There’s a lot to say for this topic, but today let’s view it from the perspective of a business owner.

Ever learnt to ‘agitate pain points’ to market your product or service?

We are taught that in order for people to be interested in what you have, you need to make them feel that they can’t succeed (in whatever goal relates to what you sell) without it.

It may not even be as intentional as that.

But as you work on growing your business there is a subtle idea that easily finds its way into the mix: that people cannot do without you. If you don’t put it like that or see yourself/your brand in that way, then you leave people to your competitors, you go without a sale, you won’t gain the recognition you need to reach your lofty goals.

This is the impact of a heavily commercialised society – both online and offline – where we are now used to paying people to enjoy casual, friendly conversation. Where you cannot escape advertising or sponsored placements in the search of information. Where there is a coach for almost every action, and we can barely survive without cash because the majority of us don’t know how to plant, grow, create, raise, nurture, harvest, etc.

I run a brand consultancy and for a while, I wondered how I could continue to do so ethically, asking myself “am I not perpetuating this same culture?”.

After a hiatus of deep reflection, there was something that stood out to me.

Dependency.

That is what all of this relies on. You have to make people feel dependent on your business so that they’ll pay for the antidote so that you can grow.. and the cycle never ends.

It removes the elements of independence, critical thinking and empowered choice.

It relies on exploiting vulnerabilities and then love bombing them to believe that you are the cure.

It goes against everything natural and free – that maybe you already have it in you? Maybe you can create it yourself? Maybe you don’t need it and it’s just a fleeting desire that you’ll regret when you come back to your senses?

Well… how can you sell if people don’t need it?

❌ Dependency, ✅ Choice.

This isn’t anti trade, service or paying for expertise. But it’s the middle path, where we switch force for invitation.

Where, instead of using our marketing and advertising to make people feel dependent on what we offer, we let them know we are here when they need us.

This is about shifting from a profit-first and profit-above-all mindset, to people-first.

It’s believing that:

• I would rather have one less sale than gain a customer out of insecurity or coercion.
• I have a responsibility to accurately represent what I offer and ensure that it doesn’t cause harm.
• Short term wins at the expense of trust and integrity are not worth it.
• My marketing should empower, not manipulate.
• Sustainability matters more than aggressive scaling.
• If someone isn’t the right fit for my offer, I should help them make the best decision for them, even if that means not choosing me.

All whilst still knowing: I can sell and have a profitable business being 100% ethical and in integrity at all times.

I am in the business of growing businesses, and for a while I thought that it had to be a surface level as that. It wasn’t until I decided I do not want to contribute to mindless consumption that I began to deepen my work and rethink how to approach it. A huge part of that shift came from the teachings of Tad Hargrave, a practitioner of ‘Ethical Marketing for Uncertain Times’ (go and check out his work if you’re interested in learning more!).

Your brand’s strength comes from its values and the experience that comes as a result of that.

Once you are clear on who you are and who you are not, you begin to articulate yourself in such a way that the people who feel aligned with your mission know exactly where to find you.

This is about breaking free from the business of insecurity: growing with clarity, confidence, and peace, knowing that your work empowers people, not preys.