Marissa Lauren

Staying on Track: The Aligning Stage Begins

Welcome to the business aligning stage—the fourth and final step in a four-stage journey (Inspiration, Dreaming, Building, Aligning) to authentic growth! You’ve built a strong foundation for your nonprofit, coffee shop, podcast, or business expansion. Now, it’s time to ensure your venture stays true to your original “why.” This phase is about checking your path and making adjustments—let’s keep your vision alive! It’s important to understand that this aligning state is a long-term game, an ongoing process of continual checking and rechecking to make sure the heart is still behind it and lines up with your original “why.” This is just a brief overview, with more to come later.

What Does Aligning Mean for You?

The aligning stage is when you reflect on your journey. Whether it’s your nonprofit’s mission, your coffee shop’s vibe, your podcast’s purpose, or a new branch of your business, this is about ensuring it still feels like you. With Inspiration, Dreaming, and Building behind you, alignment keeps your venture authentic. It’s like tuning an instrument—small tweaks keep the music true to your soul. As you bring on team members to help align and build your dream, remember that no one will have the same passion and vision for it as you do. Very rarely will someone have the capacity and fire to carry it forward like you, so you must continue to monitor and guide it.

Reflect with Care and Connection

Take a moment to listen to your instincts and the voices around you. As someone who’s raised ten kids and supported nonprofits, I’ve learned that checking in with your team, customers, or community keeps things on track. Ask, “Does this match my vision?” This compassion—rooted in my love for authentic connections—helps you realign with purpose, not pressure. When you share roles with others, if they don’t carry the same heart or vision—or aren’t pursuing their own dreams that symbiotically attach to yours—it can lead to issues. Let visions that closely align guide adjustments, but always ensure it doesn’t drift too far unless it feels right.

How to Stay Aligned

Here’s how to keep your business true, inspired by resilience and a passion for people:

• Pause and Review: Set aside 10 minutes today to assess. Does your nonprofit still serve its cause? Is your podcast resonating? Bring it back to your original spark if drift appears.
• Gather Feedback: Ask supporters what they see. My nonprofit talks often reveal alignment needs—seek those insights to put things back in place.
• Adjust with Flexibility: Tweak what’s off. If your coffee shop’s menu drifts, refine it with resilience. Continual discipline, like child-raising, guides this never-ending process.
• Reconnect to Your ‘Why’: Revisit your original spark. This keeps your business aligned with your heart, maintaining stamina through pitfalls.

The Pitfall: Drifting Off Course

Drift can sneak in—your nonprofit might lose focus, or your podcast could stray from its theme. Sharing with doubters who discourage can also pull you off track, shaking your confidence. Another pitfall is copying or hopping on someone else’s dream or passion that isn’t truly yours, driven by money rather than heart—because you’ll lack the grit and long-term stamina to push through when passion fades. With your foundation set, alignment prevents burnout and loss of steam, employees, or influence. A clear path forward starts with recognizing these risks.

Lessons for True Alignment

Raising a big family has taught me resilience—guiding kids to stay true to their dreams. In nonprofits, alignment unites a cause. This phase calls for patience—small adjustments ensure your business reflects your vision through every challenge, like continual guiding in child-raising.

Your Turn: Align with Purpose

You’ve built something real—now align it with your heart. Reflect on one area to adjust today, seek feedback, and reconnect to your “why.” I’m passionate about creating spaces—through Blueprinted and beyond—where visions thrive. This is just a brief overview, with more to come later.