You may think it’s strange to talk about love when developing strategies to grow your business. I think not. One of my favorite business books was author and speaker Tim Sanders’ first best seller originally published in 2002, Love is the Killer App.
Your business life is not separate from your personal or “real” life. Learning to live out your purpose and your values delivers for you a level of fulfillment and joy that transcends the marketplace. To be loving is to be authentic. You want to help the people you come in contact with - to be successful, to be happy, to be growing.
To discover what it means to bring love to your whole life, think about its opposite. I don’t believe that hate is the opposite of love. And though it’s a tempting thought, apathy is not the ultimate opposite of love either. I believe that FEAR is the opposite of love.
Love casts away fear. Love emboldens you and empowers you to become everything you are meant to be. Love gives you the courage to risk — rejection, ridicule, failure. That courage allows you to give fully of yourself, to share your craziest creativity and your boldest solutions.
Dare to love yourself enough to live out loud and fly your freak flag, live out your real you and show how much you care. The authentic you - free from ulterior motives and focused on helping others (yes, loving others) is your differentiator and the thing that will make you stand out.
Dare to love your customers and want only their best interest. Dare to love your suppliers and become a genuine partner who gives in full measure. This means expecting positive intent from others. That is a risk that may burn you from time to time. But you’ll be happier and you’ll be prouder of the person you are when you allow yourself to trust and give others the permission to be loving in return.
Paul Kiewiet MAS+ is an industry speaker, writer, consultant and coach. He serves as the executive director of MiPPA. Kiewiet was inducted into the PPAI Hall of Fame and the MiPPA Hall of Fame. He served as Chairman of PPAI in 2007. A former distributor, he founded Promotion Concepts, Inc in 1982 and worked with some of America’s most valuable brands including Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, and Whirlpool.