Making Cent$ is a monthly newsletter by Mira Katz dedicated to the taboo topics that affect creatives in business, with a focus in female founders, but still applicable for everyone. Best enjoyed with a cup of ☕️ and a 🥐.
Joy is not frivolous
Though even if it was, I’d write about it anyway. Joy is a powerful emotion, and it’s worth some contemplation, and a whole newsletter.
Two weeks ago, a client and friend, Dan Haddad, published a podcast episode about 5D Businesses. It’s a term I wasn’t familiar with before, but it’s been so helpful putting words to a mission I’ve had for years now: reshaping the world of business.
In summary, a 5D Business has some key differences to a “traditional business” and contributes to a paradigm shift.
- It focuses on love vs fear
- It uplifts vs criticizes
- It supports wellness instead of contributing to illness
- It heals vs destroys
- It promotes peace and ease vs conflict and anxiety
- It celebrates JOY vs leveraging fear
Joy is a powerful emotion, and it's worth some contemplation.
Rebellion in the form of joy? Yes, more of that.
(If you want to learn more, we wrote an eBook about it too)
What's joy got to do with it?
A business has to be profitable (AKA self-sustainable). If not, it doesn’t last. To be profitable, it has to sell something. Without getting into the whole over-consumerism spiel, which could be a fun topic for next month perhaps, we need to acknowledge that a self-sustaining business needs a sales strategy.
What I’m proposing as an act of rebellion is using joy as your sales strategy.
Allow me to explain...
People buy a feeling
I’m not reinventing the wheel or proposing something novel here. Marketing is in essence another branch of psychology. Humans are wired to satisfy basic needs on an impulsive level: safety, status, and sex, for example. What do these things have in common? They are aspirational and addictive.
But what the world needs right now, in my humble opinion, is more joy.
Joy doesn’t solve the world’s many terrifying problems, but it celebrates and honors the gift of being alive on this beautiful planet. It helps us tap into gratitude, it makes us more motivated and energized. It’s also very aspirational and addictive - which makes it as good a strategy as any.
Joy doesn’t solve the world’s many terrifying problems, but it celebrates and honors the gift of being alive on this beautiful planet.
Do it joyfully
And what about you, dear reader? What does joy have to do with YOU?
Speaking from personal experience: joy is very persuasive.
Want to become more magnetic overnight? Focus on being more joyful. Want to have the upper hand in a negotiation? Protect your joy. Want to create a buzz around your new project? Project joy onto everyone you meet. Want to have strangers approach you to make new connections? Interact with the world joyfully. Want to grab people’s attention with your product? Design it using joy aesthetics. Want to raise money? Invite investors into a project with a joyful culture. I can go on.
Want to become more magnetic overnight? Focus on being more joyful.
Underneath joy
Joy is pure energy. It inspires enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is contagious as heck. But here’s the thing about enthusiasm; if it’s not genuine, it comes across as super icky. Real joy is the most beautiful thing to witness and experience and express because you know it when you see it and it feels damn good.
Joy is an indicator of integrity and alignment, and we love that.
My fave saying..
“People won’t remember what you say, they will remember how you made them feel”
What do with with all this?
Use joy as your measuring stick.
Not every moment is joyful, but it can still be something you track and consciously design into your life.
In your personal life
- How many days this week did you feel joyful, even for a moment?
- Are there people in your life that inspire joy? Are you prioritizing them?
- What activity made you feel joyful recently? Can you do more of it?
- Are you starting your day with joy? Could you be more intentional about this?
- Are you adding joyful elements in your life? In your home, your wardrobe?
In your business life
- When you talk about your project, do you feel joy? How much?
- Can you leverage joy in your next campaign?
- Can you lead with joy - setting the tone with your leadership?
- Can you hire people who tap into joy easily?
- Can you start your meetings and sales call with a joyful story?
Joy starts with you - and it’s a powerful force that you can harness with a little bit of attention.
I hope this makes sense.
With joy,
Mira
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