Apr 29, 2022
Today's short solo-episode fits under the P of Passion.
As you know, the Passion is the first of the 7Ps of the Humane Marketing Mandala. Passion or Purpose. They go hand in hand.
We start out with that P to make sure we create a business and marketing that feels good, even long term. If we build a business just for money-making, we'll probably get bored of it or even end up hating it. So today, I'm sharing my story of the first business I created out of circumstance and what it taught me down the line once I started losing my passion for it.
In this episode, you'll learn about what to do if you lost your passion
- My first business created out of circumstance
- Looking for your why
- Questions to ask yourself to find your why
- and so much more
Sarah's Resources
(FREE) Sarah’s One Page Marketing Plan
(FREE) Sarah Suggests Newsletter
(FREE) The Humane Business Manifesto
(FREE) Gentle Confidence Mini-Course
Marketing Like We're Human - Sarah's book
Authentic & Fair Pricing Mini-Course
Email Sarah at sarah@sarahsantacroce.com
Thanks for listening!
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Sarah
Imperfect Transcript of the show
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Sarah: [00:00:00] [00:01:00] [00:02:00] Welcome back humane marketers. Today's short solo episode fits under the P of passion. If you're a regular here, you know that I'm organizing the conversations around the seven PS of the humane marketing. Mandalah in a, this is your first time here, a big warm welcome. Maybe you don't know what I'm talking about, but you can tell.
Your one page marketing plan with the humane marketing version of the seven P's of marketing@humane.marketing forward slash one page. That's the number one. And then page it comes with seven email prompts to really [00:03:00] help you reflect on these different PS for your business and marketing. So as a, you know, the passion P is the first of the seven PS of the humane marketing Mandalah passion or Perth posts.
They kind of go hand in hand and I used them interchangeably sometimes. So we started out with that P to make sure we create a business and marketing that feels. Even long-term right. If we build a business just for the money, we'll probably get bored of it or even end up hating it down the road. And so my first business wasn't a passion business.
It was a, what I call a circumstance business back then we had just arrived in California. So I had to. Corporate job here in Switzerland, I was working at an international business school in, in marketing and other related things. And so we arrived in [00:04:00] California. I settled put the kids up, but preschool and daycare, and then eventually started out my own business.
And at the time I thought I'm going to go into being a virtual assistant. So that was the first business idea I had. But then back in the days, that was in 2006, 2007. It was like in the middle of the social media, boom, everything, Twitter was brand new. Facebook was kind of also in the starting blocks.
And so I learned all about using social media for my own business. And then I thought, wait a minute, if I can do. That launch a business for my own. I can help other entrepreneurs and small businesses with their social media as well. And I was kind of, I w I wouldn't say passionate about it, but I enjoyed doing.
And so that was what I decided I would do. And so when we moved back to [00:05:00] Switzerland in 2010, I then kind of pivoted to LinkedIn only to focus in on LinkedIn because that's where I saw a need over here in Switzerland. Some of the other social platforms weren't big yet. Like Facebook people were using it for personal need, but not on a professional side where LinkedIn, they understood.
Okay. We can use that for our business. And so, yeah, it was a circumstance business. It also really. Fit me well for about a decade, because I was able to raise our boys at the same speed. I grew my business, so it served its purpose, but damn, after these 10 years or about around that time, I really disrespected a big rule in the Santa Croce household.
And that is leave at the top of the demand. So Tony, my husband, and I often say that to each other mate, let's make sure we leave at the top of the mountain. [00:06:00] So what we mean by that is like leave or, or, or yeah, go or, or don't do it again before things turn back. And, and that's the rule. I didn't respect because slowly but surely things started turning bad.
I started to lose my passion for LinkedIn. I started to hate marketing my LinkedIn business. Well, that's actually a good thing because it led to the humane marketing revolution. But yeah, I really, I really just kind of lost passion for, for this. Not passion related business. So I yeah, it made me realize I didn't build my business around a passion or.
So I did what I always did back then. I went into the doing mode. I started looking for my why, and it really just almost drove me crazy. I remember having these [00:07:00] long conversations with my friend, Valerie and just saying, look, I think I just don't have a why. I don't know. It's I can't find it. I'm not passionate about this LinkedIn thing, but I don't know what else.
Should be my why. It felt like I needed a why so badly because everyone else had one. And of course also biggest Simon Sinek said you had to start with the why, but nothing came and it really was a source for anxiety for me. So. Nothing came until I finally surrendered and let go. And yes, I also broke down and wept on that tear.
The therapist's chair is saying that I was done with this whole marketing stuff. But that's literally when answers started coming to me, not long after that moment, I then had an epiphany that told me to reserve the gentle business revolution, domain name, and yeah. That the rest [00:08:00] is kind of history.
That's, that's when the idea of gentle marketing and then, you know, the story about humane marketing and the trademark and all of that. So literally I had to let go and say, okay, Maybe I don't have a why or doesn't matter, I'm just gonna like go of this idea of passion and purpose and in that's when it started coming to me.
So when the participant in the marketing, like we're human program, posted a comment in our Trello board this week that she was stuck with her. Why. I told her exactly that don't pressure yourself to find your passion. And instead, I kind of invited her to ask some of the following questions. So this is kind of, I'm quoting what I said to her.
What if you never worked with a client ever again, what would you do? How would you know you are enough without ever making any more. [00:09:00] Your why might not be business-related at all, but since it's you, you can bring it into business. Maybe it's environment related, animal related universe related relationships related.
What did you enjoy doing when you were a kid? If nothing comes, don't try to find the answers. They will show themselves. Just keep asking the question. So, if any of this resonates in, you're stuck with your why as well. I really just highly recommend you let it go and just surrender. The more you hate marketing, the more I suspect there's something wrong at the core either you're no longer passionate about your business or you've been following the wrong marketing and device, because if you're really passionate about your business and marketing, From within bringing all of you yourself to your marketing, it really should [00:10:00] just flow.
And if it doesn't, I suspect you're still doing things that are not aligned with who you are and, or maybe also your whole offering is no longer aligned with who you really are. That often happens when people are told that they have to choose a niche and end up choosing something that after a while, no longer works for them.
If you're stuck in any of these situations, I truly believe the marketing like where human program could help you. It's more than marketing. It's really humane business building. It's about creating the foundations for a sustainable business. So. It'll go back to enjoy communicating with your ideal clients.
You can have a look at the program. You can take it online right now. It also comes with a full year of humane marketing circle community. So a monthly call to come and ask your questions and be in community. Or you can wait for the group experience, which I'll host again this [00:11:00] August. So again, you can find out all the details@humane.marketing forward slash pro.
I hope does has helped you and maybe, you know, of someone else who is stuck with their, why? If so, I'm not going to say, share this episode, but, but maybe give them also that permission to just surrender and let it go. Because I really think it does contribute to the anxiety and that's the opposite of what we want.
Right. A purpose. Shouldn't be. The result of more anxiety, it should be just like the result of surrendering and dressed and let it letting it come to you. So I hope this resonated with you. You find the show notes of this episode@humane.marketing for slash H M 1 3 8 on this beautiful page. You'll also find a series of free offers.
Such as my [00:12:00] Saturday newsletter, the humane business manifesto and the gentle confidence mini course, as well as my two books marketing, like we're human and selling. Like we're human. Thank you so much for listening and being part of a generation of marketers who cares for yourself, your clients and the planet.
And if you're looking for others who think like you, then why not join us in the humane marketing? Find out more@humane.marketing forward slash circle. We are change-makers before we are marketers. Now go be the change you want to see in the world. Speak soon.