What Is a Radical Giver?
Jennie wanted to quit her job so she could spend more time with her twin boys. She began to look into work-at-home opportunities. She heard about the virtual assistant industry and knew it’d be a great fit for her.
But after almost six months, all she had were a handful of low-paying clients that didn’t seem to respect her. She was frustrated and wondering whether she should give up when she had a discovery call with a business coach, Anita. While they were talking, the coach explained that Jennie wasn’t serving anyone but herself.
Radical Givers Serve
“Your business does exist to make money, absolutely,” Anita shared, “But it should also be about serving your community. You need to discover how you can help your clients rather than chasing dollars aimlessly.”
Radical givers in business are entrepreneurs that want to do more than simply make a profit—they want to make a difference, too. Whether you’re serving your clients as a virtual assistant or selling digital products and memberships, you can practice radical giving.
Radical Givers Focus
One thing that sets radical givers apart is their focus. That’s because radical givers know who they want to serve. They have a target audience in mind that they’re excited about giving back to and are passionate about serving them.
Radical Givers Invest
Once Jennie knew who her ideal clients were, she made a list of places where these ideal clients spent time online including Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups. Then she joined these groups and began investing time in the groups.
She answered business questions, joined in the discussions, and made sure to welcome new members to the community. As Jennie put her roots deep into the groups, she began attracting her ideal clients and earning a much higher hourly rate.
She asked her coach why she was attracting so much positive attention and Anita said, “People are naturally attracted to givers. When you’re generous with others, they want to be generous in return. Kindness always comes back to you.”
Being a radical giver in business doesn’t mean that you never make a cent or that you have to work for below average rates. You can earn a lot of money and still be a radical giver. It just means that you’re dedicated to your clients and customers. You’re willing to go the extra mile and you truly care about the community you’re serving.
Developing the Radical Giver Mindset
Deidre joined a business group on Facebook where members read a business book each month. Every Monday, the group leader uses Facebook Live to start an interactive discussion about the book.
When the group leader started their usual livestream, she asked if anyone was struggling. Deidre quickly shared that she was.
“I grew up in a single parent household. My mom struggled just to make ends meet every month. I like the idea of being a radical giver but I’m worried there’s just not enough goodness in the world to go around.”
Deidre isn’t alone. Many online business owners struggle to become radical givers despite really wanting to. The problem is often linked to a poverty mindset.
Here are three beliefs that keep you stuck in poverty and how to overcome them:
Poverty Mindset #1: There’s Not Enough to Go Around
When you believe that there is a limit to the money or goodness available in the world, you can approach every situation with a belief that you must hoard things. You have to hold tightly to your money, your time, and your gifts.
But what if you flipped the script? Instead of telling yourself there’s not enough to go around, embrace the belief that there’s more than enough to share.
What you focus on will always expand.
Poverty Mindset #2: Helping Others Shine Means I Can’t Shine
It’s easy to think that if other people are awesome, you can’t be awesome, too. That’s because most people imagine the world as a small stage where only a few, truly gifted entrepreneurs can show off their talents.
But in reality, the stage is big enough to support everyone. In fact, your brand or product could be exactly what someone else needs. Instead of viewing other entrepreneurs or brands as your competition, see them as your friends. Going solo is lonely but a journey with friends? That’s so much fun!
Poverty Mindset #3: I Need to Take on Every Client or Project
Sometimes, a poverty mindset can show up as taking on every client or project that comes your way. It often stems from the fear that if you don’t, you might lose out on money or experience.
But the problem with this belief is that it keeps you from doing your best work. If a project comes along that’s not a terrific fit for you, say no. When you do this, you open up room in your business for projects that truly light you up.
Moving past a poverty mindset and becoming a radical giver isn’t something you can do overnight. It often takes a few months of practice and the support from a loving community of like-minded business owners.
Becoming Part of a Community of Givers
Arielle was committed to being a radical giver in her business and she wanted to build a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. So, she started looking online for groups that she could join.
She found one Facebook group filled with positive, encouraging posts from members and decided to join. Once she was accepted into the community, she focused on a few key tasks…
Answer Questions from Members
When another member posted a question about publishing a blog post to her WordPress website, Arielle responded and explained how to do it. She even linked to a helpful tutorial she found on YouTube.
Share Your Journey with the Group
Arielle didn’t just focus on helping other members. She also openly shared her journey with the group. She posted about searching for a new WordPress theme, then she posted again when she’d decided on one that fit her needs.
As she was installing the theme, Arielle asked a question about customizing themes and received several responses. She finished the edits to the theme then posted a link to her new site, thanking everyone that helped along the way.
Welcome New Members
Whenever Arielle saw new members join the group, she made it a point to welcome them. Then she went on to ask about their business and who they enjoyed working with. This gave her a chance to get to know new members and meant Arielle knew who to refer a client to when they needed a specialized service or product.
Create A Thriving Community
Within a few months, Arielle had built a strong network of entrepreneurs she could rely on. She loved being able to support them and receiving encouragement in return.
If you’re like Arielle and you want to give back to others, consider joining a group like Kelly’s Love People + Make Money. Then actively participate and engage with members, so you can build your own thriving community.
Don’t Wait, Create: Radical Giving in Your Content
One simple way you can practice radical giving in your business is to be generous with your content marketing. Instead of making all of your content focused on you and what you can do, focus on providing value to your readers or listeners.
Therese Kienast of Radical Leadership recommends that online business owners create more content. She says, “Don’t wait, create!” If you wait, you’re less likely to follow through and publish excellent content.
Instead, try to capture inspiration the moment it strikes. If you can’t right then, try to do it as soon as possible. This will keep your enthusiasm and energy revved up as you create and share your new content.
Here are a few easy ideas you can use to create content that serves…
Curate Content from Other Bloggers
Don’t be afraid to tell your community about the bloggers you admire or link to their amazing content. You can’t serve everyone and even if you could, that would quickly get exhausting. There’s more than enough attention and applause to go around, so take some time to focus on content curation.
Interview Industry Leaders
Another way to practice radical giving in your business is to interview industry leaders. You can do this through podcast episodes or by creating webinars where you feature an authority on their area of expertise.
Add A Bonus to a Great Product
When you find a product you’d like to promote to your community, go the extra mile and give back. Offer a juicy bonus that only your buyers will get. This bonus could be a short report, an audio course, access to an upcoming webinar, or any other product you can think of. Make sure your bonus is relevant to the actual product being sold.
When you open up a space that invites interaction between members, you’re not just talking at them, you’re Creating Community and it’s a beautiful thing! And that’s exactly what Create More Community will teach you.