Listening Your Way Through a Pandemic: A Guide for Conscious Entrepreneurs

NOTE: This post originally appeared on my blog.

It started in mid-March. A wave of free calls and webinars. On topics like:

• How to get your business online
• How to manage your stress
• Yoga and fitness online
• Care circle calls
• Meditation circles
• and much, much more.

Over the past 2 weeks, the wave has turned into a tsunami.  So. Many. Calls.

I get it. People want to be helpful. As we are being instructed to practice "social distancing" and as many of us are settling into a period of being mostly at home that's now measured in weeks, the desire to CONNECT with other humans is strong.

3 Problems Conscious Entrepreneurs Face Now

In the context of this explosion of free and low cost calls, I'm hearing 3 concerns conscious entrepreneurs are feeling about sharing your skills, knowledge and offerings:

1. There's so much out there, that much of it feels like noise. Mostly not badly intended, but still ... it all starts to sound the same. It's easy to think, "Why should I bother putting something out when there's already so much?"
2. There is a concern about appearing opportunistic. This is the biggest crisis in our lifetime. And there are some people putting things out there that feel tone deaf. "I don't want to be perceived that way." 
3. There are concerns about charging for your offerings given how many people have been economically impacted by this crisis.

These are all very valid concerns in my opinion. And, I think there's a tool to help navigate these waters.

Listening Your Way Through a Pandemic 

The tool I'm suggesting to clients and Awarepreneurs Community members to help navigate these uncharted waters is listening. It's the foundational skill of empathy and innovation. And many of the "tone deaf" and "it all sounds the same" concerns start to melt away when you can pause the urgency feelings, the ones that say "I need to do something NOW", and listen your way into deeper and more creative expressions of your skills.

Specifically, I'm recommending 3 things:

1. Be very mindful of who not to listen to. You're not on this planet to help everyone. There's large segments of humanity who you aren't in a good position to serve. For instance, I'm not here to help the leaders of large businesses that operate in single bottom line ways. It's not my mission or what I've trained to do. Others are much better equipped for that than I am. I don't wish them harm - and I give myself permission to invest zero energy in this direction.  
2. Take a moment to remember who you are here to serve. The events of the past few weeks have shaken things up. It would easy to get a little fuzzy re: who your ideal client is. Take some time to emotionally and spiritually reorient yourself in this way.
3. Listen to those folks. Listen hard. Listen deeply. It might be a reach out via your email list or spending time in a thoughtful way in a social media group where those folks gather. Or it might be a series of networking calls. I honestly don't care about the format of the listening. What I am recommending is you make intentional listening a practice before you send out any new marketing or offers.

The Results of Intentional Listening in a Time of Crisis

The commitment to deepening the practice of listening has helped me find my way through this tsunami of online calls, programs, gatherings, circles and the like. I feel much more connected to what my ideal clients (conscious business owners and social entrepreneurs) are struggling with. My business is actually up slightly - with no additional marketing or special offers. I'm deeply grateful.

Things have shifted in my business. It feels like they've shifted profoundly. The shifts are subtle, energetic and based on empathy - without a huge pivot or rush to launch new programs.

What's Your Experience?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on listening your way through a pandemic. Do you know who you are wanting to serve? Do you know where to go to listen what's up for them? Have you been trying the practice of deep listening in this poignant time?

I'd be honored if you'd share your thoughts, questions and/or experiences in the form of a comment below.