Here's why I highly recommend we start selling our souls:
Selling your soul is satisfying. It will hit the sweet spots and stick.
Selling what you stand for and what you believe in hits the heart. But it's not scammy, because it's coming from your heart. Sell your product or service in exchange for helping people to feel good. Sell to bring a certain awareness to your gifts, to the light and the good you already have inside. Sell to evoke and radiate certain energy. Sell to inspire. Sell your message. When you sell your story, it will resonate and it will stick to other people's souls.
And yes, by doing all those things, you WILL make money.
Selling your soul organically connects you.
I suppose, up until the last few years, I never gave much thought to the idea of selling or entrepreneurship for that matter. I was a teacher and I never was in the position to sell anything. Teaching was all about knowledge. For me, teaching wasn't so much about scores and tests, but rather it was about modeling good citizenship, mentoring and nurturing confidence within kids. For me, teaching was giving my students permission to create -- to be themselves. For me, teaching was about creating. It was about connection. It was about connecting and creating the important messages.
I now realize that I was in love with being a messenger, and a facilitator and an assistant in the process. I wasn't in love with teaching math or science, as I needed to feel more "ahas" instead of "must dos." But then again, I've always been that way. I run my business on ahas, instead of must-dos, and this approach connects you to what is really important. This aha approach is more practical, and by following it, you can plan your day better and you FEEL better, too.
Selling your soul will save you time and a lot of heartache.
BSS (Before Sapphire Soul), I had always thought that if you want to make money, you open a business. You come up with a product. You have a sense of hardness. You need to be a dick in order to make money. I had only been exposed to a-hole business owners that treated people like jerks in order to make a profit. They would sit on their high horses, not really ever digging their hands into the business or lives of their employees. They would never take the time to realize how amazing their customers and employees were and how hard they worked. As soon as I made the decision to start a business, I knew exactly how it would NOT run.
By keeping it personal and by listening to my intuition, I dodged many business bullets that would have taken years of ego mending and a lot of money to recover from. The times when I made some bad business decisions were the times I decided to listen to the rational, ego and mind side of myself.
Selling your soul will mean not settling.
Early on when I first started my business, there were people who told me I was too nice for business. That I couldn't and shouldn't start donating money to charity because it's "not a smart business move." My response: "It feels good to give back. And the whole point of me 'doing' this business is to feel good."
I remember very clear conversations with very smart, close friends who would say, "Al, you can't have it all. You can't have it both ways. It's just how it is. It's just the way it works. You can't have a business and be a great mom. You can't make money and pick up your kid and clean the house all in the same day. You can't say THAT to your boss. You can't be THAT honest. You can't. You can't. You can't." To which I would say, "I can. I will. Watch me."
I'd have people telling me to be grateful for my 9-5 job with my work from home day and to not push the envelope, and to float under the radar and just do my job and be happy that I have a job.
I've never been one to float under the radar.
I always want more. I always want different. And, when people tell me, "you'll never be happy" it's actually quite the opposite. Lately, because I've granted myself permission to want more and I've gained more clarity, I'm happier than I've ever been, even under quite stressful circumstances.
And I've never been one to settle. I'm so okay with my inability to not settle that it's unsettling.
I highly recommend not settling when you are in business. Settling and happiness often get interchanged and confused with one another. I say: value yourself and your idea of success. Give yourself permission to not settle.
"Selling your soul isn't demeaning... it's divine. It's about creating from the depth of your being and taking it out to the world with strategic savvy... Genius... packaged... Passion... promoted."
-- Marie Forleo + Danielle LaPorte --
Selling your soul is (so) much easier.
Ease. Ahh. Take a deep breath and say the word, ease... It's actually one of my favorite words and resonates throughout my body. Just picture: what if selling your soul meant keeping it easy?
When I first started my business, I have to admit that I wasn't (quite) ready to go public with my soul. For a long time, I was stuck around my logo, my brand. While these are all important decisions when you are creating a business, it never dawned on me to look within myself. I was the business. Me. I should focus on selling what was planted in my soul, instead of focusing on making it mainstream and selling a representation of me. I should just sell... me. And you should just sell... you.
Selling your soul is sexy.
Being authentic sometimes takes time, and it definitely takes courage. It is possible to say YES to what you want, that is, when you figure out what the hell you want. I've attracted more customers, clients and revenue by going with an original idea other than what someone else might think is a "good" idea. Does this make me smarter? No, but it does mean that I'm very tuned in to what I can deliver and how I deliver it. People are intrigued, turned on, lit up and they want more. Then, they want to know how THEY can do it (and by doing it, I mean sell their soul).
Selling your soul isn't evil. Selling your soul is satisfying. You will organically connect with the right people. It will save you time. You will keep growing and wanting more. Authenticity is easier than trying to be something or someone else, and it's damn sexy. Making a deal with the devil and selling something just to make money is so 1999... Instead, make a deal with yourself, sell what you can feel good about, it will last longer than any amount of money.
Allison Dailey is the Soulistic Life Stylist and mamapreneur of Sapphire Soul, the holistic subscription box made for self-care and strengthening the body-mind-soul connection. She's also creator of Soulisticlife.com, a lifestyle blog for the soul. As a Desire Map Facilitator, product maven and modern-boho mentor, she believes in balance, having it all, immeasurable creativity and love.
Allison resides in Michigan with her husband, small soul and two fur-babies. She enjoys a good yoga and bff sesh, Starbucks green tea lattes and lazy Sunday Fundays. She loves running her soul-based biz from home and connecting with people all over the globe.