The Holistic Entrepreneur.

What is the holistic approach to success in business?? It involves building a culture in your company that starts with entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen.? The health, safety, and well-being of yourself and your employees is the second ingredient.? Prioritizing faith, family and integrity comes next, followed by participation in and giving back to your community.

A great place to start is to define your why. This is a step that many people skip when they first start planning a new business venture and it is a critical step to overlook. Why are you in business? What are your goals? ?What is the purpose of your business?? There is no right or wrong answer here.? Specifically defining the purpose of your business will give you direction and help you prioritize the development and growth of your business.? Our family's “why” is to become financially successful so that we can support the development of a charitable foundation that provides vacations and experiences for families living with disabilities. ?Your why may be as simple as developing generational wealth to support your children and grandchildren into the future, long after you are gone.?

“What is your mission statement?” is the next question that you need to answer.? Mission statements are short, direct declarations that define the ultimate goal of your business.? “To be the best family-oriented, independent fast-food restaurant in town.” and “The home cleaning company that is 100% sustainable and only uses all-natural products.”?are good examples.? Everyone associated with your business, your customers, your employees and your partners/vendors all should know your why and your mission statement.? This is what will capture the attention of your customers and make them want to know more about your business.? Do not underestimate the marketing value that these statements provide.

Entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen are at the top of the list for a simple reason.? You must plan for and operate your business in an efficient manner, which will provide income and stability for your business.? Without this the other things will not matter, because there will be no business.? Survival is the most basic instinct, and your company should have a drive to grow and succeed built into every aspect of it.

Supporting the health, well-being and safety of you and your employees are the other basic instincts that your business can satisfy for you.? This is not coddling your employees.? It is about creating a culture where your business and your employees can thrive.? This is critical for maintaining employee retention and morale, including your own.? Prioritizing faith and family, acting ethically, social responsibility, work/life balance and doing the right thing are all values that fall into this category.? The overall culture that your business creates is a living, evolving thing that must be developed with intention and supported throughout the life of your business.

Your business’s participation in its local community is the final ingredient.? This community may be a group of social media sites that exist entirely on the web and in your customer’s imagination.? If your business has a physical location, which may even be your home, then your community is the town you live in or the area that your?company serves.? Joining, and participating in your local chamber of commerce is a great way to accomplish this goal.? ?The Chamber will enable you to get to know and network with the other entrepreneurs in your area.? A good chamber will also be your connection to elected officials, schools, places of worship and the community as a whole.? Giving back to your local community is also a part of this.? It may be a community service project that The Chamber is sponsoring.? Supporting local non-profit organizations is another great way to give back.? The local Lions Club and other community service organizations also exist in most towns and provide for the specific needs of the community that they dwell in.

By adopting a holistic mindset and culture for your business, you will be supporting the health and well-being of your company as well as the community and customers that you serve.? Businesses that genuinely care for their mission, their employees, their customers and their community tend to be more successful than companies that don’t.? If your intention is simply to make money and nothing else, then you are not seeing the greater picture.? You may still achieve success, but a more holistic business approach will provide intangible rewards like customer loyalty and a greater sense of belonging and accomplishment.? These are things that money cannot buy.

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