Gratitude may be the missing element in your journey to entrepreneurial success. I say that because I know how hard it can be to build a profitable business. I have been there, feeling stuck in that space of “if I just work harder or if I just get one or two more clients, everything will be okay.” I have felt frustrated, dissatisfied and wondered if all the effort was worth it. What has saved me every time is gratitude.
I owned a publishing company for 11 years. During that time I won multiple awards, made hundreds of thousands of dollars and received many accolades for the work I was doing in my community. Yet, I often felt frustrated with cash flow issues and wondered, “Where’s my money?” Even though I was very successful on the outside, what I was able to pay myself didn’t match the effort I was putting out.
What I did have was an amazing client base, a fabulous staff and a loving supportive family that helped me manage the rollercoaster of emotions that come along with being an entrepreneur. Staying in gratitude enabled me to keep going and to eventually sell that company and move to the beach in California, a dream my husband and I had for many years. Today we have a thriving business that we love, supporting other creative women entrepreneurs to build profitable businesses.
In today’s article I want to share 5 ways that cultivating an attitude of gratitude can help you grow your business, even when it feels like you can’t take another step or work another day. These 5 ideas should be practiced when everything is going perfectly as well as those days when everything seems to be challenging you. What I have learned after 15 years as an entrepreneur is that staying in the emotional space of gratitude changes everything. It frees you to take action from an inspired space rather than a tired space. It also reminds you to celebrate everything that is going right!
- Express gratitude for every penny flowing into your business.
One of the lessons I have learned over the years is to pay attention to my numbers. This has been a challenge. I am super creative and learning to read a profit and loss sheet was not high on my list of favorite things. Learning to love my numbers and to express gratitude for every penny flowing in allowed me to shift my energy and to attract more money. I invite you to track your income every day for 30 days and see what shifts for you. Pay attention to every penny that you find in the street, the dollar in the dryer, the $20 dollar bill in a coat pocket, the refund check, a birthday gift from Dad and the income you are earning in your business (or from your job.) I often find with my coaching clients that they are making more money than they think they are, but they are afraid to look. Gather your courage and your gratitude and celebrate each and every cent that flows in. - Pay your bills with love and gratitude.
Money is energy and it loves to be in flow. If you want to receive more money and remain open to an abundant flow of cash and clients, then stay in the energy of gratitude. Remember that each time you pay a bill or send someone money, you are expanding the energetic flow of money. Imagine that when you pay your electric bill, it allows that company to pay their employees. Those employees buy groceries for their kids. When they pay for groceries, the people in those stores get paid, the farmers get paid and on and on. When you feel resentful for paying money out for services you have asked for, it stops the flow of gratitude. You can’t be open to receiving abundance when you are stuck in resentment or fear. Write those checks with love. - Commit to a daily gratitude practice.
Create a daily ritual around gratitude. You might create an abundance journal or gratitude journal or you might use prayer beads. Be as creative with this practice as you can. Once a day, either write down or name out loud at least three things or people you are grateful for. I love doing this first thing in the morning. Others prefer doing it right before sleep and in fact, they claim this practice helps them to go to sleep. This concept may seem simple and in the beginning, it might even seem silly but expressing gratitude is a powerful ritual for staying in the energy of abundance. You have probably heard this suggestion many times, but have you implemented it? Try it for 7 days and notice what happens, notice how you feel and what new opportunities appear. - Say “thank you” to your current clients.
How often do you let your current clients know that you appreciate them? Perhaps you send a thank you note or small gift at the beginning of your work together. Perhaps you write thank you on your invoices. Perhaps you don’t say anything. Whatever your current practice is, I invite you to consider how you could express deeper gratitude to your existing clients. I have a year-long group coaching program and each time we gather as a group, I have a small gift for each woman there. Often the gifts are home made. Sometimes my daughter bakes for them, she makes an incredible s’mores bar that one of my clients loves! I make gratitude a frequent part of my connection with them. I am so grateful that they have trusted me with their dreams and goals. I wouldn’t have a program without them. They are precious to me! What can you do differently to say thank you? - Be generous with your gratitude.
When you receive a referral from a friend, colleague or client, be generous with your gratitude. One of my friends calls her referral fee a gratitude payment. I love the energy of that! When you receive referrals, what do you do? Do you follow up right away? Do you follow up and let the referrer know what the outcome is? Do you send a gift, thank you note or gratitude payment? The more you share your abundance, the more it will come back to you.
These 5 simple practices will help you to grow your business by keeping you in the energy of flow and abundance. Trust that there is more than enough money flowing in and out of your business on a regular basis. Celebrate that flow by saying thank you as often as possible.
Minette- easy to implement tips and techniques. Thanks. Glad to see I do 3 of them regularly. Another point I remind myself of is that it’s not important if you receive back from the same person. That’s the good thing about abundance, you don’t know where it might come from.