• It seems like forever, but it was only 7 years ago when I heard Steve Farber say:

“Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do.”

This line struck me so hard, and I have never forgotten my immediate visceral response Yes! That’s it! That’s what I want!

This was the exact reason I started my business.

For those of you who think this is too woo-woo, I can assure you that Steve is all about tying it back to business success, including reduced employee turnover and improved profitability.

If you’re interested in how that works, watch this short video where Steve explains that love is just good business:

In the video, Steve mentioned there has been a trillion dollars in leadership training spend and yet 73% of professionals are still not engaged (up from 70%). Wow! That’s something you should seriously consider if you have employees.

Michael Port always says his bestseller Book Yourself Solid is a love story disguised as a business book. Michael used to end one of his free coaching calls saying, “I love you all, but not in a weird way,” which always made me smile.

In the “heart-centered entrepreneur” space, many of the influencers end their emails or videos with “much love” or “all my love.”

When I first started exploring this space, I thought it was a little strange. This certainly wasn’t something I had experienced at any of my corporate jobs, but as I started to do the deeply personal work I do with my clients, I soon realized I love my clients. (And sometimes I care more about their results than they do.)

And I also love many of my colleagues. Carol and I are both no-nonsense business women, but there are times when we’ll sign emails with “xo.”

Many retail and online businesses will say they love their customers, but do they? Maybe – maybe not.

Businesses that do love their clients / customers and show them create raving fans who evangelize and refer. They sell more to their existing client base and have higher profitability.

As a service provider, loving your clients and truly caring about helping them makes it easy to get out of bed in the morning.

In fact, you may jump out of bed, depending which client is on your calendar for the day.

In short, creepiness excluded, love does seem to have a place in business. Who doesn’t enjoy working with someone who is clearly lit up by what they do? Who doesn’t want to feel cared about as a person?

Is love just good business? I think I agree with Steve Farber.