Episode 3: Building an Authentic Business Filled With Purpose

Authenticity… it’s a buzz word that has been thrown around a lot lately in the business world. But what does “being authentic” really mean? How do we show up authentically in our lives and in our business? .

These were just some of the ideas Bonnie Bakhtiari and I tackled in episode 3. We talked about ways you can find the true purpose behind your business and how you can live, work and grow more intentionally. Bonnie is the owner and creator of B is for Bonnie Design. She is a Waco, Texas-based brand designer and strategist for creative businesswomen who strive to build profitable, purposeful work.

Bonnie also hosts the Illume Retreat, which is a get away for creatives where they can an escape from the hustle and pressures of chasing success while they invest in giving their businesses focus, engage in intentional community, and hone in on what matters most.

I was so excited to talk with Bonnie for a lot of reasons, but mostly because I am so inspired by her spirit and her message. Being truly yourself in a world where we are constantly comparing ourselves can be really tough. It can be really easy to start copying other people in your industry without even realizing it and pretty soon, your business looks just like everyone else’s. So, here are just a few things Bonnie suggests you do to help clarify those intentions and create an auththenic and successful business.

Define What Success Means To You:

When most people hear the word success, they think a lot of money in the bank or thousands of followers. Maybe they see success as being famous or buying a certain car. Those things might be true for some, however what “success” is and how you achieve it will be different for everybody. Your definition of success doesn’t have to, and probably shouldn’t, look like someone else’s.

Bonnie suggests that you look at your current life and visualize what you really want in one year, 5 years and even 10 years. Is it that you want to create a business that allows you to work and be a mom at the same time? Is it to get out of an office and have the freedom to take your work anywhere? What ever that is, make that your focus and don’t get distracted by the #goals or standards of success set by others. You do you boo.

Learn How to Embrace Productive Rest:

These days, we tend to glorify the busy. We have begun to believe these myths like…if you have no time off or down time then you must be doing something right. You gotta hustle 24/7 and never “log off” because your business will fail if you don’t respond to that one email. These things feel true sometimes, but in reality they are just not. In fact, this mentality will end up hurting us in the end, causing burnout, loss of passion or a major creative rut.

At the Illume Retreat, Bonnie works with creative business owners discover the core of their work and create confidently from a clear place of purpose as well as help them find rest and refresh for their spirit amidst all the chaos of entrepreneurship.

With the hustle, you also must respect the flow.

Realign With Your Intentions:

We all say we know why we are starting our own business and sometimes, those reasons can be true. However, if you don’t do that foundational work in the beginning of figuring out your What and Why then you mind find that this business you’ve created isn’t truly founded on something substantial.

Bonnie shared with me an exercise you can do on your own to help get clarity on what those intentions are:

1. Ask yourself… Where do I want to go and what am I chasing after?

2. Ask yourself…Why do I want that?

3. Ask yourself…What is it going to take to get me where I want to go?

Creating an Authentic Business:

When you are feeling like you haven’t been true to yourself in how you’ve built your business, here are a few ways Bonnie suggests you can show up more authentically.

Look at your copy, website and social media and identify all the places you feel you could “show up” more in a truthful way. What feels fake? What feels rehearsed? What feels off base from your personality?
Write your copy like you talk. If this is hard for you, pull up a voice memo app and then record yourself speaking your copy. It will come off as much more natural than if you tried to recreate it in your writing.
Visualize your ideal client and speak to that person when you write anything from your website copy to a blog post.

Lay Your Foundation First:

I know all the flashy stuff like a website or an instagram can be fun and you will be tempted to do those things first. Take a step back, put down the phone and computer and start with those foundational building blocks before you create anything else.

You need to solidify these things from the start, and then you will be on your way to building a business around values and messaging that means something to you.

1. Who you are- What are your values? What are your dreams? Who do you not want to be?

2. What you do?- Are you selling products? Services? Consulting?

3. How does that add value to your clients lives?- Will what you offer solve a problem? Will it make your clients lives better? Easier?

Y’all I can’t get over how awesome all of these tips and tricks are that Bonnie shared. Hopefully, as business owners, we can learn to balance hustle and rest so we can create not only the business we want but the life we want to go with it.