Reimagine Business with Nature as Our Guide

In a world where so many of us feel trapped in a system that no longer serves us, it’s time to reimagine business.

For years, we’ve been told that business is about hustling, grinding, and competing. About surviving. About winning. But what if that story isn’t the only way? What if, instead of pushing harder, we looked to nature for inspiration and guidance?

Nature doesn’t hustle.
It flows.
It adapts.
It thrives through connection and interdependence.

When we root our work—our life’s work—in the rhythms of nature, something powerful happens. Business becomes less about force and more about harmony. Less about scarcity and more about shared abundance.

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Why We Need to Reimagine Business

Most of us grew up inside what I like to call the fish tank of business.

In this fish tank, we’ve been told how to behave:

• Work eight hours a day.
• Separate “professional” from “personal.”
• Hide your true self behind a polished mask.
• Compete because there isn’t enough for everyone.

This tank is crowded. The water is murky. And even when we make small improvements, it’s still the same tank.

But what if, instead of fixing the tank, we jumped into the ocean? 🌊

The ocean represents a new paradigm. A way of working that’s rooted in joy, freedom, and purpose. Where we honor our natural rhythms and the world around us. Where we remember that we are nature, not separate from it.

To reimagine business in this way, we need three key recalibrations:

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1. The Ubuntu Mindset – I am because we are

In the old model, business is about scarcity. There’s only so much to go around, so we compete. We “beat” the competition.

But Ubuntu, an African philosophy, offers a radically different view: I am because we are.

When we see our clients, collaborators, and even our so-called competitors as part of a shared whole, business shifts from survival to service. It becomes a flow of giving and receiving, grounded in trust and connection.

Imagine a tree with strong roots and wide branches.
Each leaf represents a person, a project, a client.
The tree thrives because it’s part of an ecosystem—not in isolation.

This is how business can be when we approach it with Ubuntu energy.

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2. Authentic Relationship Culture

If you’re a solopreneur, you are your company. Which means your relationship with yourself sets the tone for everything else.

Authentic business relationships start with:

• Being true to your values, not just listing them on your website.
• Honoring your boundaries instead of betraying them for “success.”
• Showing up as the whole, real you—no masks, no personas.

I call this New Business Intimacy. It’s about creating spaces where people feel seen and heard. Where a client feels like they’re connecting with a human being, not a business façade.

Because every single one of us longs for connection. And when that’s missing, it doesn’t feel real. It feels transactional.

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3. Humane Business Practices

The third recalibration is practical and tangible: how we run our businesses day-to-day.

This includes:

• Designing offers that feel good to create and to deliver.
• Finding natural rhythms in your work instead of forcing productivity.
• Integrating nature into your business practices.

One simple example:
Instead of always meeting clients over Zoom, what if you suggested a walking meeting? Or took a coaching call outside, under a tree?

Other ways to bring nature into business:

• Align your work with moon cycles or seasons.
• Create more spaciousness in your schedule during slower times of year.
• Let your business evolve organically, like a garden, rather than pushing it to grow unnaturally fast.

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A Gentle Invitation to Reimagine

This is an invitation to slow down and ask:

What would my business look like if it were guided by nature?

What if growth felt like spring unfolding, not a never-ending climb?
What if success felt like balance, not burnout?
What if business wasn’t separate from life, but a natural extension of who you are?

We don’t need to keep fixing the fish tank.
We can choose to leap into the ocean.

Because when we reimagine business with nature as our guide, we don’t just create better businesses—we create a better world. 🌱

Business Like We’re Human

If any of the above resonates, I think you might enjoy my third book ‘Business Like We’re Human‘ where I go deeper into these topics. You can find it on Amazon or directly on my website.

Humane Marketing to Reimagine Business

The 7Ps of Humane Marketing and its 1-Page Humane Marketing Plan is a roadmap for Changemakers who want to market from an Ubuntu heart & mindset.
Rooted in reflection, they start with the P of Passion to think about our bigger WHY and then continue to help us figure our very own Personal Power: what’s our story?, how are we wired?, what are our values and our worldview? Picture this journey as an exploration of our vision, mission, values and the unique strengths we bring to the table. By intertwining Passion, Personal Power, People and Partnership with traditional elements like Product, Price, and Promotion, the 7Ps of Humane Marketing carve a path that not only resonates with our ideal clients but also amplifies the impact of our business.

It’s a holistic approach, where every marketing decision reflects the depth of our commitment, echoing the principles of a truly humane and conscious business.

>> Read more about the 7Ps of Humane Marketing.
>> Read more about Marketing for Changemakers

Other Resources You Might Enjoy

Blog post: Find Your People in Business: A Guide for Entrepreneurs

Blog post: I’m Struggling to Find My Niche – Here’s a Different Approach

Blog post: Unlocking the Power of Human Marketing: Strategies for Success

Blog post: Authentic Relationships: How to Be Human in Business

Podcasts

Podcast: Conversations for Change

Podcast: The Humane Marketing Podcast, conversations with guests, organized around the 7Ps of Humane Marketing

Downloads

• The Humane Marketing Glossary: Humane Marketing Words we love
• Manifesto: The Humane Business Manifesto (no opt-in)
• Creed: The Humane Marketing Creed (no opt-in)
• The One-Page Marketing Plan (email opt-in)

Books

• Business Like We’re Human, Sarah Santacroce
• Marketing Like We’re Human, Sarah Santacroce
• Selling Like We’re Human, Sarah Santacroce