Welcome to Fernweh, a creative studio that builds and amplifies purpose-driven brands that last.
We are Lisa & Tim Hennessy, and we are excited to share our musings, to help you be a better founder.
We love to hear from you. Respond to this email and tell us what you would like to read next, connect with us on Instagram or LinkedIn, or see what inspires us on Pinterest. If you want your brand to make waves schedule a free discovery call, and learn more about our services. And if someone forwarded this to you, please thank them and click here to sign up for next week’s edition yourself.

Love as a business model.

My dear friend, Kim has been talking about this for years now. And I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who is so completely aligned in what they say. Every action, every interaction feels like a warm hug. She is the master of all things cozy. From the writing groups she and her partner host, to the publications they birth.

And as we all sit in front of our computers, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as you do at the beginning of the sparkly new year that holds all the promise to be better than the last, to finally let us achieve our dreams, ready to fire out these marketing strategies, to sell more, to reach more, here I am talking about love. Yes, love. Not leads, not growth rates, simply love.

Hear me out, before you jump into the next sales call, please.

Wouldn’t it be fun if love could indeed be a business model? If showing up on social media, or any other channels, could feel like you loving your people? If instead of a sale it could be an invitation with open arms? I have talked about being of service before. About finding a small way to make someone’s day. About caring so much that a community will basically create itself around that common goal you are all working towards. Shared values, a shared vision.

Love sits above all of that, or beyond. Love is the engine, the missing piece of the puzzle. The answer to all of our problems. When the economy falters, when governments disappoint over and over again, when brands lie and people too. Love dissolves all of that. If we were to do what we do every day from a place of love, instead of calculation, manipulation, or fear, we would look out for one another and the planet, and make decisions that benefit rather than extract. If we are struggling with a client, a supplier, an employer, could we ask ourselves – what would love do? Could we think about the next lead like a new friend we want to support and get to know? And not because it is a new tactic, but because we actually cared about them? What would happen if love was the driving force behind everything? What do you think our economy would look like? Our world?

Living on Kauai inspires more love in us every day. Not just the beauty of this place, but also the way people treat each other. Every adult is an aunty or an uncle, which essentially means, you treat every stranger like family. It’s a sign of respect kids show adults, but to me, it’s a sign of love. If everyone is my aunty or uncle, whether I know them or not, doesn’t that mean I am responsible for their well-being? To me, this term of endearment implies care, and once someone is part of my family, I can’t not care going forward. Wouldn’t it be fun to think about your customers/clients in this way? You don’t lie to family, you don’t sell to them, instead, you check in to make sure they have what they need and you give them a hug when you see them.

I am not saying to forgo your marketing strategy for the quarter. But maybe look at it through rose-tinted glasses and infuse some love into it?
Humor me, try it, and tell us how it felt.

Or reach out and we’ll do it together. Infusing love into your brand can be fun. And we love nothing more than having fun together.

Much Love,

Lisa & Tim