The 4 Pillars of a Soulful Business

In business, like in yoga, we’re always seeking a dynamic balance between effort (strength) & surrender (flexibility). As we move into more complex phases of growth + impact (asana), we need to adapt our activities to keep finding grace & flow.

There are lots of aspects to business – maybe as many as there are muscles in our bodies! I like to use Ken Wilber’s 4 quadrant model to group them into dimensions / perspectives. Together, they create a whole, an integral picture of business. Therefore, like a natural ecosystem or the human body, each aspect affects & influences the others.

Here’s a summary of the different pillars of an online business:

Similarly, according to Hinduism, our soul has 4 main goals (puruṣārtha) in order to reach self-realization. Just like the doshas, we have our own personal blend for a meaningful life.

When we superimpose the 2 tables, we come to a fascinating view of a soulful business model:

As within, so without

In personal development + psychology, we often hear that we’re the common denominator of our (frustrating) circumstances. I’ve also heard that all the problems of a business are a reflection of the CEO’s level of consciousness.

Thus, if your business feels a bit stale or capped in its growth, the answer resides in you. You need to change your mindset &/or approach to how you express your soul’s calling through your choices + activities.

I like to use the 4 pillars of a soulful business as a map to discover where I may be ready to grow in 1 or several areas of my business & then do the inner work (journaling, contemplation, shadow work, affirmations) to shift my energy around my blocks + take aligned action.

1. Genius offer & positioning - Artha

Elements of business:
Ideal customer avatar (customer segment, users & customers)
Genius offer + positioning (value proposition, products & services)
Pricing & sales (revenue streams)

Soulful goal:
Artha – increase your revenue + profits
(wealth, career, activity to make a living, financial security + economic prosperity)

Tools for personal growth + business mastery:
Gene keys
Human design

Affirmation:
I own my value.

If your offers aren’t exciting to you or your customers, you might need to get to know them + yourself better. All too often, we think we should serve a certain demographic when actually, we’d thrive + feel more fulfilled using our gifts + talents at a different level of need.

As we gain in expertise & let go of unhelpful beliefs, it’s only normal to need to update our goals. This level of self-honesty will invariably infuse more fun + meaning into your work, informing what you want to do & for whom.

2. Customer's journey - Dharma

Elements of business:
Marketing plan + services delivery (channels, touchpoints)
Customer’s journey (customer relationship)

Soulful goal:
Dharma – pursue + execute your mission, help / serve more clients, have more impact
(the pursuit and execution of your nature & true calling, thus playing your role in cosmic concert)

Tools for personal growth + business mastery:
CRM best practices

Affirmation:
I embody generosity & non-attachment as I work towards a greater purpose with my community.

Designing a coherent customer’s journey will help them progress towards their goal while deepening your relationship with them. It’s about being of service, solving a real problem & delighting them with your brand + thoughtful attentions.

Your business is bigger than you – it’s a living entity that’ll evolve with your customers, your team & society. You need to listen & adapt so that you stay current + purposeful.

3. Project management for work / life integration - Kama

Elements of business:
Systems + operations (key resources to create, deliver + capture value)
Project management (key activities to perform well)
Holistic profitability (cost structure)

Soulful goal:
Kama – design a lifestyle you love (work / life integration, health, relationships, etc.)
(desire, wish, passion, emotions, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection & love)

Tools for personal growth + business mastery:
Ayurvedic daily cycle
Moon phases astrology
Free project planner

Affirmation:
As I follow my intuition + pleasure, I fulfill my life’s mission.

Work / life balance has a bad rep. Some people even say it’s a myth. I wholeheartedly disagree!

Just like in yoga, we’re constantly in movement & what we need to find balance varies according to the pose we’re doing. Crow pose (a crouched handstand) is more challenging that Mountain pose (standing upright). As we fully engage our muscles + activate our energy lines, we’re inspired into a variation (let’s straighten our arms, or bend backward!).

The same thing happens in business + life – as we do our best, we’re led to evolve & we must adapt. The activities we choose to do at any moment is our balancing act. If we’re misaligned, we might get exhausted / bored / stumped & that’s our cue to adjust how we spend our time + energy.

4. Team culture & leadership - Moksha

Elements of business:
Team (key partners for leverage)

Soulful goal:
Moksha – spiritual liberation, release from pain & suffering
(comes from self-knowledge + consciousness of oneness)

Tools for personal growth + business mastery:
Artist’s date

Affirmation:
I focus on what nourishes me & I ask for help for the rest.

The next level of organization consciousness is one where we thrive on all levels – financially, emotionally, physically & spiritually. This means that we must carefully choose who we hire & surround ourselves with, people that share that desire of personal growth + accountability.

Beyond empowering our team, we must actually distribute power – fully relinquish most of the decisions + tasks of the business, provide decision-making best practices & trust our team to do the right thing. It’s just a mindset shift but your business will become much more responsive + innovative & it’ll free you to focus on the other pillars ;)

These 4 pillars are so powerful, I’ve structured my mentorship sessions around them!

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Now I want to know:

Which business pillar or soulful goal comes most easily to you? Which would need some TLC?
Let me know in the comments below!

Marie xo