We Are Not Powerless

I feel you and hear you - the hits just keep coming.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless to political powers and systems that are causing destruction left, right and centre.

A quick scroll through social media and anxiety sets in - disaster is everywhere.

From climate crisis to racism and bigotry getting louder and more emboldened by the day…

…to economic uncertainty and basic human rights regressing after our ancestors fought so hard to get us to where we are today — albeit imperfect and with more work to be done.

It’s difficult not to slip into hopelessness when things are not only not improving but seem to be moving backwards in a world that also seems to be flipping on its head.

So what’s the good news here?

The good news is that we are in fact not powerless; they just want us to believe that we are.

By ‘we’ I mean those of us who care about humanity and the state of our Mother, the Earth. I also mean anyone who has a business or any dollar amount to spend on a business because:

As entrepreneurs, we are policy makers

and

As consumers, we vote with our dollars

The fact is, whether or not we like it, money is a powerful resource that we all need. And though much corruption, violence and harm has been done in the name of greed and too strong of an emphasis on money, it is not the money itself which caused the problem. It is the misuse and abuse of money and putting money on a pedestal above anything else. Whenever we sacrifice values (such as human connection, healthy stewarding of the land, or community care) in the name of money, we have lost our way.

And unfortunately a few billionaires and their admirers have really, really lost their way. But we still have our values. This is something they cannot strip us of. We still have our own businesses and/or dollars to vote with.

And every. little. bit. counts.

As entrepreneurs we are policy makers:

My good friend and business colleague Melinda Jackson often reminds us that business is a tool for social change. What I remind folks of inside my signature program, The Decolonized Coach Community, is that as entrepreneurs we get to create policies. Sure, these policies may not be at a federal level but they can create equity where there was once inequity and reconciliation and repair where there was once colonization, extraction and racism. We do this by weaving our values into every aspect of our business. From our pricing models to our community agreements to the way we market our work or hold space for clients- it can all act as a tool for positive social change.

In a society that is becoming less and less safe for more people, we can declare our own places of business and communities (in person or digital) as safer. Note that I do not use the term ‘safe space’ as I learned from business consultant and equity-inclusion facilitator Tristin Katz that we cannot guarantee harm will not occur in our space. We cannot guarantee that we, or a member of our community, will not make a mistake and unintentionally (or intentionally) cause harm. But we can commit to making them safer and actively repairing harm if and when it does occur. We can remain committed to continuous learning, growing and examining our impact versus just our intention.

Where we still have drastic differences in earning power and income amongst race, ability, sexuality, gender, citizenship and more - we can change this within our own business by offering equity-based scholarships or sliding scales. We can host “pay what you can” yoga classes. We can let our most privileged and wealthy clients pay a bit more so that other community members might access our goods or services in a way they otherwise might not have been able to. This is how we tip the scales of inequity and get closer to balance. This is community care, as just one example.

Another major thing we can do as entrepreneurs right now is stay committed to decolonizing our minds, hearts and spirits. And whether you want to call it “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) or another name, staying committed to genuinely embodying values that dismantle oppressive systems (I personally love the term ‘anti-oppressive’) is important now more than ever.

Now is not the time to shy away from the work of dismantling white supremacy and oppression. The fact is, colonialism harms us all. It is destroying our planet, The Earth, and it has disconnected us from our humanity and true oneness (not the spiritually bypassing “oneness” that ignores systemic oppression). Decolonization is needed now more than ever, as is Indigenous and global majority leadership. It’s time to build on centuries of work that’s already been started by Indigenous, Black and Brown leaders and change-makers and not forget that we already have the blueprint for living in harmony with Earth and with each other.

We all have a responsibility to play our part and as a business owner, your part is not insignificant. You are not powerless. You can even build a social impact model into your business, like Melinda and I are doing with our new joint venture, The Hive, a membership for socially conscious entrepreneurs. 10% of the profits will be donated to a “cause of the month” voted on by the community members, designed to create real change by channeling collective efforts at the same time as we are serving our community members with business and social change mentorship. We are rewriting the rules of business and invite you to do the same.

As consumers, we vote with our dollars:

Your role as a consumer is not insignificant either. Wherever we spend our money, we “vote” for that company and their values. Don’t like what European designers are doing to the environment by slashing and trashing last year’s handbags so they can’t be resold? Stop purchasing from them. Instead, consider purchasing an ethically and locally made beaded bag by an Indigenous designer. Don’t like Jeff Bezos and the harmful impacts Amazon is having on the planet? Get your household items instead from a local retailer and small business. Want to see more diversity and inclusion in the coaching space? Examine what mentors and “experts” you have been hiring. How many of them are folks of the global majority or 2SLGBTQIA and how many of them are white, cisgender men or women?

You vote with your dollar.

When you purchase from a person or company whose values align with yours, you are investing in those same values. When you ignore a company’s values and ethics, you are supporting whatever their values are, by default. Companies and individuals that are not committed to dismantling oppression and white supremacy are upholding it by default. And by supporting these companies by purchasing from them, we do the same.

As a reminder, perfectionism is a patriarchal construct, so don’t stress about being the perfect consumer. I still order things on Amazon for convenience and am working to move away from that and from over-purchasing in general. I still buy new clothes when I could instead go to a thrift store and buy second-hand to reduce waste. I am a work in progress, and that’s okay. Over the years I have worked to intentionally diversify who my mentors are, who my dollars are supporting and where I circulate my wealth. I’ve made many improvements and investments that I am proud of and I can tell you that it feels really good to steward your wealth in a way that is directly creating the type of world you want to see.

How we’re getting organized in these times

For those of you who are entrepreneurs and feel overwhelmed with where to steward your wealth (so many urgent causes and so many that pull on our heart strings, right?) and how to use your business for social change - Melinda and I warmly invite you into The Hive membership. I will be sharing accessible business mentorship with monthly Q&A calls plus bimonthly bonuses/trainings and Melinda will be offering social impact strategy with monthly Q&A calls plus bimonthly bonuses/trainings.

In case you didn’t know, Melinda has advised some of Hollywood's wealthiest celebrities on their giving strategies and is now bringing this work to us, the everyday entrepreneurs, because let’s be real - it’s us who are going to change the world. If celebrities and billionaires were going to, they would’ve done it by now.

And as for me, I normally mentor on decolonization for business but will be coming back to my business and money coaching roots to share with you the strategies, tools and teachings that helped me go from $30K business debt to nearly a quarter million in all time sales (over five years) and now average $6K months while working full time. I’ve found what works for me, even as a busy human with ADHD and several physical disabilities, and I am excited for you to find your version of success too. Whether you’re just getting started or already established in business, we’re confident you’ll get so much from this rich community. The community alone is worth the $67 you can get started for.

This is how we are getting organized to take care of each other during these uncertain times. We are bringing together small businesses and people who care, so that community support can be deployed quickly, consistently and strategically.

Learn more about The Hive on my website and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Love, care and solidarity,

Emily