If you own a coaching, consulting, speaking, healing or other service business, no doubt you have been challenged by the upheaval of the last 2 years. But what if the events that contributed to that upheaval were the very ones that will also catapult your business to the next level?

They are.

I have worked with heart-centered and spiritually oriented service entrepreneurs for more than two decades, and there has never been a more exciting – nor fearful, for many – time than right now. But where too many business owners are finding themselves caught now is “holding back,” waiting until something shifts or changes outside them until they take the steps they want to take to build their business.

It’s time to stop waiting.

You see, waiting to move forward also holds at arms-length the very clients you want to attract. So you become part of the problem, not the solution, by hesitating! Consider these three dangers which I see as monumental – yet very much surmountable – as you envision your future.

Danger #1: Blaming the economy for not moving forward.

Certainly these have been “interesting” economic times of late. But did you know that the vast majority of the companies now in the Fortune 500 were begun during a recession or depression? This is where the opportunities lie! If you are willing to see things differently than the masses – and find opportunity in the midst of chaos and change – you can literally open up a gold mine for your business.

People are investing their money in what they value – and in what they see as the bridge to help them obtain their important goals. But they have to want your services, not just need them. Have you made an emotional, soul-based connection with your prospective clients? If not, they will keep shopping until someone does.

It is also dangerous to believe that once the economic indicators start to uptick, business will be “back to normal.” A whole new definition of normal is emerging! This is not just another economic downturn; it is the emergence of a new way of doing business – what I call the Entrepreneurial Renaissance.™ And it has a whole new set of rules that govern it. Small, virtual, home-based, and entrepreneurial is “in” (much like the emergence of the guilds in medieval times) – and large, red-tape laden, corporate structures are on their way “out.” Anything that is not authentic and aligned with integrity will be brought into the open and eliminated now. But here is exactly where the opportunities lie: in capitalizing on the needs and wants people have now for the personal touch, for meaningful services, and for opportunities to connect with people who share common interests and values.

Question to ask yourself: Am I making business decisions based on a pessimistic attitude or fear about the economy? If so, how can I make a decision based on my vision, with faith, instead?

Stay tuned for danger 2 next week!

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