heart-centered half million dollar a year business (we’ve actually done a bit more than that in the last financial year – it was over $600k).
AND how I’ve done it while working just a few hours a day, keeping family my priority and my spiritual and philanthropic values firmly at centre.
You’ll probably get a few surprise insights out of this – you probably know by now that I don’t really do “business as usual” – and I’m pretty much an open book!
Hope you find this useful… if you do, please share it along!
1. You are NOT going to be universally liked. Some people are going to think you are a ridiculous asshat. Some people are going to think you’re the greatest thing ever invented.
I have an amazing tribe of women sisters that’s grown to be pretty huge – over 32 000!
They are incredibly supportive of the work I do + love what I have to offer to the world.
Having said that, there are also hordes of peeps out there who don’t get what the fuck I’m on about. I might be too weird, too swear-bear-ish, too hippy, too annoying for them.
And I’m 100% okay with that.
My job isn’t to convert every person out there to like me.
My job is to stand up, share my light, share the truth of who I am, help as many people as I can…
and that’s all.
It’s not my job to care whether it resonates with every soul or not.
It’s not my job to debate, cajole or water myself down. It’s not my job to try to appeal as many people as possible by being Leonie Lite.
I’m supposed to be full flavoured Leonie – and that means a woman who talks hippy woo woo and numbers and strategy and who swears and makes up words and mostly amuses herself. I’m supposed to be vulnerable and share my story. I’m supposed to give myself enough space to do my job in the world – and that’s to be a vessel for whatever message wants to come through the angels.
That’s what I firmly believe and know with my whole heart. And I know it’s true because when I do it, it makes every cell in me light up, and it makes my right people’s cells light up too.
Don’t be the Lite version of yourself. Don’t water yourself down. Go full beam. The people who need to hear it will love you for it.
2. Become a Monk to your dream
Become SO in love with your dream, your goal, your vision, the reason WHY you do your business that the idea of giving up… isn’t an idea for you at all.
You do what you do because it sets your heart alight + makes you know deep down this is what you were born for.
Give up on being distracted by all the fear and self doubt. That’s not your job.
Your job is to give yourself over to your dream, to what you bring to the world.
When you become so singularly devoted to making it happen, mountains move + miracles happen.
3. Set monthly and yearly goals
Fact: if you set monthly income goals, you’ll earn more money.
(Use the Magic Money Making Kit in the Academy’s Business Goddess program and you WILL earn much more moolah.)
Work out what gets your mojo going – whether it is setting realistic goals, goals that feel like a push, or outlandish goals.
I personally get my excitables on about reaching outlandish goals. Goals that feel achievable don’t make me excited. Goals that feel ridiculous do.
I also DON’T beat myself up when I don’t reach them… reaching for the stars always leads me much much further than I would have got in the first place!
4. Give yourself goal rewards + know what motivates you!
With every monthly income goal I write down, I write down a reward I’ll give myself if I get there.
Sometimes it’s the usual: Massages. Self care. Amazon book order. New artsy shoulder bag.
Honestly, I get bored of coming up with things to buy for myself really quick. I’m not a fashionista. I don’t really get my ladyboner on about buying clothes. If I want something special, I’ll go for it, but it’s not my motivating factor very often.
I DO get my excitables on about buying things for people I love (magical Steiner/Waldorf toys for my daughter, tech + musical instruments for my love).
I DO get my excitables on about just making my ridiculous goals – it gives me more pleasure than anything.
I DO get my excitables on about saving. I LOVE putting big wads on cash onto our mortgage to pay it down. I LOVE knowing that I’m taking care of my family and setting us up to be more financially secure.
And I DO get my excitables on about philanthropy. This month for instance, I have a goal about how much I want to donate to a specific charity to provide safe drinking water for children. I read an article and got really teary about it. I often think about how it would be if Starry was born in a different country. The way I see it, all those kids out there are little Starrys. I have to do my best by them. So I’ve set a goal about how much I need to make to help x amount of kids. The more I make, the more I donate. (This is on top of our usual regular monthly donations). This makes me happy to have that kind of purpose.
Work out what gives you your goal jollies… and reward yourself likewise.
5. Don’t believe what’s impossible
I didn’t believe that what I am doing was possible. I didn’t believe I could have such a thriving business centred around my passions, being a massive hippy and being very open-hearted about who I am and how I run my life and biz.
But guess what? I could. And whatever impossible dream you have is doable too.
Fuck the naysayers.
6. You CAN bring your whole self to your business
We’re entering a new paradigm of business – one where “serious business women” aren’t required to be perfect + glitzed up + inhuman.
Being “professional” DOESN’T mean that we have to only speak in formal business-ese, that we can’t honestly + authentically share our spirit + lives with our business tribe.
Being “professional” DOES mean doing what you say you’re going to do and making sure your business is running smoothly with clients being looked after. That’s integrity, honouring your sacred contract + walking your talk.
We can bring ALL of our selves to this work.
I got asked by an Academy member on a recent call recently
“Can I really grow my business while still talking about spiritual stuff? I keep hearing that I have to be more professional and appeal to as many people as possible.”
To which I said “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”
(Because I’m subtle like that.)
The old rules of business no longer apply. You can strip out of your power suit + wear that rainbow glitter unitard with pride!
7. Education is what takes you + your biz to the next level
Now, education is motherfucking important.
We’ll talk more about that.
But there is a caveat: It ONLY works if you actually fucking implement.
DO IT. Do the program. Write a list of every action you have to take. And then do them until the list is finished.
Success doesn’t come prepackaged and pre made. You need to unwrap and put that shit together yourself.
Businesses are like flat packs from Ikea. Education gives you instructions so you at least know what you’re doing and what’s the important bits.
Then you need to take out the fucking Allen keys and PUT IT TOGETHER.
/end caveat.
SO. Having said all that, it’s bloody important to learn. The more you know about business, marketing, life and spirit… the better.
The return on investment on education is crazy high. It takes just one bit of advice, one shared story, one tried and true business principle to turn things around in big ways.
You CAN afford to invest in yourself though.
8. Keep your values centre stage
I can’t and simply won’t work full time hours. Not at this stage in my life. Not these precious few years when rearing a wee babe or two and being together as a family is the thing that calls me the most.
And maybe I never will again – why should I?
There’s more beaches to be visited, more art to be made, more gardens to be played in, more friends to be found, more special moments with my loves…
My life is the centre stage of my life + business.
I’ve learned by now that more hours in the office don’t necessarily mean more productivity/income/happiness.
Learning how to be hyper productive in a few short hours, giving yourself plenty of time away for perspective and new business insights can and IS a strategy for business success.
You can do this game, this business, this life however YOU want.
9. Surround yourself with peeps who are advancing souls
If you’re the only person you know who is trying to change their life, trying to be more positive, trying to start a business, trying to grow a business…
chances are you feel pretty dang isolated and you’re missing out on a huge chunk of motivation, companionship, support + masterminding brilliance.
You need to be around other peeps who are headed in the same direction as you.
I can’t speak enough of all the mastermind groups I’ve been a part of over the years – without them I would be missing out on a big piece of my success puzzle.
10. You will make mistakes. You’re always learning.
Everyone is a beginner in business. You don’t come into the world knowing how to start a business or take it to $100 000 or $1 million.
You LEARN ALONG THE WAY.
Every single step has new lessons to learn. And the great thing is, each time you learn something new, you can say to yourself
“Well! I won’t have to learn that for the first time again! I’ll be an old hand at it!”
Don’t get scared that you don’t know enough. Don’t back away from your destiny to be a powerful creator.
You will learn what you need along the way.
Biggest love + blessings on your amazing journey to making it all come true,
