Why the Business as Usual Business Model Will Never Work for You

Here’s the deal; the business as usual business planning models will never work for you because you are not a business as usual business owner. Right?

There is something bigger than you that you are committed to bringing to the world. You want to make a difference in the world and you want to make a great living while doing it.

When we are approaching a business with those types of motivations, we are not running a business as usual business in the business as usual business model. We are running what I refer to as a SoulFULL™ Business.

Business As Usual Meaning

Let’s take a peek at the common definition of the business as usual business model…

In a business as usual business there are usually three primary objectives and they usually show up in this order:

1. Make a profit: Let’s just call it out, the primary purpose of a business is to make money. Therefore, when choosing what type of business to start, the vast majority of people start here. “What will make me money?” becomes the primary driving force. Yet, whenever you are in it only for the money, the money won’t come – period.
   
   
2. Fill a need in the marketplace: In order to make that profit (#1) what will people pay for? I see this happen far too often with the service-based entrepreneurs I work with. They’ve often spent far too much time trying to build a business around what they think people will buy rather than what their Soul really wants them to do. In this scenario, you are adapting to the marketplace instead of honoring who you are and what you are here to do (your purpose). If you are compromising yourself and your true purpose in any way it will never work!
   
   
3. Use the skills we’ve accumulated over the course of our professional lives: This comes down to “what do I know how to do?” This is another one that I see people defaulting to far too often. Many of my clients have been told to build on the experience they already have – this is the most common “How to Build a Business” advice. Like the CFO that just can’t let go of the MBA and the three decades of experience even though their heart is calling them somewhere completely different. Yet if we keep doing what we’ve already done we aren’t likely to find the fulfillment that we are secretly seeking. So again, it just never works.
   
   
   

What is a Soulful Business Model

In the SoulFULL Business model, the order is completely reversed and in essence, we turn our backs on the business as usual business model:

1. Your Soul’s evolution: Hands down this is the primary driver and intention (conscious or unconscious) when you are on the Soul FULL Business Path. Nothing will bring up your “stuff” faster and more frequently than running a business that involves your soul’s purpose. That being said, it’s also the most important thing you will ever do – heal what’s in the way of you fulfilling your purpose. Your business will grow and expand in direct correlation to your own growth and expansion. All ways and always.
   
   
2. The specific healing or change that you want to see in the world: Different than simply filling that need in the marketplace, we start with what’s “the change you want to see in the world” and then identify what people are actually looking for. There is a specific difference only you can provide and there are specific people waiting for you to make that difference with them. The intersection of where your gifts and their needs meet is what people will pay you for – and well.
   
   
3. Make a great living while making a difference: You do deserve to be richly rewarded for the difference you make and you will if it is your difference to make. Understanding that your purpose isn’t just about the people you serve, it’s also about you and the precise contribution you are here to make, the difference that feeds you and the world, is essential. Your highest potential is only going to be realized when you marry purpose and profit. Profit follows purpose every time. And if it’s not, you may not have discovered your true purpose yet.
   
   

Making a difference

Your dreams of making a difference while making a great living can be a reality. However, if you go about it in the business as usual way you are likely to end up disheartened, to say the least, if not downright disillusioned. So how can we ensure that we make the difference we are meant to and the money that we deserve?

There is an equilibrium between chasing success and being of service. After all, you gotta be able to keep the lights on (metaphorically speaking) in order to be able to continue to make a difference through your business in a way other than the business as usual business model. You need to find ways to create a thriving business without selling your Soul in the process.

One of my best strategies is what I call SoulFULL Business Planning. The magic I have witnessed in businesses using this simple 3 step process has been awe inspiring! Imagine making the difference you were born to make, with people happily paying you well for that difference, all while you become a better you. I can’t imagine a way to make a living.

Here’s to you making a massive difference and a great income!

There is a Business in Your Soul. Is that the business you are in?