Always lead with generosity

A few weeks ago, someone reached out in a Facebook group asking for advice for entrepreneurs who were ready to uplevel their businesses. I was one of the chosen entrepreneurs, and you can read the list here. My quote was all about leading with generosity. A large majority of my networking and promotion is done in Facebook groups where I do Q&As, and in my free consult calls. I don’t hold back info, and put relationship building before the sale. Now don’t get me wrong… sales are important. But my experience is that the more I share, the more revenue I end up bringing in.

Here’s why I think it’s important to lead with generosity…

At the start of my businesses, I was SO SCARED of putting myself and my products out into the world. I worried about someone copying my work (they did), copying my packages (they did, and offered them for less), or if they used some of my service providers like my local printer, that he’d be so busy he wouldn’t have time for my projects.

That’s bullshit.

Even when people copied what I did, they couldn’t copy HOW I did it. I am me, and my services aren’t the same as someone who isn’t even creative enough to come up with their own designs and packages. And guess what? My printer getting busier meant he invested in new machines, in extra staff… he was able to keep his doors open. All of these fears were coming from a scarcity mindset, and if you haven’t already noticed, they put the focus on ME and not on my clients. And guess what there showed up clearest? My bottom line.

By being open and generous with my information and advice, I gave better service to my clients, I gave myself back some of my work time (because I could direct them to my resource page instead of having to answer every little thing), it supported other businesses (who btw, refer back to me too!), and it did WONDERS for my bottom line… Suddenly I was in flow… I had to turn away work (and refer to other designers)… and it took away that desperate feeling I used to have when trying to secure work. I can honestly say that every time a project comes to a close, I have this brief moment of “Oh shit, what’s next?” and I have someone new arrive on my doorstep the next day. All of this because of shifting towards abundance.

Like I said in my quote on that blog, when you give really valuable, juicy info up front, whether it’s advice in a Facebook group, a kickass opt-in offer, or a super valuable webinar or newsletter… people are left thinking “If the FREE stuff she gives away is THAT good – what’s the paid stuff like?” This establishes you as an expert. It makes people feel good. It builds your fan base. It gets you heart-felt testimonials and people talking about you.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?