You have a beautiful new offering or business that you want to reach straight into the hearts and hands of your most ideal clients and customers. You’ve poured so much love into it and want to be sure that all your efforts and energy come back to you in the way you want with more subscribers, social media followers, enrolments and money.

It can be a restless time. Lots of time in action and doing. Eyes on a computer screen for hours a day. The constant watching of numbers, enrolments, bank balances, social media accounts. Seemingly feeling ‘on’ day in and out to draw attention to your work.  nd egoic thoughts of “Am I doing enough?” “Why aren’t there more sign ups?” “Is this working?” “Things should be happening faster.” “She is doing so much better than me.” “What am I actually doing?”

I get it. And I’ve been there. Launching can be exhausting. And even if you get the ‘results’ you want at the end of it all, you can be left feeling so tired and even burnt out that you question if it was worth it and pray you never have to do it again.

I have learned over nearly twenty years in business and countless launches that it doesn’t have to be this way – no matter how many people may try to tell you that it does or that it just ‘goes with the territory.’ That is a very defeatist, old and capitalist paradigm to be viewing the sharing of your work from and you can launch in another way that feels so much more rich, gentle and giving.

And still with wonderful outcomes.

Launching can truly feel as though it requires you to ALL be in action, but the truth is you are much more likely to craft an amazing launch if you try to gently balance the being in action, with some surrender and gentleness. That is when I have seen the best results of all kinds emerge from a launch.

If you are truly over feeling burnt out, exhausted and even questioning of your sanity or business abilities during the launching process then I hope the following tips about gentle business launching will really help you. They certainly have me and no longer do I burn the midnight oil, sweat over figures or question myself endlessly – and am a better woman and business woman for it.

Consult Your Soul

Before you set out on the grand adventure that is your next launch – check in with your wisest and most intuitive self. Take the time to truly ask yourself what this undertaking is all about for you beyond the numbers of money, followers, subscribers. Ask yourself powerful and guiding questions such as what this is ‘really’ about for you, what impact are you trying to have, how do you want this to change people’s lives for the better, how do you want it to change you for the better, how does this offering and launch help you to be your most vibrant self?

And let this wise part of yourself guide the decisions you then make about the ‘doing’ aspects of your launch. Be with yourself and your intuition and soul to create the very best and most luscious steps forward and plan that is going to see this launch have the power of your soul and true essence seep through every part of it. And then make sure you create plenty of time to regularly keep doing this throughout the planning for and launch period. Now is the time you will need your meditation cushion or chair and soft, intuitive and spacious time with yourself more than ever before.

Plan Then Surrender

While this may sound like the most simple thing in the world (and in many ways in a business sense – it is) if you truly want to avoid competing against the clock, working too hard and feeling strung out throughout your launch – you will gently plan for things to not be that way. So much of the push and frazzled feelings I see people endure throughout a launch stem from there not being a simple, clear plan that has (most importantly) given you enough time to do what needs to be done – while still loving yourself and your life enough to not be focused on it every waking moment.

Clearly planning something like a launch is quite a driven undertaking and if you were to ‘flip’ that and do it in an entirely unstructured way you wouldn’t plan at all – or only very little – and then you would wing it and see what happens. However flipping all the way over to the other side can be just as troublesome, with time simply not on your side to really give your offering the full chance it deserves and needs. Some things just can’t be done on the fly. It’s best to set yourself up for success with all you know you need to do (or ask for help from someone else to do it), leaving room for spontaneous things to come into play.

And then – you wisely and beautifully surrender. Let it go. Work to your (non-exhausting) plan, allow room for spontaneity and flexibility, give iy all your heart. You have done all you can and was right for you at the time. Now give things time and room and space to breathe and find the people your work is most meant to.

Collaborate

One of the great powers of heart centered and gentle business is to work in collaboration and partnership with others. Competition? Begone. Struggling alone? Not required. Secretive and suffering? Please no.

Now is the time to call on the consciously created relationships that are a part of your business and life around you in a very caring and gentle way. There is nothing wrong with asking your business friends for help and then of course not becoming attached to the outcome of whether or not they come, share, or support your offering in any particular way. Some may not. Some likely will. And those decisions aren’t up to you. They are up to them. By asking however you powerfully model to others – I am unafraid to lean into you and ask you for help with this precious offering I have. If you are called to share or support me with it in some way – I would be honoured. If the time is not right – I am still honoured you are even considering it. And of course – always – know that I am here to lean back on.

Think Of Other Ways To Measure Results

One of the reasons that a launch can feel so wildly aggressive and like your head is spinning off its axis (yes I have been there!) is because we are too focused on the end result – and quite honestly – likely the wrong result too. Many business coaches may tell you that the primary and even only focus of your launch should be to make money or at the very least be numerically based such as gaining more social media followers or newsletter subscribers. And having some focus on these aspects of your business are important. To deny that is to be in denial. However they are not the be all and end all.

Try to think of what else this launch can be for you no matter what stage of business you are at. Outside the numbers. Can it help you to grow in confidence in how you market yourself? See you build new connections and friendships? Build your reputation? Come in contact with more of your ideal clients? Gain you exposure and help you shine in new ways you’ve yet to do? Support you to follow through with something truly important to you? Help you value and honour your need for play, rest and fun in your business? Inspire you to learn something new? See you let go of something that was no longer serving you? Finally help you see the power of surrender?

Those are some pretty divine ‘results’ for any business owner at any stage of their business journey.

Play and Rest

You know that beautiful, flowing and flexible plan you are going to create for yourself above? Please either schedule in or allow room for (there to be time for you to joyfully play and lusciously rest. Both are ok! Go with what works for you. You cannot expect to let your soul’s work come to light if you are pushing yourself to the absolute extreme with no self-care. In fact if ever there were a time where you need to ensure that your self-care, self-compassion and self-love is overflowing – it’s during a launch period.

Let go of any guilt you feel for stepping away from the computer. Stopping. Sleeping in. Going to bed early. Hitting the dance floor. Reading a book of fiction. Going for a run. Swimming for hours at the beach. All of these things will in fact – if you have the courage to let them – help you endlessly with your launch. They will support you to feel more embodied, carefree, creative, fulfilled, rested and energised. And when you are feeling and experiencing those things you will undoubtedly make better decisions to support your launch. All thoughts of you being worried or fearful that you’re not doing enough will melt if you give yourself the chance to truly see how powerful and creative you can be if you immerse yourself in this side of being.

Dance With Your Shadow

If your ego raises its head before, during or after your launch – brava to you. That means nothing more than you have been doing something that really matters to you. Our ego and inner negative chatter loves to keep us small and so whenever it sees us trying to shine out and step up – you can bet it’s going to turn up its volume. This is normal. It does not mean that everything it is saying has merit, or you need to act upon especially if you know that when taking the time out to consult with your soul that is not the true you and what you are capable of.

Instead choose to dance with your shadow self and learn from this side of you. How does keeping small serve you? Do you want what you want more than you are afraid of it? How is your ego trying to hold a mirror up to show you the things you need to learn about yourself? And how is it trying to ask you to love yourself more and grow from where you are right now?

Think about how much powerful it is for you to learn from your ego and shadow in this way rather than hide from it, be rageful towards it (and therefore yourself) or simply buckle under the weight of its negativity. Ask yourself instead what this incredible teacher is here to teach you and open you up to – and watch yourself in turn grow in power, confidence and grace.

Goddesses To Support Your Launch

When we are in a launch period, calling in all the support we can get is more than a wise thing to do. And that can absolutely include the power of the ancient Goddesses to guide and support you. Consider creating a small space on your desk or an altar or collection of energetically giving objects such as crystals, oracle cards, (and so much more) next to your bedside to support you during your launch. Use them while meditating. Give thanks with them at the start and end of the day. Call them closer to you with specific requests for more courage, abundant thinking, gentleness – anything at all you feel you need. The following Goddesses in particular may be super helpful and poignant during launch time.

Lakshmi: The Hindu Goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. Call on Lakshmi to help you shine bright in your launch and attract prosperity towards you. Lakshmi is often depicted with water lilies and she loves vibrant hot pink and gold. Think sparkle and shine on your altar and pop some citrine on their too to really amp up the attraction of prosperity towards you.

Quan Yin: The great Chinese Goddess of compassion is a gentle and soulful guide for you to call upon during a launch. When with you, Quan Yin will inspire you to be gentle, self-compassionate and forgiving throughout your launch. She too is associated with the water lily like Lakshmi and so surrounding yourself with any soft pink flowers in water will invite her in.

Artemis: One of my favourite Goddesses with her Roman equivalent being Diana. Artemis was a huntress and straight shooter who always met her mark. She has brilliant focus and determination and is a wonderful Goddess to call closer to you to help you with the execution of that brilliant plan you are going to create. Artemis is also a sovereign being. She does not need anyone to tell her of her worth and she loves spending time in nature. And so a warning…if you call her to be with you during this time she is on one side going to help you be committed and meet your true desire for your launch – and strongly encourage you to get out in nature and play while this is all unfolding.

Perfect right?  Right!