The Calmpreneur
Ali Abdaal recently shared a video on what he calls “The Feel Good Business Model.”
Long time entrepreneurs might know this as a “lifestyle business.” One where work is planned around your life and not the other way around.
It reminds me of something I happened across that really resonated with me. The calm business manifesto by Kerstin Martin.
Some of my favorite points:
We don’t support hustle culture which often relies on lies, misleading information and, frankly, a lot of fluff to manipulate people into a purchase. Acting from a place of integrity, transparency and honesty is at the core of a Calm Business.
A Calm Business is a profitable business. Being anti-hustle doesn't mean being anti-money. We live in a world where money buys us ease, peace of mind, beautiful things, the ability to give back, and the freedom to make choices that are not as accessible if we are struggling to make ends meet. As Calm Business owners we enjoy making enough money to support our material needs, lifestyle and dreams.
A Calm Business is about everything you need and nothing you don’t. As such a Calm Business is well organized, lean in structure and uses a simplified technology set-up to improve and streamline processes. Which in turn reduces overwhelm and financial stress.
Reading this, I immediately started identifying (or at least desiring) the idea of the “Calmpreneur.” (I’ve come to find out this isn’t an original idea.)
If I count back to my ebay days in high school, I’ve been “in business” for 25 years now.
I’ve gone through many waves — from getting my first dollar, to opening and closing businesses, to breaking 6 figures multiple times.
My job these days gives me the unique opportunity to meet people that have made massive amounts of wealth — some in 8-figures. Outside of being able to buy a few more things, nothing is really different.
They’re all stressed. They all wish they had more time. And a lot of them wish they had smaller companies.
I’m extremely proud of what I’ve built over the last 8 years. But how I feel about my business has drastically changed in the last few years. It was great to see point 5 in Ali’s video is about periodically re-evaluating the business and pivoting.
When you’re technically successful, it’s sometimes easy to view your business or work as an outsider.
To the outsider, I’m extremely lucky to be doing what I’m doing and make an amazing living from it.
But it’s also important to remember that you are the one IN the business day to day.
And if that business isn’t serving you behind the scenes, it’s time to reevaluate and shift it into something that does.
