By Shalini Sinha: The Accidental Businesswoman

I’ve been a natural health practitioner – healing bodies and minds – for the last 12 years. Before, as a social justice advocate, I tried to heal societies. It’s no surprise, then, that I find myself applying the principles of natural healing to how to build and grow a business.

I’d like you to think of your business as a living organism – a person perhaps, or a tree. Living things require certain conditions to establish themselves, stay healthy and grow strong. When we know these things and can provide them, we can foster success in business. Not knowing what’s required, and not providing it, can cause our businesses to lose vital energy, fall ill, and even die.

So what are the secrets to life? First, everything is guided by DNA. Fertilisation is required, and a favourable environment encourages growth. Finally, proper nutrition and exercise allow the body to become strong and withstand disease. Malnutrition and lack of movement cause a body to weaken and develop chronic illness.

While DNA is the basis for all life, it is a concept much neglected in business. Who are you? What’s the plan? Do you have a vision and mission statement for your business written down, and posted in a visible area to guide your decisions and actions?

Within each one of my cells is the complete blueprint for my whole being. It didn’t matter that I started as one cell, and then become two, then four, eight and 16. Today I am a community of a trillion cells working together in complex departments. The plan was the same from the beginning, and DNA guided each step to bring me to what I have become today.

If you don’t have robust vision and mission documents written for your business, make it a priority to draft them. You need to imagine what your business will look like over the next five to 10 years, including who you work with, what you are known for, and what the staffing structure is. Can you see who you are going to be?

Many people don’t write this information down because they are embarrassed to admit what their dream is. However, it is only when it is written down that we can admit to ourselves we plan to make this happen. Furthermore, only a written document can become a working tool within your business, guiding your decisions and growth. You may be just one today, but you can’t grow to a community working together in different sections without a clear vision and mission statement.

Fertilisation in business occurs when inspiration meets a determination to act on it. Just like in life, fertilisation is often far too easy, and we are not at all prepared for all the consequences. Many people start businesses without knowledge or information about business. Most importantly, we start it without proper planning. We need someone or something to guide us, and for this, a business mentor or coach can be invaluable.

All living things need the right environment, and in business we are often talking about the market you operate in. However, success in business is often more about seeing things differently and finding opportunities, rather than a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ market. Often more important than the external market environment is the internal environment of the entrepreneur: the mindset. If you are not working on your ‘inner game’, you’re missing a big piece to creating a favourable habitat.

Now we come to the nuts and bolts: nutrition and exercise. Just as many businesses sustain for a while and then fail, most humans struggle with providing themselves with proper nutrition and exercise. Nutrition will come from your key customers, cash flow generation and managing your reserves and outgoings. This area deserves constant analysis. Remember, usually 20 per cent of our offering provides 80 per cent of the revenue. Rather than coming up with new ideas on how to expand, make sure you strengthen the roots of your business by looking after key customers and finding more of the same.

Finally, exercise is a combination of routine, discipline, exertion and stretching. Every business should stretch – for new challenges and opportunities. Every business should also have great routine: know what your basics actions are that generate revenue and do them repeatedly and brilliantly. Stay disciplined by following your vision and mission in hard times and keep evaluating what are the basics you need to do. Never get complacent. Go the extra mile, find a new challenge, do more of what works.

Shalini Sinha is a writer, speaker and business coach with a strong interest in equality and natural health. Connect on Facebook/Twitter at ShaliniBizCoach or email shalini.sinha@referralinstitute.ie.