When I talk to entrepreneurs, so many of them feel like they have an internal conflict. “Do I write the book that’s in my heart? Or do I write the book that’s strategic for my business?” Let me show you an example of one author who found that writing the book that was in her heart was exactly what she needed to start a business that she never would have started otherwise.
Karen wanted to write a book about her family’s struggle.
Her nine-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, and Karen’s world went into a tailspin. For two years, they met doctors, went through treatments, cared for Lauren at home and at the hospital, homeschooled, made friends with other cancer families, carried on with work (sometimes remotely), cared for their other two daughters, and learned to lean on God during the difficult days. Two years later, with Lauren in remission and no telling how long the season of calm would last, Karen wanted to write the book about her family’s journey.
Karen and I first started working on her book back in 2015. Writing each chapter was an emotional healing for Karen—wrenching and cleansing at the same time. I remember the week that she had to write about her daughter going through chemotherapy, and just crying in agony, and Karen knowing that she was the one allowing this medicine (hard to call it that, in some ways) into her daughter’s body. And, yet, in that same week, she wrote of her daughter’s strength and faith in God. This was truly a book that brought her deeper understanding of her own spiritual life, as much as helping anyone else through similar circumstances.
This was, in every sense of the word, the book that was in Karen’s heart, and she wrote it fully from a place of vulnerability.
After Karen released the book, waves of readers reached out to her.
When you put out a book that shares so much of your soul, you always want to hide, fearing the reaction when others read it, but the response to Karen’s book has been unbelievably uplifting. (Honestly, the response to most vulnerable books is positive, encouraging, and inspiring!)
Karen’s book is now impacting thousands of people who have battled with cancer or had a loved one battle cancer. She’s bringing her story to the cancer community and beyond. The Dr. Oz show did a video about Lauren and included a bit about Karen’s book, and you know that’s going to grow the audience potential.
What I’d like you to know is that even when the book feels very much about yourself, if you maintain an open stance, inviting the reader in, the reader will undergo her own transformation, in the process of reading your book.
And, now, Karen has launched a business as a writing coach!
One of the best things to come out of this entire process is that Karen has claimed confidence in herself as a writing coach. I remember one of our first calls, Karen admitted that she’d always wanted to be a book editor, but it had seemed more practical to go into the medical field, so she’d pursued medicine.
After writing and publishing her own book, people started coming out of the woodwork, attracted by her energy and enthusiasm, and they started asking, “How did you write this book? How did you publish it?” And now she’s showing them how, with a new full-time business, and she’s loving it, with her whole heart and soul.
Good for the heart, good for business.
I firmly believe that what’s good for your heart is also good for business. Even when the connection isn’t apparent, when you do something that your soul longs to do, the income-producing actions will follow naturally, if you tune into the possibilities.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself about your book:
- In what ways do I hope the reader will be transformed or changed after reading my book?
- Are there people in my world who I would like to share this message with?
- Where are they? In churches, workplaces, gyms, clubs? Do they meet at certain places?
- How can I get my message (and my book) into their field of vision? Can I give a presentation? Lead a workshop? Put on a performance? (This is your marketing. They will love coming to hear more of your message.)
- How can I offer to take them deeper through the transformation? Coach a small group? Coach individuals? (This is your business offering. They will gladly, happily, joyfully pay you for your help in transforming their lives.)
As you dig into these questions, you will be slowly uncovering the path from your heart-centered book to your heart-centered business, and that is a beautiful path to walk down.
I’d like to let Karen tell a bit of her own writing journey.
Here’s a video of Karen telling you exactly how her writing journey went, and I hope that you’ll be inspired by her and realize that you are just as able to combine the book that’s on your heart and the business that you’ll love.
Watch Karen’s writing journey here: