Wholehearted Business

A week ago, I had the good fortune to be with all the Portland-based members of the Wholehearted Business Team. We work almost exclusively via Zoom, Loom, and Slack, so being able to actually be in each other’s physical presence was quite a treat. We came together for a photo shoot and to share a lovely evening together with one of our dear clients, who we’ve worked with for over a decade. We even Zoomed-in two of our team members, one from Colorado and one from Bali, to be a part of the photoshoot. Pics coming soon.

We also planned for the day to include *clicking the button* together to take our new website live. The Team worked some long hours leading up to last Monday to meet the timeline, and then on the morning of the big day, we ran into technical issues, or gremlins as I often call them, that had nothing to do with the site we built, but prevented us from completing the work to be able to share the experience in person of ceremonially clicking the button together.

It was disappointing to have looked forward to something for three months and to have to let it go, get to a place of acceptance that it wasn’t going to happen the way I’d envisioned, work through my feelings, so that I could show up for my team and be present for the photo shoot and our special dinner.

In working with a virtual team, it’s not something I ever take for granted when I have the opportunity to be together in person with everyone -- much less having 75% of the entire team all together in one place. We’d invested a great deal of time, intention, care, and creativity into our new online home for our business, and so, of course, I so wanted to have the experience of going live together. But the reality was as much as I wanted it, it wasn’t meant to be. So, the questions became …

How do I accept what is, let go, move on, find the good in what was happening, and be present in the moment …

One of the things that I’ve been in awe of throughout this creative process is how many openings there have been for personal and professional growth for me. The growth hasn’t been as much about the design, development, and writing aspect of the project -- even though we’ve definitely pushed our creative edge with what we’ve developed, but the most impactful and meaningful growth has been about how I’ve held myself in this experience … how I’ve held my team … and how I’ve shown up for the commitments I’d already made to our clients long before rebranding the biz and relaunching our website was a thing.

I made a promise to myself and to my team when we started the work on the website that we’d move through the work with joy and take good care of ourselves and each other -- and that if we started to get off track and slip back into the old ways of the grind, we’d recover as quick as we noticed and rechoose ease, and connection to ourselves, and each other.

I’m really excited about the work the Wholehearted Team has done in creating our new online business home, but what I’m most proud of is how we’ve done it. It hasn’t been a perfect experience of ease, joy, and caring for ourselves and each other, but it’s far better than it’s ever been -- and what I know for sure is that we’re setting a new standard and a new normal for how we do what we do and that’s the biggest win of all.

We were able to work through the issues that came up last week and are now working on a final few things that we’re always part of the plan to include, but we were willing to let go of to have launched the site when we were all together. Since that didn’t happen, we’re finishing jshzoooooing up the place and will be launching the site soon.

[REIMAGINING, REEMERGING, RECLAIMING - PART 2 of 4]

This past year, I hit one of those places as a business owner where I was up against ‘it.’ I was so burnt out that I’d lost touch with many of the things that I’d loved about my work and the business I’d been dedicated to and pouring love into for over 20 years.

The truth is I’d been grinding pretty hard for years. There are so many cool things about this little business -- namely the people … the clients we’ve been fortunate to work with over the years, and my teammates -- my goodness, so many incredible people we’ve been connected with and experiences we’ve been a part of. But, I’d been pushing way too hard for way too long, and finally, the jig was up, s**t got real, and in order to move forward, things had to change -- significantly. Which meant I personally had to make some pretty radical changes.

The real story is that I was depleted in a way that I seriously considered shutting down my business and even opened myself up to entertaining other possibilities of what I might do in my life and for work. When what I call the ‘Break it Down to Get Real and Make it Whole, Human, and Sustainable’ chapter started, I knew I was on the precipice of a personal upgrade and that what was in front of me was the opportunity to transform my life. But, initially, I couldn’t see how I could change things enough to stay in my business in a way where I no longer had to make the kinds of personal sacrifices to do something I did enjoy professionally but where the cost was too high personally.

It’s been a year+ of experiencing being in both the dark, quiet soil germinating and also in the messy goo of the chrysalis … being still … feeling all the feels … listening intently … contracting … expanding … exploring possibilities … and doing all kinds of internal work that needed to be done for something new, congruent to who I am, and aligned with my values to emerge.

So, once again, like so many times before in the last 20+ years of owning my business, I showed up and said, “Yes, I am here.”

Part 3 tomorrow.

[REIMAGINING, REEMERGING, RECLAIMING - A STORY IN 4 PARTS]

January of 1999 is when I took the leap and hoped, prayed, and began the work to create a business to support entrepreneurs who were doing really cool things but didn't know much about business. Early on, my clients delivered services and brought products to market because they were passionate about their offerings. As lit up as they were about the thing that inspired them to start a business, they were often intimidated and overwhelmed by what it meant to be a business owner and how to navigate running a business. I found a calling and a love for guiding my clients in growing their businesses in a way they were empowered in.

The irony in my story is that I had no intention to start a business mentoring small business owners. In fact, I had all kinds of stories running that I couldn’t possibly do that! Who did I think I was? How could I really help? Serious imposter syndrome hit BIG TIME!

It didn’t matter that I’d worked my way up the corporate ladder from an entry-level marketing manager in one of the largest tech distributors at that time to an executive for one of the largest tech manufacturers in its class worldwide. I couldn’t then see how being a part of the exec team, helping to guide the strategy and operations of the company, had taught me a thing or two about business. Nope. Initially, I couldn’t see how my skills and experience could/would transfer to helping business owners.

Fortunately, I didn’t say no when the opportunity to work with my first client was presented to me. My business was born, and my client’s business grew over 300% in the first 18 months we worked together. This was my first potent experience of how showing up and saying, “Yes, I am here, and I’ll do my best,” can be one of the most important things we can do to change our lives, change our stars, and change our circumstances.

Saying yes, with a measure of discernment, can change everything. It’s been in the choosing and rechoosing again and again and again, persevering when it’s challenging -- especially when it’s challenging actually, that I’ve grown a business and it’s grown me.

Part two coming next.