Spiritual and Successful? What does it take to walk that line today?

What does it mean to run a spiritual business in this day and age? Courage, Commitment, vulnerability and a deep sense of self awareness? And what in fact is a spiritual business anyway? All big questions so let’s break it down.

I am noticing a lot of people are starting to find that they are at peace in the quiet, at one with themselves when in alignment, are being called to more spiritual practises where they engage their bodies and minds using methods like meditation and yoga and this helps them to settle in the rush of their days. What I see happen alongside this is the fact that those people begin to get curious and start to awaken to needing more out of life. Yet they cannot find the ‘more’ they are looking for because it doesn’t exist in a material thing, it’s purpose, passion, fulfilment even calling which is the beginning of a journey of spiritual awakening where they seek a soul connection and purpose.

What happens with this change in the dynamic of the world and society is that a lot more spiritually gifted people come in to support this evolution and, guess what, make it radically ‘normal’, where it used to be seen as new age. Well, I consider that the ‘age’ has arrived and it’s not so new anymore.

It is therefore becoming more frequent now for the spiritually gifted to be starting businesses and being of service to others legitimately, receiving the value of their services. Which is about time in my opinion. I believe we all have talents and gifts and we deserve to be able to use them as our vocation to support our living fully in the world, just as we would if working in any other industry and receive financial reward and recognition accordingly.

A spiritual business could be anything holistic from clairvoyants to kinesiologists, astrologists, healers, naturopaths, energy workers, intuitives , witches, and everything in between. There is no end to the wisdom and talents and these gifted individuals and practises and methods are continuously evolving. So the idea of labelling them into a singular function is merely a way of communicating as transparently as possible the method and tools they utilise most frequently to provide their specialised and unique service.

There are talented, honest spiritual workers out there and they should no longer feel held back, judged or less than what they are because of societies expectations or previous treatment of those in fields that they don’t fully understand, yet. As the world is changing and becoming more open and available to the wealth of holistic practitioners, and as our needs to be more flexible and work in our own rhythms and with our truest natures and purposes, we are starting to redefine what our own spiritual businesses could be. And the value in these services and the welcome relief they provide is on the increase. This is where spiritual business owners require support, the fine line between logical and successful business ideas and unique approaches that support the building of their purposeful brand, into a functional business.

So how do you build a successful business when you are a spiritual practitioner? Most of the time the two attempt to repel one another, a logical and structured business model or plan with the fluidity of ease and flow and inspired action of the soul. I want to tell you that it most definitely can be done, but it takes a little work to define the best approach for each person, and that’s where I feel it runs a little differently for Spiritual business owners. And let’s be clear right now, you do not have to sell out or be anything other than what you are to make a business work for you. To try and take a path travelled by a successful business owner already can sometimes feel unwelcome, and uncomfortable. We need to appreciate that we can learn all the options available in business and then we find our own pathway, as we were not made to follow the functionality of another, we need to seek out what feels aligned for us and pick and choose the methods that we feel can challenge us yet also provide us with the best platforms and foundations.

So how can you get started? Here are my questions for you to establish a solid foundation for your business, and understanding of what the business provides and who you are serving.

What does success look like?

• To have a successful business it’s important to define what success means to you. It’s not just monetary terms that fulfil a spiritual business owner but education, recognition, changing lives, improving things etc. So please define what success would mean to you and how you would know when you’ve achieved it.

What does value feel like?

• When we talk about money we can feel uncomfortable and price our services too cheaply through fear. You have to determine what feels like a fair and aligned energetic exchange when it comes to receiving value for the services you provide. It may be that you choose to work for receiving other items you need, so that often times money isn’t involved directly but that you get what you need. This is an older way of working yet it should not be discounted as we need to realise money is energy and if we get what we need ultimately then we have what we want. So in alignment with the question about regarding success, what does value feel like to you as an fair energetic exchange for your services, and how can you get comfortable transparently advertising and talking about that amount?

What contribution do you want to make in the world and why?

• What is the ultimate purpose of the gift you offer the world through your business and how does this fulfil your souls calling? This is a time to think big and determine what you bring to the world through your existence and the existence of your business. Once you have established this you can repurpose it to use as mission statements, values for your brand and also to guide you when making decisions.

Who do you serve?

• Think about who you connect with the most, who you enjoy working with the most and the types of people who benefit from your services the most. Define those people in age, life experiences, gender, personality traits and characteristics. Get to know the reason you connect with these people the most and how you support and help them the most. Then you can determine who you are meant to work with and how you can connect with them.

What are your services?

• Now is the time to create approximately 2-3 services, types of services with differing lengths and price points. Once you are in business and serving clients you will evolve and change these, so do not worry about the perfection of these, just go with what works for you now and what you can offer so you have something to sell and work with. Once people have experienced what you do you can work with them to improve the experiences, services and get testimonials to support your attraction marketing in the future also.

How do you want to let people know you exist?

• Once you have the foundations of your business you need to get started, you need to go out there and get clients, so how do you want to market your business, maybe through social media, maybe through fliers, expos, word of mouth or even friends and family. See what feels in alignment with your values and what supports your why in business and you’ll get there. All you have to do is start with one particular method and allow the others to grow after you have mastered one initially.

It is never easy to start a business, whether it is spiritual or not, you will come up against a lot of your own mental blocks and challenges, these are all opportunities for your growth, because once you are more on your purposeful path you evolve and grow and that is through facing the things that could hold you back. So use the courage, the commitment, the vulnerability you have and tap into your self awareness to know these triggers, your personal blind spots and see them for what they are, your guide posts for evolving and being able to help even more people on the other side.

I hope this has enlightened and connected you, to bring a greater sense of purpose to you and your gifts, and if you’d like to delve deeper you can take part in my 7 day Business Building Challenge (www.alisoncallan.com/7daybizchallenge) , which will take you on a further journey to define and create your conscious business foundations, with logic and fulfilment.