Brad Swift of The Life on Purpose Institute recently interviewed me as part of the ‘Building Your Business on Purpose’ Teleseries.

In it, I quoted from Lynne Twist’s The Soul of Money, a must read for insight into how and where meaning and money intersect:

“Money is like an iron ring we put through our nose. It is now leading us around wherever it wants. We just forgot that we are the ones who designed it.” — Mark Kinney

Paraphrasing:

“It is in the act of resseing ourselves in relation to our money, and expressing our soul’s integrity through the medium of money, that we experience joyful reward.” [page 40, paragraph 2]

“There is an immense healing power of even the smallest amount of money when we use it to express our humanity…” [page xx, paragraph 1]

To which I suggest superimposing another layer could be useful, for the entrepreneurs in us:

There is an immense healing power in even the smallest amount of money EARNED when we do so by expressing our humanity and adding value to others…

The most important nugget to come from this call was the invitation to ‘be obscenely obsessed by money’ for awhile (say 30-90 days). It seemed to me in this setting of business owners that the terms purpose and meaning, etc., weren’t yet being grounded enough into the conversation about money.

Because without the money piece we weren’t going to be talking about businesses. And Brad asked me to address BUSINESSES with purpose, not purposes which once in a blue moon, had something to deposit in the bank. So I went to the other extreme to try and bring the energy in the other very important direction.

Here are two questions that came from participants afterwards, along with 6 Suggested Action Steps.

Question #1:

Hi Andrea,

Thanks for the information on the call today. You really got me thinking about Money vs Meaning in order to have a Business on Purpose. My question is this: What do you mean by focusing on the money? Could you give me some examples or methods?

Thanks,

Mariano

Answer:

Hi Mariano, sure. Here are just a few suggestions for you:

(1) Play the Money Game, a easy interesting little game I invented to help you start to pick up the money mindset.

If you don’t already have a copy of Multiple Streams of Coaching Income or Money, Meaning and Beyond, you can begin the process by listening to the audio clip here.

Just the one exercise I outline there can give you lots to work with. Try to be thorough with it and play the game multiple times with different financial goals.

(2) Ask yourself this series of great money-focussed questions:

What money have I already earned, that I have not yet invoiced for or collected?

What’s the fastest path to money for me right now? What money could I earn right now, if I MUST earn something? If I only pick up the phone or ask for the business today? (What’s the Fastest Path to Money? Chapter 4, MMB.)

(3) Begin harnessing your business metrics.

Even if you’re just starting out, understanding the measurements that your business generates is a great habit to cultivate. Business metrics are like an EKG for your business. From a money perspective, is your business heart beating?

There is a spreadsheet template and deeper coaching questions available here for your use in getting started.

Remember, you are the boss of money, not the other way around. By focussing, perhaps obscenely, on money for even just 30-90 days, you will increase your ability to make a difference in the world far more than if you focus on purpose, and assume the money will follow.

Here is just one more article that may get you thinking about money in a different way. It concerns knights in shining armour.
—-

Question #2:

Hi Andrea

Thank you for today, as I said on the call, you have really bedded down an idea that I was totally resisting (and suddenly I see total sense in it!). My question is around bridging that gap between what I do with my clients and the ‘real world’ that they live in – how do I start to do that?

My coaching is really about starting to see yourself as the magnificent being you are (I now see how ‘out there’ that can look!) so how do I start meeting my clients where they currently are rather than where we will (most likely) get to?

Thanks a million. Love,

Donna.x

Answer:

Hi Donna, I’m smiling at your question because I sense you’ve already begun the shift you’re seeking. So here are a few suggestions to help keep you going in this wonderful direction - just you wait until it gets affirmed by new clients, more income and more wonderful work for you!

(1) Meeting clients where they are at is at heart, a mindset shift. The bottom-line is customers don’t give a hoot what WE think they need. They want what THEY want. If we persist in trying to sell what WE think they need - oof, we become guilty of forcefeeding. Not a pretty sight.

So at the most basic, I suggest you really start to do some processing - verbally or in writing - about why it is you’ve been so ‘attached’ to the idea of what you think is best for them. Make sense?

(2) Read a little about Desire Lines [Chapter 2] and especially ‘Where Are You Coming From’ [Chapter 20] in Money, Meaning and Beyond. If you are a reader.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. One of the biggest reasons we wrote this little paperback is to address the mindset shift you are right in the middle of!
(3) If you’re not interested in the book for now, try this article on the 8 Steps to Building A Multiple Streams Product Funnel and pay special attention to step #2: Elicit the Problems. It’s short and sweet but goes straight to the heart of your question Donna.

Does that help? I hope so. Feel free to post additional questions and I will do my best to answer here in a future post. That goes for everyone.

Let me leave you with one final quote, about profit, another lovely one.

“Profit is like oxygen, food and water for the body- These things are not the points of life, but without them, there is no life. In the same way, visionary companies see profit as a residual of doing things well, not the point of being in business”.

~ James Collins and Jerry Porras (Build to Last) ~