Love: Her Secret Business Ingredient

Celeste Shaw

Co-Editor-in-Chief at Flea Market Style Magazine, Owner at Lucky Vintage and Pretty Things,
and Owner at Chaps Diner and Bakery

People crave my friend 

Really, they actually crave her. Men, women, and children - all can't get enough of Celeste. They cling to her like tacks on a magnet. They eagerly purchase her services, gobbling up everything in sight. And, after just a moment with her, they leave with big smiles on their faces.

Sure, she's pretty and trendy. There's always a fun vibe happening when she's around. But, that's not it. That's not what people are drawn to. There's something that emanates from her that people want to soak up.

It's love, baby!

Love is Celeste's secret business ingredient. One feels it when she puts her hand on your shoulder and looks you in the eye. Her face, her attention, is on you. You know she sees only you. When she holds you in a hug that's just a wee bit longer than most, you know you're treasured. Her love isn't limited to hugs and smiles. It's not all soft and sweetness. Love is the nuts-and-bolts that she uses to build her business.

That ain't love

You know when you've stepped into a business and you're not feeling the love. Like when you get that sense everyone is being herded along, as if you were one of many cattle. Next! Certainly it isn't love that you're getting when you've just spent a whole lot of money and you aren't quite sure what exactly you just purchased. Huh? How about that fake smile that drops when you don't buy? Ugh. Hovering, pushy sales people put off a lot of vibes, but I don't think love is one of them. As a customer, you know when it's not there.

Love is the secret

As a business owner Celeste knows that everyone needs to be acknowledged; all of us need attention and affirmation. She also knows people desperately want security and trustworthiness, so she extends love by providing products and services that are reliable, consistent, and fair. When Celeste greets a client she doesn't secretly see only dollar signs. She sees them as a member of her community, which to her is an extension of her family. Each is a person worthy of being treated with dignity and care. Giving love in this way doesn't cost Celeste anything. Whether her customers actually recognize it or not, they are feeling the love. And, they keep coming back for me. They crave it.

Shouldn't this be the way we treat all the people who we rely on to give us business?

If your business is suffering, if it isn't blooming like it should, try this. Step away from the bottom line for a bit. Take your focus off your profit. Rather, put in extra effort to treat your clients with attention and care. Give service that projects assurance and generates trust. Try love as your secret business ingredient.

Sow generously

Going above and beyond in service and generosity of spirit will always, always have it's rewards. The reverse is also true. Holding back, shorting another, being greedy, will come back with interest. This is one of those beautiful laws of the universe. Remember, what you sow, you will reap! 

Sow generously today! 

Image source: Jay Roeder

Being used up for a purpose

"This is true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." ~George Bernard Shaw

Make giving a way of life

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything" ~Katherine Hepburn 

In our everyday world most of us operate on what we can get out of life, what big score can be made, what advantageous connection will get us the furthest ahead. It's sad when our focus is turned inward, because there is such abundance outside of ourselves that is missed.

When giving and sharing and helping others is the center of our attention, the world opens up in such a way a self-absorbed person can't imagine. Relationships develop that are genuine. Opportunities appear that aren't for the selfish. And, a deep sense of belonging is attained that money will never buy.

This context of giving to others serves us well in leadership and positions of authority. Try for one day to think only of those who work with and for you. Think to yourself, what can I do for those who actually get the work done? How can I give of my knowledge, position, or means that lends a hand to someone who doesn't expect it? What small or large way can I positively impact a life?

If you try this for one whole day, I promise you will be rewarded. Maybe not immediately, but it will come back to you. It will come in such a way that you'll want to do it again! And, then yet again. Soon, it will be a new way of managing, even possibly a new way of life.