How EQ Enables Entrepreneurs ??

Like many, when the ball dropped at midnight, my focus lasered in on my 2023 goals—one of which is creating more content to inspire individuals interested in entrepreneurship. If you get a mustard seed of energy thinking about taking control of your career, diving into a new project, or launching something of your own—I’m talking to you.

In January, I shared more about how a New Year is an ideal time to reconsider the trajectory of your professional journey. If you missed that article, you can catch up here. But this month, I’m turning the spotlight back on myself. I started Blossm Social Media Marketing & Consulting three years ago, and I’m here today to share what I’ve learned along the way.

In 2010, which for most of us feels like a blink ago, entrepreneurship was actually on the decline across the United States. According to Biz Journal, the percentage of American adults starting or running new businesses fell to 7.7%. In fact, entrepreneurship was on such drastic decline, the Economic Innovation Group calls the 2010s the lost decade in American entrepreneurship. Yet 13 years later, there are more than 31 million entrepreneurs in the United States. The number one motivator sparking this entrepreneurial boom? Pursuing a passion. What is the biggest tool for doing work that aligns with your passion and purpose? Emotional Intelligence.?

Understanding Passion

Passion is a beautiful force, but years ago, when I was considering the creation of Blossm, I was driven by a desire to be in control of my career. Though I had a list of concerns about diving into the deep end, ultimately, my faith far outweighed my fear.

The decision to create my own agency was actually one of the simplest and clearest decisions I’ve ever had—but please don’t confuse a simple decision with a successful outcome. After forming my business, I woke up a Founder with a mission to have a thriving company. In a time when Corporate America was requiring employees to leave their personal lives at the office doors, I opted for a different approach.?

Since the creation of Blossm in 2019, our mission has been consistent: to elevate organizations through social media marketing solutions. We do this with an individual approach, ensuring our clients have access to the right tools, education, and insights to be future-proof—and we pride our agency on an absolute vibe that’s unmatched. Our clients are trailblazers working to challenge the status quo and discover new ways to grow. This deep understanding of my personal passion has guided Blossm’s culture and helped us lean into work with a purpose-driven mindset.

Building with Purpose

Quite simply, passion fuels purpose—and at Blossm, we’ve found that by leading with our passions, we’ve established a portfolio of companies that approach their work with a clear purpose—companies that want to work with us. While designation as a purpose-driven organization may not have meant as much in 2010, the major events since 2020 have led us to realize that there is more to life than work. And while we need work, we now look at it from a macro-perspective.?

Frankly, entrepreneurs with a clear purpose inspire more trust. Purpose matters for people and organizations which means from talent attraction to employee well-being through client retention and succession planning—the entrepreneurs that are consistent with their purpose are more successful at every phase.?

Workplace EQ

Emotional intelligence is critical for interpersonal communication across the business world, and I would assert that is because emotional intelligence provides the framework that entrepreneurs need to build successful and sustainable businesses. Very Well Mind recently underscored this sharing that in a survey of hiring managers, almost 75% of respondents requested that they valued an employee’s EQ more than their IQ.

At Blossm, I was intentional about creating a space where passion and purpose can drive profit, and for companies looking to lean into EQ, here are a few places to start:?

1. Identify shared motivations
2. Listen to your team about what matters to them
3. Providing ongoing training opportunities around stress management and employee development

Positive Psychology has additional resources for companies looking to develop workplace emotional intelligence.

In what ways are you working to develop your EQ in the workplace? If you’d like to hear about how we approach EQ at Blossm, please send me a message!