A Metaphysical Look at Business
Hello everyone.
I'm Gregg Kinsell and this is my first blog for SCA, the first of many more.
What a wonderful opportunity Sacred Celebrancy brings us! The chance to develop a whole new career, helping people design and bring to life the wedding of their dreams; to sanctify a name change; to honour the passing of a loved one or the end of a relationship. The possibilities are endless.
For a marriage to be a success, a firm foundation must be created between the two people. A foundation consisting of trust, truth and honesty, integrity, love, compassion, understanding and the ability to work through problems in a healthy way. When two people commit to a life together, a contract is created and the handfasting ceremony exemplifies this. A couple will exchange their commitment to each other in the form of vows, thus creating the seed point for their future lives.
As we all know, the quality of the seed will determine the quality of the fruit, and that is why our Ceremonial role is so important. We have the power to develop a beautiful and profoundly meaningful ritual to signify the beginning of a couples life journey together, and help them develop a deep understanding of the enormous potential contained in sacred words, exchanged in sacred space. Similar principles apply to our own businesses, and the way we run them. A successful business is built on the same firm foundations as marriage. It becomes an entity all by itself, and our relationship with it becomes a form of Sacred Union. We must look after and nurture it, be honest about our aspirations for it, be committed to business practices based on honesty, truth, fairness, lawfulness, compassion and integrity. We must do our utmost to ensure it's success, and protect it from harm.
Our business can provide us with an amazing new life, meeting fabulous people and helping them realise their dreams, but we must be careful in how we establish it and maintain it. So, what sort of things must we be aware of? The first and most obvious point is this: Why are we doing this? What are our motivations and plans? What are we prepared to put in, and what kind of outcomes are we seeking? Without the fire of passion, fuelled by the oxygen of belief and the determination to succeed, we cannot achieve very much.
Many people go to work, doing things they don't really want to do, just to survive and "pay the bills". It's no wonder that there is so much pain and unhappiness in the world. A few of us are courageous enough to steer our lives down a new path, filled with brightness, warmth and love, doing something we truly enjoy, that inspires us. This is the way of the Sacred Celebrant.
Work is no longer "work". Our hobby, our passion, becomes the way we do business and creates financial prosperity.
So, we've assumed that love, passion, enthusiasm, drive and commitment all form the primary seed of our nascent business, and that we are blessed with an abundance of these qualities. What next?
Let's formulate a business plan, certainly for at least the next 3 years, and outline all the things we want to achieve. What areas do we want to specialise in? Marriages? Passing over Ceremonies? Naming Ceremonies? Etc. What sort of clients do we wish to attract? Which geographical zones do we want to operate in? What financial goals do we wish to set? What are we happy to charge our clients? What hours will we work? What sort of unique skills and gifts can we bring to bear, to set up apart from others? How will we generate our clients and what forms of marketing will we engage in? What budget do we have for this? Are we confident in building up our own web presence, or do we need help? What form of business will we establish?(It is preferable in the initial stages to register with HMRC as a self employed sole trader or partnership). Do we need help in accountancy and tax planning, and if so can we call upon our existing contacts to help with this? Are we confident enough to create an accurate cash flow forecast for at least the first 12 months of operation, and do we have sufficient resources to support our fledgling operation whilst we get going? Are there resources available in my vicinity, such as Local Authority/Government grants, to help with my cashflow and do I qualify for them? What sort of protection do I need for my business and my clients? (This encompasses things such as professional liability and indemnity coverage for us as Celebrants and special wedding insurance policies for our clients. It must also include the formulation of a Terms and Conditions document that lays down the fundamentals pertaining to our Contract with the client)
It is worth mentioning that, as part of my remit with SCA, I am delighted to be offering my expertise and support in all areas of your Celebrancy business. I have been in and around the business world for over 40 years, including 25 years running my own.
Once we have a solid plan and cashflow forecast in place, we can really get moving, because we now have a blueprint to work with. A roadmap to a new, delightful and successful way of life. It's rather like a recipe for a delicious cake. We must gather all the ingredients and put them together in a specific way, at a specific time, for the end product to really work.
In my experience, every successful business will share similar key attributes, that must be in place for everything to run smoothly. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be talking about what these attributes are, and how we incorporate them into our unique and amazing Celebrancy work.
I've really enjoyed putting "pen to paper"(well, finger to keyboard!) and introducing my thoughts around "The business of Celebrancy",watch out for more blogs....and feel free to ask any questions(about anything)and I will endeavour to help.
With all good wishes,
Gregg