When you hear the phrase “Slow Business”, what comes to mind?
Nothing good, right?
Google “Slow Business” and you’ll come up with a plethora of remedies for your sick and ailing enterprise.
What if Slow Business could be a GOOD thing??
Stay with me . . .
Even back when we lived in the city in an apartment by the sea, Slow Food and it’s values held centre stage in our lives.
New to Slow Food, Slow Living + The Slow Movement? Check out my post WHAT IS SLOW LIVING here. (Go ahead. I’ll wait.)
We made time to cook and my tiny dining room table regularly overflowed with friends and good wine and simple homemade meals. I knew my neighbours (one of whom became my hubby!) and that old apartment was always full of music and laughter.
When we eventually left the city to farm, those values naturally came with us.
A few years ago, as our business grew by leaps and bounds and I got to know more entrepreneurs, I realized I was approaching our farm business (and entrepreneurship in general) very differently from the people around me.
Without even realizing it, I was applying Slow Values to my business
Now, I’ve studied marketing and I’ve read allll the business books – and a lot of what I was doing here on the farm not only wasn’t in the books, it often flew in the face of what I’d learned at school.
And it was working.
Together with my hubby, in just a few short years we took our tiny (very run down) five acre “hobby farm” from selling a handful of eggs to friends and family to a full-fledged business.
Other than the year my Mom was ill, our revenue has grown by 50% year-over-year each and every year. We now serve a tribe of hundreds of local food heroes as well as local restaurants and butcher shops.
The best part?
I did it from home, in my slippers, while a full-time stay-at-home-mom to two young kids. And I did it by playing by my own rules.
I did it by practicing Slow Business.
Kinda cool, amIright? Have I got you curious?
So WTH is Slow Business all about??
In a nutshell, Slow Business applies the values of the Slow Movement to work. Slow Work is actually a thing. Yes, really. Sounds delicious, right?
- Slow Business values Quality over Quantity. Less, but Better is your mantra.
- Slow Business focuses on Maximizing Purpose over Profits.
- Slow Business believes People Matter.
- Slow Business allows you to place your values front and centre.
- Slow Business, done well, folds seamlessly into your overall Slow Lifestyle.
Here’s how I implemented Slow Values in my business
1) I rooted out my WHY
WHY do I want to do this work is the most important question in Slow Business. More important than financial analysis, profit and loss, market viability. THE most important.
And guess what – “making money” is the wroooong answer. You’ll never uncover your life’s work if money is your only or even primary goal. That isn’t the Slow Business way.
For me, my WHY is twofold.
- First of all, I want to demonstrate for my kids that committing your life to a purpose above money and greed is possible. Being of service is a key family value for us, and it’s important to me that my kids see me live that value daily, not just talk about it.
- Second, I view my life’s work as activism. I vote, protest, write my elected officials and all that good stuff. But my true activism lies in how I live my day-to-day life.
Orientating your approach to your business with this type of WHY as your compass instead of “maximizing profits” drastically changes . . . well, everything.
2) I approached goal setting differently
Instead of starting my business plan with monetary goals, sales targets and whatnot, I asked that lovely question Wendell Berry answers so well . . . What are people for? More specifically, What am I for? What is my highest point of contribution? If I am living my life according to my values, what does my day look like?
I’d already done the 9 to 5 “successful” career thing. It made me miserable.
So instead, my goals for my business became things like :
- I work from home in my slippers
- I am home and available when my kids are done with their school day
- My work does not contribute to more “stuff” in the world – I only produce things that people truly NEED
- I never grow for growth’s sake. I only seek to grow if growth makes sense for my business, family and my land and can be achieved in a healthy manner. My goals for my family and lifestyle take priority over my business goals.
- My business is of a size and shape that fits within the overall framework of my life.
- I apply the Hell-Yeah! test to all major decisions. If a particular opportunity is not a HELL-Yah!, it’s a hard NO.
3) I say NO. A lot.
I say no to customers, opportunity, growth . . . I say NO way more than I say yes.
I say no to people who aren’t my tribe. I fire customers. I refuse to add products or services if I know I won’t enjoy making / serving them or if they conflict with my core values, no matter how much my customers want them. I change my business to suit my family’s needs, not the other way around.
I’m not afraid to sell out. I’ve allowed the carrying capacity of both my land and my heart to dictate the size of my business, not customer demand.
I refuse to be available to my customers 24/7. I don’t respond to every email within an hour or less. I am upfront about the fact that my kids, not my business, are my priority.
Recently that meant completely closing my profitable brick and mortar farm store in favour of Saturday afternoons with my kids. Crazy from a traditional business point of view, but completely in line with Slow Business values.
NO is hard, but one of my guideposts in my Slow Life is the maxim :
Never let that which matters most be at the mercy of that which matters least. – Gothe
4) I have faith that by living my values, the right people will find me
In marketing we talk a lot about attracting and repelling, about not trying to be everything to everyone, about finding your ideal “customer avatar” or that perfect target market.
My conventional marketing education taught me I needed to do a ton of research on that market and then mould my business, and myself, to meet it’s needs. We’re not even talking real people here. We’re talking some amorphous, imagined group and MY LIFE is supposed to be bent into the form I’ve told myself they expect.
This is completely ass-backwards if you ask me.
I serve the most amazing tribe of humans. Honestly.
They became my tribe not because I sought them out, but because I simply did the work I was called to do as authentically and honestly as possible.
And if we’re being honest – I’m an odd duck. I am quirky and overly-passionate and earnest in a way that made me completely unsuitable for a “normal” career.
But my people? They get me. Cause they’re quirky and earnest, too.
It is scary to be yourself, to stand for something. But the stronger you can stand in your truth, the stronger your business will be.
You just have to have faith that by turning off or passing by what isn’t meant for you, you’ll make room in your life for all the joy and abundance that IS.
The Comments
Priscila Serato
Hey Stacey! I’m SO GLAD I found you! I’m living a moment of changes, after some months burnt out! I gave a pause moment for myself to think about my life and how I want to live, but I was so confused, trying to find a way to balance my business and my Family…and you turned a light on my life with this post! Thank you very much! You made me feel way more secure to say no to what is a noise in my life, and Just live it the way I want to! And slow living and slow business is definitely what I’ve been searching for! Thank you again! ❤
Stacey | Simplicity From Scratch
> Priscila SeratoSeasons of change are so uncomfortable, aren’t they? It can be so tough when you’re in it to separate the noise from the meaningful work. It’s been over a decade since I walked away from my former career and I am still constantly having to check my compass, readjust and make changes. The trouble is most of us are moving so fast we never lift our head to look around and see if we’re still heading in the right direction, so good for you! Saying NO takes a lot of courage, and it’s not easy, so be gentle with yourself. Good luck!
Priscila Serato
Thank you! =D That’s exactly what happened to me! I was moving so fast, I lost my direction! It’s definitely not easy to say no, but it’s necessary!
Jess
I’ve been trying to make some adjustments to my business to better align with my goals for life, but I couldn’t quite articulate what I wanted. This gave me so much to think about, and I really appreciate it. I am already trying to incorporate slow living principles into my home and personal life, so why shouldn’t I do the same for my business? I love this. So much. Thank you!
Stacey | Simplicity From Scratch
> JessSo glad to hear! It took me a long time to realize I was applying slow values to my business, but once I was able to articulate it, it gave me a really clear north star and it’s allowed me to speak so clearly to my ideal people. As a result, my customers here at the farm are like family. The pandemic has been so affirming to that end – it’s been my CUSTOMERS calling to ask if I need groceries or who’ve dropped bottles of wine and care packages on my doorstep. To me that’s the greatest gift of a successful slow business – true, meaningful relationships with PEOPLE not customer avatars.
Helen
Same!
I’m having to rethink my business too! I have a vision of what I want but I struggle to push down the old beliefs of maximizing profits. It is deeply rooted in me and unfortunately guides my business decisions and ultimately leaves me unfulfilled.
Question:
I’ve been obsessed with minimalism for the past 3 months. So much so that I’ve wanted to write about it or YouTube about it.
But just yesterday it felt wrong. It felt like I was judging my friend for wanting to update her kitchen. I think I’m trying to find control and I think I have always been obsessed with money. Save save save, penny pinch, etc, I feel like I could be living in a lack mindset. How do you balance slow living with saving with joyful spending?
Stacey | Simplicity From Scratch
> HelenGosh, some good stuff in that question – a blog post for me in there, I think.
Regarding business … I’ve owned my own brick and mortar business for 8 years, rooted in Slow Values. There is nothing wrong with being profitable. This is something my industry of sustainable agriculture struggles with. Many who work in this field have serious bad ju-ju around being properly compensated for the value they create. You can’t be a sustainable business if you can’t sustain yourself! Profit, in itself, isn’t evil. Where we’ve run into trouble is the idea that we always have to “maximize” it.
I’ve found that by putting other goals first – food security, serving my community, not hating my job – and by clearly communicating and sticking by them (especially when they are at odds with maximizing profit), that counterintuitively, I’ve become more profitable – and I enjoy my work a helluva lot more.
I just finished reading the book “Company of One” by fellow Vancouver Islander Paul Jarvis. His approach to this problem really resonated with me – it might help you feel more confident letting go of that drive to maximize.
As for the money thing – I actually don’t feel that slow living or minimalism demand that you ought not spend. Instead, for me anyway, it’s about focusing on clearly defining what “enough” looks like for you.
I’d get curious about why it felt wrong to you, what that’s stirring up and why. It’s also important to differentiate between the discomfort of growth and the discomfort of something being truly misaligned in our lives or values.
At the end of the day – don’t buy into dogma of any form. Do what works for you, where you are and where you want to go. If it doesn’t work for you, pitch it! 🙂
Helen
> Stacey | Simplicity From ScratchTrouble subscribing ….
Thanks again! I was re reading this post again tonight and dang, if it doesn’t feel so good and get me excited for “uncovering my life’s work”
I tried to put in my email for your 7 steps to slow business and never received and email in my inbox or junk. I certainly don’t won’t to miss out on this wonderful content you’ve created.
My email is helen@helenphotos.com
Could you please guide me to being a subscriber. Thank you!!!!!! I deeply appreciate your work.
Helen
Omg! So loving your blog. I think my answers are in a blog post here somewhere. Thank you for your work!
Kat
This is such a deep breathe of fresh air for me! I’m tired of trying to do all the things that I’m “supposed” to do in my business. But I feel guilt and worry if I do things differently like this. I’m so excited that I found you!
Stacey | Simplicity From Scratch
> KatYou are already doing brave things, Kat – I can see that from your website. I’ve been working this way for 10 years now, and I always have the best results (with the least personal sense of “ugh”) when I speak from my heart and work from a place of authentic service.
And if I am feeling afraid or doubt myself, I channel one of my heroines – put on some old school Ani Difranco dance it out and write from that energy – If jumping around my office singing “I don’t like my language watered down / I don’t like my edges rounded off” at the top of my lungs helps me break through the block, that’s what I do!
Alaa Gamal
I just cried while reading your words, I can’t believe myself I’ve found a woman who succeeded in living the life I always wished for..
I am a single mother for two lovely kids from Egypt, Since I got divorced I was in a struggle of raising healthy happy kids & having my own business, your words here i always say to my self and my clients, but till now I didn’t have a stable business bec. i always feel how much my kids need me, ,
I always call myself a turtle & proud 🙂 although all those around me blame me for being a turtle in my life!!
thanks a lot, you being here Stacey is a gift from God, is a message that I can do it too, living the life I want with my own values & my own pace no matter what, & taking care of what really matters!!
P.S I want to live in a farm too and leave the city & after reading your story, now I believe I can do it too 🙂
Stacey | Simplicity From Scratch
> Alaa GamalOh Alaa, I can’t imagine how much harder things would be if I was also trying to do this as a single Mum. You should be so proud.
It’s scary to swim upstream, no doubt, especially when the stakes are so high. But what I’ve found from a decade of making these choices is my business is much more robust and my life so much richer as a result.
So happy to have you here.
Best,
S
Chris
Hi there, Stacey, well, I’ve read this article and I’m very touched. I’ve started a little business on the side 2 years ago. I’m living in Poland and here we have all the big corporations in town which dictate the rules a little. So I still work from 9 to 5, and after I’m done I try to manage my small business 3h a day or so. It’s not easy, because these are 11h workdays. My fiancee is going to bed without me monday-friday. This breaks my heart. After I’ve read your article it came to me that I was focused on the wrong goals and needs. Thank you for that. From now on I will shift my focus! This lifestyle of yours is truly beautiful and, I suppose, natural for healthy human beings. This is my soul speaking 😉 Have a good day.
Stacey | Simplicity From Scratch
> ChrisChris – our family knows what that’s like! Before I finally quit, I was working for the government and my husband was working 16 hour days in his business. It was tough. Running our little farm is pretty hard, too, but we’re working together as a family, kids and all – that makes all the difference. Good luck.
Audrey
wow.
WOW.
this post was amazing.
so inspirational to know that it is actually achievable to live a slow life and be able to run your business the same way. thank you SO MUCH for posting!