At the time of writing, I am five years into running my online business.
I’ve been through a lot — the highs, the lows, the late nights, the early mornings, the phases, and the burnouts — and I’ve learnt a lot.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learnt over the years is that business is about people.
And I don’t mean the stats in your Google Analytics or your Instagram follower count.
I mean actual ~literal~ people.
Business is about Desola. It’s about Kyle. It’s about Brittany. It’s about Andy. It’s about Dama. It’s about Tori. And it’s about Zoe.
Each individually and as a whole.
Business is about you. Your strengths, your weaknesses, what brings you joy — what YOU want your business to be.
Business is about your customers and clients. Their needs, their goals, the way you can truly serve them and leave an impact on their lives.
Business is about your connections. Their strengths, their goals, how you can harness your relationships to reach more customers and clients to impact.
They all have their own individual strengths, needs, weaknesses, and dreams.
Recognising this, and taking a (long and uncomfortable) look at your business, is the first step to becoming a People-Led business.
And I’m right here with you — taking my own uncomfortable first step posting this: the first of many posts to introduce my vision for People-Led businesses.
What does ‘People-Led’ mean?
I’m still working to refine this into one snappy sentence that overflows with magic and concise-ness but here’s what I’ve got so far:
Being ‘People-Led’ means to run your business or community on the foundations of putting the individual needs of yourself, your customers, and your collaborators first.
There is so much room for this to develop and grow into much more than this one line description but I think this is a nice start 🌿
I’ve also written a little more about some elements of People-Led below:
Impacting ALL people
As business owners, we all know the importance of niching down and identifying our ideal customers. But, as leaders, it is imperative that we understand that our ideal customer — though specific — come in all shapes and sizes.
People-Led organisations will often having niche-specific target markets but won’t feel the need to specify demographics, such as gender.
People-Led means making sure our offers and communities are diverse, equitable, inclusive, welcoming, accessible, and safe spaces.
Refusing to distance your business from ‘’’politics’’’
There is no separation of your business from your values and your values from your business.
A People-Led business refuses to distance its values from its work.
If you are People-Led, you understand that Black Lives Matter is not ‘politics’. You understand that the importance of sharing your pronouns is not ‘politics’. You understand that sharing a message of importance to you is not ‘tainting your brand’ in any way but is showing that you give a damn.
People-Led leaders know they cannot ignore issues that are affecting the day-to-day lives of their customers and still expect to serve those customers well.
People-led is serving over selling
Money is — undeniably — an important part of business. Sales and bookings keep our businesses running but when you put your people first, the sales will follow.
People-Led is an understanding that our brands grow much more organically when we are rooted in the vision of serving and impacting our people (ALL of our people) instead of seeing them as ‘walking wallets’
When we set out to serve our customers and clients — and we really see their individual wants, goals, and needs — sales and growth is inevitable.
People-Led businesses put their customer's and client’s needs first in their sales and marketing efforts and make it easy for people to share their offers through word of mouth.
Recognition of oppressive systems within businesses
To build a business or community that is truly People-Led, we must first dismantle what is not People-Led.
A great example of this is where we might have crafted offers or solutions to problems in a way that worked for us, but they don’t work for all people. We’ve built on the basis of ‘one-size-fits-all’ (which is a fantasy) and, for some of us, on the foundations of privilege.
Another example would be things such as false urgency, pressure marketing, and unethical pricing (such as overpriced payment plans). These are also commonly known as ‘ bro-marketing’ (though I am averse to that phrase as I’ve seen plenty of non-males use these tactics) or ‘ female lifestyle empowerment brands ‘.
In a People-Led business, you recognise the oppressive systems that are hidden under the guise of ‘strategies’, ‘hacks’, and ‘tactics’ and you work (hard) to abolish them — within and outside of your own organisation.
Recommended Reading ➝ The Ethical Move
Recommended Reading ➝ Kelly Diels, The Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand
Strategic partnerships & intentional marketing
As a People-Led business, it’s not about ‘being on every platform at once’. You want to be where your people are and market your business in a way that feels good to you.
In fact, the format or platform for your content doesn’t really matter. As Tara McMullin writes so brilliantly, it’s about creating Remarkable Content — no matter what shape it takes.
You also recognise the power of word of mouth and the power of positive referrals so strategic partnerships and referral programs are an important part of your marketing strategy.
In a People-Led business, your marketing strategies are driven by your audience (where do they hang out?), your collaborators (how can they spread the word?), and your own energy (what feels good to you?).
Mindful affiliations and investments
As I said before, People-Led means intertwining your business and your values. This also means being mindful of who you associate yourself with and what you invest in.
If you are an affiliate for a brand that is unaligned with your values, you will reconsider the relationship and look for alternatives.
If you are using software that is unaligned with your values, you will reconsider the investment and look for alternatives.
People-Led organisations understand that their values should overflow from their own business and into other’s, which means they are selective about partnering with and investing in spaces that align with their values.
What type of business does People-Led work best for?
Service-based? Amazing. Product-based? Great! SaaS? Cool beans.
The format of what you do or sell is less important than your commitment to creating inclusive and accessible experiences that work for ALL people — not just your white, straight, cis-gendered, able-bodied folk.
You are a values-led, passionate, and creative human being who wants to serve more people and grow their impact. It’s that simple 💁🏻♀️
What’s next for People-Led?
If you’re still reading, maybe you’re like ‘ hmmmm, Zoe, this sounds super interesting. What can I do about it? What’s the first step? ‘
Well, anonymous internet person, that’s what I’m excited to find out 🌈
Expect to see more blog posts on this topic and a paid community coming your way super soon.
If you read this post and you want to connect, feel free to drop me a DM on Instagram (@zoelinda_) as I’m always chatting with people over there! 😍
Originally published at https://www.zoelinda.co.uk on April 19, 2021.
