It seems to me that getting people’s attention is harder than ever these days. 

People in all corners of the internet are bewailing the amount of unnecessary noise that shortens people’s attention spans and makes them more suspicious of sales tactics (all while contributing to that unnecessary noise 😅)

Marketing is harder and more expensive than ever, and people jealously guard their audiences for fear someone will “steal” them… as if a list of people actually belonged to them in the first place. Sure the list belongs to you, but the people on the list don’t.

A list of people really is just a way to number the people who know and trust you: it’s a way of calculating goodwill.

The currency of our current age is trust.

And since there’s so many charlatans and sketchy things happening, and people are seeing the worst of humanity on the internet, the value of that trust is at an all time high. Don’t try to buy trust with snake oil salesman tactics.

If I were an investing advisor, I’d say that trust is the best portfolio strategy right now. It’s more valuable than sterling silver or gold, and extremely cheap to get. 

All it costs is honesty.

If you are at the first or second level of entrepreneurship, the challenge you’re facing is to build trust with as many of the right people as possible.

I’ve observed that the most powerful marketing strategy is a referral from someone your ideal client already trusts because it’s like they’re directly handing you a treasury note of trust. 

But they’re not losing trust when they give to you: the trust multiplies exponentially for them and for you because the client sees that there’s mutual generosity, and that creates an excess of trust that gets absorbed by the ecosystem.

The most powerful example of this is the Three Sisters.

This companion planting technique used by Indigenous Americans is powerfully effective, and, because they are so reliable a crop, they became the backbone of traditional Native cuisine for both North and Central America.

The Three Sisters is corn, beans, and squash. Each plant provides elements the others need to thrive.

Corn is the tallest and strongest, providing a framework for the others.

Beans need something to grow on, so they take advantage of Corn’s height.

Beans help to shade Corn from the sun, so Corn doesn't dry up too soon; as well as providing the critical nitrogen-fixing function both Corn and Squash need to bring their fruit to maturity.

Squash sits at Corn's feet, spreading its broad leaves to provide shade, prevent moisture evaporation, and discourage weeds from growing too close and encroaching on the sisters’ resources. 

Each nourishes and is nourished by the others.

Together, companion planters create a closed loop microcosm where the resources generated and preserved by all stays in the system and creates an environment of abundance.

In their shelter, other organisms - fungi, bacteria, insects, earthworms and other invertebrates - find a place to thrive and the microcosm is further strengthened by their inputs. 

There is always enough, and more than enough.

Working together creates abundance - none of the partners ever experiences lack or scarcity because other members of the partnership took too much away from them. 

The principle the Three Sisters teach us is selfless collaboration for mutual benefit.

This collaboration creates a closed loop system, which creates a microcosm, which improves the overall ecosystem, which makes the world a better place.

It all starts with knowing what you have to offer, and offering it freely.

“Freely you have received, so freely give.”

It’s impossible for a plant to keep all the light, water, and soil for themselves, and anyone who tries is working against the Original Instructions. 

Non-compete agreements (refusing to allow you to work with others serving the same niche at the same time) and single-use publishing licenses (where you can’t publish your content anywhere else but their blog) are all examples of selfish greed.  Standard corporate procedure, yes. But grade-A selfish greed. 

The key lesson for us is to find people to partner with who are open and generous - and to be open and generous ourselves. We can’t expect to receive freely, if we are grasping and stingy and jealous of “my list.”

It’s time to flout the standard practices, throw off the chains of corporate-ness, and choose to be and live a better way.

We need to find other business owners to be our companion planters. 

Most successful plantings are at least a duo, but a triad is stronger. “A threefold cord is not easily broken.”

Strategy:

• Determine what resources you provide
• Determine what resources you need other partners to provide
• Find people who would benefit from your resources, can provide what you need, and are open and generous

Use this workbook to go step-by-step through the process >>