Giving and Getting in Business

I love the idea of partnering businesses with humanitarian causes.

When you give back, you can:

• Create good will in your community
• Infuse philanthropy into your brand
• Make a bigger impact on this planet

Today I’m sharing my tips for both giving AND getting in business – no matter where you’re at in building your heart-based business. 

After working with women for decades and learning how we grow conscious businesses, I’ve discovered a powerful truth about giving back:

When you start giving from the beginning and making philanthropy part of your brand… you can actually grow your business and scale your impact faster. 

Let’s dive in.

I learned a powerful lesson about giving and getting in an Ecuadorian rainforest. Here’s what happened:

Several years ago, I was at a pivotal point in my life and business.

I had just gotten divorced.

I was experiencing some health issues.

I was considering how I want to keep growing my business.

I had also raised over $100,000 for Pachamama Alliance – my friend Lynne Twist’s organization that keeps oil companies out of the rainforest, preserves the previous ecosystem, and empowers women in the villages.

Lynne suggested I travel to Ecuador with her and I said “yes” and found myself on a plane headed to a small village in the rainforest over 500 miles beyond where the roads end.

One night, I was being honored as a donor and a local woman presented me with a gorgeous necklace made from beads made in the rainforest.

She told me an important part of Achuar culture:

It’s the masculine role to hunt, fish, and bring home trees.

It’s the feminine role to create, birth babies, and make their primary carbohydrate drink.

But the woman also had one other important role:

To say “that’s enough.”When the men bring home trees for shelter, it’s the woman’s job to say “that’s enough trees to build the shelter.”

When the men bring home fish, it’s the woman’s job to say “that’s enough fish to feed the village.”

The women in the village posed this question about western culture:
Why haven’t the women stood up and said “that’s enough?’”

That question has stayed with me and it still gives me chills to this day.

The lesson here isn’t just about “man” vs “woman.”

It’s about feminine and masculine…

And we all have BOTH of these energies within us. 

We have the ability to create.

We have the ability to go out and save the world.

We have the ability to say “that’s enough.”

I came back from my trip and my business grew bigger than ever. The growth didn’t come from a place of pushing or striving. It came from a place of service and giving back. 

Now, I can proudly say that we’ve raised over $1million for philanthropic and humanitarian causes at Women Rocking Business.

The more you raise money for philanthropy, the more you can raise money in profit.

Comment below: how would YOU like to give back in your business?

If you want to take a deeper dive into this topic…

“Giving and Getting” is Chapter 12 in my book, Women Rocking Business. Click here to grab your copy and discover how to rock your business AND make a bigger impact on this planet.

Keep shining your light, your clients are waiting for you – not for someone like you…they’re waiting for you.

Let’s do this thing…together!

Love,
Sage