What if the internet went down tomorrow — would your business survive?

Shawna Beckmann has built a life and a series of businesses — starting with a cleaning company that grew from just two or three close connections, and later freelance digital marketing — almost entirely through being unmistakably herself and genuinely connecting with people. Not networking. Not strategy. Just real relationships, held loosely enough to let life's surprises show up.

In this conversation, James and Shawna talk about leading with service instead of an agenda, how a simple list of the people already in your life can become the start of a business, and the importance of being honest from the beginning about what a connection actually is — so it never turns into something confusing or one-sided. They also touch on the role spirituality has played in Shawn ...