Laurie Buchanan - The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace

Praise for The Business of Being

The Business of Being sets itself apart through engaging stories, actionable steps, and a dash of humor. Deftly closing the gap between business and spirituality, it encourages current or prospective business owners to live in alignment with inner values without compromising integrity. Those who take this book to heart will undergo a powerful transformation in both their personal and business lives.

STEPHEN J. HOPSON, the worlds first deaf instrument-rated pilot and author of Obstacle Illusions: Transforming Adversity into Success

When we allow ourselves to show up authenticallybe who we arewere in alignment. The Business of Being helps us unlock the power to reach our full potential and thrive.

RACHAEL OMEARA, transformational leadership and executive coach, sales executive at Google, and author of Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself a Break

The Business of Being is an important resource that will enable individuals to discover their calling and transform their personal and professional lives.

DR. LYNN SCHMIDT, leadership development expert, executive coach, keynote speaker, and award-winning coauthor of Shift Into Thrive: Six Strategies for Women to Unlock the Power of Resiliency

Laurie Buchanan is a master storyteller. In The Business of Being, she expertly weaves the development story of a French restaurant business with the exploration story of personal being. Individuals considering creative business partnerships will gain insights on charting a successful business and collaboration. However, the essence of the book is an imaginative and resource rich guide to hearing and responding to the internal call to ones authentic raison detre. It offers a pleasurable recipe for stirring our personal being and responding to it.

AUDREY B. DENECKE, Senior Leader Coach and Organizational Change Consultant

The Business of Being is the best silent partner I ever took on.

TERRILL WELCH, gallery owner and author of Leading Raspberry Jam Visions Womens Way: An Inside Track for Women Leaders

This gem of a book is really three books in one: a savvy guide to building a business, an engaging story of a boutique restaurant, and a coaching guide to living an intentional life. Chock full of quotes and stories and examples, The Business of Being will help you be the person (and the business) you want to be. And in doing so, she shows you how to change the world and have fun doing so. Bravo!

RITA SEVER, author of Supervision Matters: 100 Bite-Sized Ideas to Transform You and Your Team

The book combines a personal guide and business manual with a culinary story... lays out a series of plain-sounding but persuasively thoughtful principles organized around the straightforward contention that there really isnt much difference between the two disciplines, asking a deceptively simple question: Can implementing business values improve personal lives?... A lucid, step-by-step guide to personal and professional successwith vichyssoise mixed in.

KIRKUS REVIEWS

When I received Laurie Buchanans new book, The Business of Being, I started reading it immediately because I had enjoyed her first book so much. This second effort is not a disappointment! Buchanan has written a straight-to-the-heart book on building a successful business, not only professionally, but in tandem with your personal business. This book is a smart resource with some recipes thrown in, to live with authenticity and to merge best business practices with your best self. Loved it!

MARIANNE LILE, author of Stepmother: A Memoir

This book is enlightening, inspiring, and thoroughly enjoyable. Through stories, research, and her own experience and wisdom, Buchanan shows readers how to build a successful and responsible business while at the same time assuring that they live a satisfying and purposeful life. Woven in to illustrate many of her points is the delicious tale of how an eclectic group of friends envisioned and launched a charming French restaurantfrom inception, to opening, to sustained success. Buchanan is a teacher/guide who combines business acumen with spiritual awareness and masterful storytelling."

DONNA CAMERON, author of A Year of Living Kindly: Choices That Will Change Your Life and the World Around You

I can say with confidence that whether you're new to business or have been at it awhile, The Business of Being will educate, energize, and delight you. Laurie Buchanan knows exactly how to speak to the head and the heart!

CRISTEN IRIS, editor, writer, book and business coach

Unlike so many others in the self-help book business, Laurie Buchanan makes no promises that you will 'think and grow rich.' Even though she uses business best practices as teaching moments, the goal is sustainability over wealth, integrity over profit, and the joy of the journey over the destination. Unlike many spiritual writers, she does not denigrate the physical world or the sensory world. In fact, quite the opposite! The business she chooses to use as the example of combining self and business is a restaurant, featuring the most sensory of all cuisinesFrench. I found myself totally absorbed in the story of how La Mandarine Bleue came into existence as an extension of relationships among talented friends whose love of good food and wine, and whose shared values but varied gifts, make a compelling story that illustrates the thesis.

SHIRLEY HERSHEY SHOWALTER, former president of, and professor at, Goshen College, and author of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World

The Business of Being

Copyright 2018 Laurie Buchanan PhD

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please address She Writes Press.

Published 2018
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN: 978-1-63152-395-3 pbk
ISBN: 978-1-63152-396-0 ebk
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018935584

For information, address:
She Writes Press
1563 Solano Ave #546
Berkeley, CA 94707

She Writes Press is a division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.

Interior design by Tabitha Lahr

All company and/or product names may be trade names, logos, trademarks, and/or registered trademarks and are the property of their respective owners.

Names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals.

This book is dedicated to the people in
my personal and professional life
whove closed the gap between what they say
and what they dowho walk the talk.
Its an honor to be in your sphere of influence.

Being. Being is a powerful word.