What is a Heart-centered Entrepreneur?

If you're anything like me, you have a strong desire in your heart to be of service to others and have a lifestyle aligned with your values. And yet, while your heart yearns for this, you have too many commitments and responsibilities to take a leap of faith into a whole new lifestyle and start a business without a plan - you have to be practical.

Perhaps you're not even sure if it's realistic or possible for anyone, including yourself, to still be able to pay the bills and take care of your family as a healer and heart-centered entrepreneur. You dream of it though, and this desire in your heart keeps getting stronger instead of going away. And yet, it seems so impossible and impractical to leave your established career or job to embark on a new journey, even though your current situation doesn't speak to your soul.

It's possible though. I've done it, and I've helped others to do it too.

After high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do, and so at my parents encouragement I went to college and studied computer science. I didn't have a passion for it, even when I was studying it. I only lasted 3 years in high-tech after graduation before I burned out physically, emotionally and spiritually. I felt like the work I was doing was making the boss richer, and not accomplishing anything helpful for society or individuals. I felt so disconnected from myself, my passion for helping people, and my desire to be healthy, relaxed and well. It seemed like a no-win situation.

As an employee I made enough money to take care of my basic physical needs (car, apartment, food, medical care), but the work was not feeding my spirit and heart. My soul was starving, and I spent all of my free time and money receiving services from and studying with holistic health, wellness and spiritual mentors to try to satiate the hunger in my soul. I learned a great many things over the years, and I found a secret place in my heart that wanted to do this kind of work too.

I spent a long time looking for someone to hire me to do the kind of work my heart called me to do, almost 5 years searching with no results. I saw that a lot of people who went into private practice when they couldn't find a job doing their soul-work were perpetually struggling to pay their bills. It seemed like unless you were really lucky or smart, following your bliss in work didn't result in an ability to thrive in our 3-D world of bills, rent and purchases.

Eventually, I found some people in the healing arts who were able to be of service in a soul-ful and profitable way. So, I asked them a whole lot of questions, and I hired a business coach to help me fill the gaps in my knowledge. Through my experiences, I learned that there were specific skills one had to learn to have a profitable business, and it was a relief to realize that it was possible to be profitable in a way that has integrity and honors my values.

You can do it too! You can become a Heart-centered Entrepreneur with a business aligned with your soul that supports your life.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is passionate about being of service and helping people feel better and change their lives.

She is determined to make a difference in others lives, in local and global communities, and model what she knows about how to live well, be in abundance and create prosperity through creativity and collaboration.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is committed to creating businesses that are not only in alignment with personal and ethical values, but that support their chosen lifestyles too.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is a leader and pioneer, committed to making change in the world by facilitating their own ongoing healing and growth and that of others.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur follows her bliss, doing work she loves and feels called to do.

A Heart-Centered Entrepreneur is someone who realizes the significant impact her mindful,heart-centered business can have on the world at large by modeling how collaboration, values based decision making and commitment to personal growth are sustainable, fulfilling and successful.

Do you have what it takes to become a Heart-centered Entrepreneur? I believe you do!

The world needs your talents as a healing professional. There are people out there hoping to find you to help them bring their lives and spirits back into balance. Stop hiding your gifts and giving them away to just family and friends.

Are you:

• trained in one or more healing or wellness modalities like Reiki, Polarity, Holistic Health Coaching, Spiritual Healing, Yoga, Massage/Bodywork, Feng Shui, Astrology, Shamanism, Herbalism etc...?
• living with a secret desire to have a lifestyle more aligned with your values where you work at your own private practice/business?
• too responsible and practical to take a leap of faith in starting a new business without training, support and a plan?
• working full time in your old career (or in your family) and need support and guidance in creating an exit strategy and transition plan into the life you dream of?
• new to entrepreneurship and need training and new skills so that your heartcentered business/practice will thrive and support your life?
• needing practical, real-life financial advice, strategy and support?

I can help! I can help you get clear on how to create and run a heart-centered business, create and implement a time line and exit strategy into your desired life.

You can learn how to make space in your current life for learning new skills and launching a heart-centered business, identify and work through emotional roadblocks and limiting beliefs that get in the way of progress towards your goals, develop a unique niche in the marketplace with a carefully crafted offering to your potential clients, authentic positioning and marketing, and client attraction plan, become comfortable with the heart-centered sales and agreement process so you develop long-term working relationships with your clients, establish your business part-time with 4-10 regular clients, map out a 1-5 year transition plan with achievable milestones and action plans, create a sustainable, practical financial plan for your transition, implement advanced heart-centered business strategies to grow your business, write your own realistic business plan and reference guide to keep you on track with your goals and timeline.

Ask me how you can become a Heart-centered Entrepreneur.

Join Joanna at the LIFEARTHEART expo on June 11th

Joanna is speaking at the LIFEARTHEART Expo on June 11, 2011 in Marblehead, MA about how to become a thriving Heart-centered Entrepreneur.

From Heartsick Employee to Heart-Centered Entrepreneur & Soul-Satisfying Living You want to be of service as a healer and start your own business. The world needs your talents as a healing professional. There are people out there hoping to find you. No matter what you do, this calling only gets stronger. Where do you start? How do you make the leap? What does it take to be a successful heart-centered entrepreneur?

It's only $5, register here.

Yes, it's true! I'm writing a book.

I have hinted about it on Facebook and Twitter over the last couple of weeks, and yes it's true - I am writing a book!

I am participating in the 2011 Book Boot Camp for the Entrepreneurial Soul with Author's Coach/Editor Lisa Abbate from Word Mountain.

I write my weekly newsletter, but this book requires so much more focus and dedication. Working on my book is incredibly challenging, but I love how much I am learning in the process. Lisa is keeping me motivated and inspired, and she has been teaching me all kinds of things about the publishing industry that I had no idea about.

I chose to work with Lisa because there are so many people who aren't satisfied with their careers and have a secret desire to be of service in the healing arts. They live double lives like I did for years. I worked by day doing what I had to do to make the money to support my life, but I spent all of my free time learning about holistic health and spirituality, going through my own internal healing process, and eventually facilitating healing for others. I was "working" more hours on my spiritual and healing path than I was at my job.

At some point, you just can't go on that way anymore. You get exhausted, and you can no longer ignore the calling. No matter what you do it just gets stronger. The day job needs to go so you can put your energy, ideas and passions into service in the healing arts. Yet, you need to support your life. How do you do that? Where do you start? How do you make the leap from the old paradigm to the freedom of a holistic lifestyle helping others supported by your true work?

That's where my book comes in - with insight, inspiration and practical, heart-centered strategies on how to navigate your personal exit strategy from relying on your job to live into the real life you know you're meant to be living in your heart.

In addition to sharing some of my clients success stories, I'll be interviewing a few of my mentors and role models so their juicy wisdom and guidance can inspire you. The book will cover all aspects of the transformation from your old life to new, with topics spanning the inner worth work and empowerment you'll need to do, proven strategies that allow heart-centered businesses to thrive, and healing your relationship with abundance and money.

I also want to know what you think needs space in this book. What questions do you have about blossoming into a life in the healing arts supported by your true work? What keys are you missing? Where do you feel stuck? I want to hear from you. Please let me know!

I'll be sharing tidbits and asking more questions over the coming months, so stay tuned!

Why do I have to?

When you suggest setting aside time each week for seeing clients, which is a great idea, I have a problem--if I only have one or 2 days a week that I'm available then how will I be able to have people come to me who can't come at those times? This is something that has been bothering me for a long time, that I'll limit the clients I can see (not that they're coming out of the woodwork right now anyway). Is it a matter of trusting that the right clients will be able to make those times, or what?

As for your practice questions, these are great ones! They are very common too. Quite honestly, it DOES feel counterintuitive to limit your practice hours for the very reasons you pointed out. And yet, it turns out to be very beneficial to your practice in the long run.

The first thing I'll mention is that just like when you target your marketing towards a certain ideal client ~ you don't ever have to turn someone away when they ask for your services. Same with when you set your office hours. Having set office hours allows you to give a potential client some concrete options to choose from in order to get started with you. If none of your normal hours work, and if you have flexibility in your schedule and desire to work with this person, you can find a time that's mutually convenient. Remember, you never have to turn someone away if you don't want to. You are in charge!

Let me give you some examples to see if these help demonstrate what I'm talking about.

Recently, I was looking for a bookkeeper. A friend recommended someone, and she sounded great so I gave her a call. We talked about how she could help me, and I asked how to get started. She told me I could come by her home office anytime I wanted, just to give her a call with a heads up of a few minutes before I dropped by in case she was busy. I intended to stop by to see her the following Monday, but I wasn't sure what a good time was to drop by. I didn't want to interrupt her or drop in at a bad time or try to squeeze our session in between other commitments of my own. I felt awkward about the whole thing, so I never stopped by. She didn't call me back to follow up, so I figured she was too busy for a new client anyways. I've had this happen with massage therapists, chiropractors, hair dresser's etc. To me, this feels like the business owner is putting the responsibility of figuring out our appointment time on me instead of making it easy for me to show up when I know she's ready and available to focus on me.

On the other hand, there is a practitioner I've been seeing for years. She makes it incredibly easy for me to see her. She encourages me to purchase a 5 or 10 pack of sessions, and when it's time for a new round she spends a few minutes after our session getting those appointments booked with me so I know exactly when I am going to see her. It's a no brainer. The sessions are pre-paid and booked ahead, and all I have to do is show up and relax. She even sends a reminder email the day before. It takes all the stress and awkwardness out of it. This practitioner has an intuitive knack for making it easier for her clients and keeping her schedule full.

These are extreme examples, but I hope they are helpful in demonstrating the power of making it easy for your clients to schedule. If you leave it up to the client to tell you when they want to come in and see you, most of the time they won't follow through for similar emotional reasons as I described about my experiences with the bookkeeper above. The bookkeeper came across as either too busy to make time for me or too flaky to commit to working with me, neither of which gives me confidence about working with her.

If you have certain time slots allocated for clients on your calendar, when someone contacts you - you can very quickly give this person a few options from your calendar to choose from. This demonstrates confidence and gives the potential client a sense of security that you know what you are doing. It also gives the potential client the message that you are a busy (and therefore valuable) practitioner which gives them even more confidence.

About 90% of the time, people will be able to make one of those times work. In those rare instances when those options don't work, then you can work with the person to find a mutually convenient time. Here's how I would carry out the conversation whether on the phone or over email. Maybe this formula would be helpful?

Practitioner: "Let's get you on the schedule. I am usually in the office on Mon, Tues & Thursday. I could see you on Monday morning at 10am, Tuesday afternoon at 3pm or Thurs at 11am or 6pm. Do any of these work for you?"

If the answer is yes, great! If the answer is no, I would then ask "What time of day or day of the week works best for you?", and then based on the answer, I would suggest something in my schedule that's available most closely to what they need.

Heal & Reclaim what it means to be in Business

One of my clients asked herself this question as she considered jumping with both feet into the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship. Even though she is a very talented and compassionate healer, she wasn't sure she wanted to become a business owner and self-employed practitioner in order to share her gifts with the world. Does this resonate with you?

If there's a small doubting voice in the back of your mind asking if you're sure you have what it takes to open a private practice doing the heart-centered work that you feel called to do, know that you are not alone!

Starting a business can be overwhelming and non-intuitive for heart-centered individuals. In fact, most of us dislike the idea of getting involved with "business" because in the mainstream "business" often seems unhealthy, negative and focused on profit at the expense of the environment, our communities, our neighbors and our hearts.

Why would a heart-centered person with a passion in her heart to help others heal and find balance desire anything to do with that kind of negativity? Of course she wouldn't. Instead, and I am sure you have done this just as I have, she wishes someone else would do the dirty work of running the business and hire her to do the life changing, world healing work with clients without getting involved with the business aspects. If only it was that easy!

The truth is that in this economy, in current Western culture, those life-affirming, well paying jobs for healers (who work on any level of mind, body, psyche or spirit) that we hope for are rare. The truth is that we cannot leave the "dirty" work of running a business to those who don't understand what we're doing, and we simply cannot successfully guide and facilitate the healing of others without healing our own relationship with money and business.

We need to heal and reclaim the notion of what it is to be in business and to be in service.

We ~ the progressive, intuitive healers who are ushering in a new (or old depending on how you look at it) paradigm of living in harmony with mother nature and within our own human communities ~ need to transform the act of being in business into a heart-centered, relationship oriented, abundance focused enterprise.

We are on the cutting edge of this healing evolution, and it's up to us to show our clients, our students, and everyone else how to live and work in harmony.

That's a pretty big responsibility, isn't it? And yet, it wouldn't be honest or healthy if we ignored this aspect to our own healing and growth. Do you have what it takes to be in a heart-centered business for yourself? I believe you do.

If you have what it takes to be committed to your own well-being, your own spiritual development and to treating others with love and compassion, then I know in my heart that you have the kind of commitment it takes to grow a heart-centered business that provides healing and growth opportunities for those who are seeking. Not only that, you have what it takes to allow your heart-centered work to be a channel for abundance, prosperity and love in your life.

Starting a heart-centered business is simply another part of your personal healing journey, and I invite you to join me on this path if there is an urging in your heart to help others. Don't be afraid to follow your heart. You don't have to figure everything out on your own. I can show you how to be an intuitive, inspired business owner that works and lives with integrity, compassion and abundance.

Yes, you are ready! You can do this! Sign up here.

Heartfelt Questions and Answers about the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship

I think what's holding me back is the thought that I don't really know if our styles will mesh. I love the principles and intent behind the apprenticeship description you wrote -- I love the mission and the structure :) -- but it's very "business-like", and I can't tell whether to expect a more impersonal, business-like mentorship over the 12 weeks, or if it's meant to be more like heart-felt counseling. It could be the latter, but simply framed in a New England style that I've grown less accustomed to!

I am so glad that you brought this up! I've been in New England my whole life, and while I know the culture here can be kind of stiff and formal - it's nice to get your perspective. My mission is to shift the paradigm of business from being impersonal to heart-centered. I do believe that you will find the program to be very heart-centered.

During the first six weeks, we delve deep into your heart to uncover the fears, doubts and limiting beliefs that are holding you back in growing your business. These six weeks also include tools and practices to help you get in touch and stay in touch with your heart for all of the decisions you need to make.

The last six weeks, we look at how to take what you know in your heart and transform it into a business that attracts clients to you because your communication / marketing / advertising resonates with their hearts. So yes, it's very heart-felt but there are some practical business practices mixed in.

Another question I have regards course materials, can they be furnished electronically? (I'm out of the country and I notice the program description mentions a workbook)

Everything in this program is available electronically. The lessons come to you via email each week which include content and sometimes recorded lectures to listen to on your own time. When we connect as a group it's via a conference call, and our private sessions can be done over Skype or telephone. All of the content in the workbook is included in the content in the emails, but it's also available at an additional price as an electronic file if you preferred to print it out to write in it.

Finally, what is the anticipated time commitment each week for the apprenticeship? (how much time would you recommend be set aside to reap its full benefits?)

For the first six weeks, I recommend giving yourself 90 minutes to listen to the class lectures and then scheduling another 90 minutes later in the week to work on the exercises. For the 2nd six weeks, I recommend spending 2-3 hours each week working on the exercises. Our group coaching masterminds are 60 minutes, once or twice a month. Then your private coaching sessions with me will be 30 minutes, once each month.

Request more info or sign up here.