Holistic Practices as a Driving Force Behind Entrepreneurship

As a team, working with Amtu Hair Art & Tools has been been a value driven experience. That is not to say, it has not been without its obstacles. Nonetheless, the conscious effort to integrate holistic practices within our navigation as entrepreneurs has allowed our experiences to be deeply fulfilling, with many teachable moments, where work is no longer a source of stress but that of joy and transformation. What does this mean? It means not excluding our belief systems from our work systems, but integrating that within every aspect of our lives. Many people believe in order to succeed as an entrepreneur you must separate your ‘God Fearing’ mind from your work mind. This means as soon as you leave the house of God you must transform into a shark in order to successfully swim among sharks and do what is absolutely necessary to win.  We deeply disagree with this mentality, and hope to effectively share the reasons why, and how integrating one’s moral and spiritual compass will be the foundation of how businesses will operate in the future. 

As a company we work in partnership with other global organizations in our design and manufacturing process. Many of our custom accessories are handmade by a collective of artisans in Nepal.  We’ve learned a lot about integrating our holistic practices from our partners overseas. For example, our Nepalese partners shut down their offices during the month of October. October is sacred because it is the month of Dashain & Diwali. Diwali is a festival of lights. It is associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. People celebrate by lighting clay lamps called 'diyas' around their homes. This signifies the victory of good over evil and that is why Diwali is also known as the festival of lights. It is within this belief, that the light will overcome the darkness. With this in mind, during the period of this season, our Nepalese partners will not accept any orders, it is 100% spirituality & value over money. Therefore, we don’t do any custom handmade orders during the month of October as well. We consciously chose not to challenge this, and to actually adopt this mindset. 

The integration of value and holistic practices and allowing that to be used as a tool and a source to enable us to navigate through the rough seas of entrepreneurship has proven to be effective. It encourages us to place value in our customer’s experience, and appreciate the hard work and energy behind the money spent on our products.  It allows for transparency in the operations of our business, and to engage and share our mission with our clients. It enables a deep respect for those we work with, and to interact with sincere intention and thoughtfulness. This mindset encourages a practice of spiritual headlights when the pressure appears high. Many on our team and staff members practice meditation and breathing techniques. Many of us are vegan. When the going gets tough, I for one, will increase the amount and time of my meditation. I will nurture my practice with a 15 minute morning yoga body activation, and acquire literature that supports this practice and mindset. I guess you can say, in my world of entrepreneurship, when the going gets tough I double up on my spiritual and philosophical practices to spearhead me through the path.  This practice allows me to access the far reaches of my mind in order to be innovative in my design process, for mindful solutions and being a driving force with sincere intentions. It not only allows space for self care and addresses my mental and emotional needs, but it is a source and tools that allows for better business decisions, it places the value and integrity within my work ethics, and is effective in bringing the needed resolutions.

 As society and its consumer market becomes more aware of the need and importance of organic products and they see value in these chemical free products, they will also become more aware and seek the remedies for a toxic free life and mentality.  They will seek value in the experiences they have as customers to small businesses, and expect those businesses to reflect a level of those values and integrity. They will expect value in the products they purchase, and for these purchases to contribute to their self care and not self destruction with chemicals and/or heat damage. Consumers are beginning to also purchase more products that cater more to their authenticity or innate qualities and not products that nurture a false image or illusory construct sculpted by the society they live in. The idea of infusing social good with business practices is not a new concept, its something Tom Shoes mastered when they informed the public that for every shoe that’s purchased from their company, a pair of shoes will be provided to those in need. This allowed for customers to feel good about their purchase, that they were helping to better the world they lived in simply by buying a pair of shoes, and therefore enhanced the customer’s experience. However, now or what lies before the future, is not just doing a social good but literally becoming the change you want to see, practicing your values in every aspect of your life and encouraging others to do the same even the small businesses you frequent.

In conclusion, we here at Amtu Hair Art & Tools have consciously been committed to placing our values in every aspect of our lives, including within our entrepreneurship. We have decided to allow our holistic practices to be a driving force within our business navigation, and the way we engage our customers. As entrepreneurs and through our value driven approach we consciously transform obstacles into teachable moments. It means we have committed to becoming the change we want to see in society and not just excluding this notion to one day a week or compartmentalizing it to limited aspects of our lives. It is our hope that as citizens begin to transform, so will the institutions, businesses, and organizations that help to sculpt the society we exist in. It is with this perspective that we hope one’s moral and spiritual compass will be the foundation of not only one’s life, or the foundation of small businesses, but will become the driving force within our society and how it operates.

Thanks for reading and for your support! To further support our small business & innovative natural hair endeavors, check out our latest development - a natural hair stretching tool called the Hair Weight, click here for details!