Adopting an Abundance Mindset

If you know something isn’t right for you – your lifestyle, a job, or even your whole career ­— take a leap of faith. Jay wanted a different lifestyle than what his career as an attorney at a big firm provided him so he started his own law firm, and later, a communications agency that serves attorneys. His quest for a more laid-back lifestyle took him from a big city to a much smaller one complete with all the skiing and water activities he and his family love. This too was initially fraught with concern: that his clients wouldn’t follow him. But they did, and his agency flourished.

You can work just as many hours, if not more, running your own business – so you need to set expectations and boundaries with customers. Jay shares how early on, clients would throw last-minute work at him, which created a stressful work environment. Instead, Jay advises setting expectations upfront with clients or customers on how the relationship can work to be beneficial to both parties.

People make buying decisions inspired by emotions, instead of intellect or logic – and stories are what evoke emotion. The ability to tell an interesting story about your business, its background, its customers, creates a positive association. Talking only about the products and services that you sell doesn’t accomplish this.

Stories are all around you – you just have to pay attention. It’s not writer’s block, it’s an ideas block. Jay recommends paying attention to questions clients ask you, think about what you’ve struggled with in the past, observe lessons learned during your daily life (like coaching your child’s soccer game) — those things resonate and build an audience. It’s not about how much you know, but your ability to connect on an emotional level with your audience. That’s how you create connections through your content.