If your business is profitable and you're transitioning it from earning active income (where you're trading your time for money) to passive income (where you're earning money whether you work or not), you'll want to know the difference between masculine and feminine business hierarchy of needs. Why? Because it'll explain why you're stuck, where you're stuck, and what to shift your focus to.

You're probably familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Your business, as a living, breathing entity, also has its own hierarchy of needs. There's a masculine hierarchy and a feminine hierarchy. Neither is attached to a person's gender. Ultra successful entrepreneurs have used a blend of both, depending on the phase of their business: launching, building, propering, re-calibrating, re-launch, re-building to next plateau, etc.

ELEMENTS OF A MASCULINE BUSINESS HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

4. Money: the masculine hierarchy of needs is founded on action, on laser focus on profit, and on getting the job done at all cost

3. Time: once the money is adequate or plentiful (depending on our own measure of success), the need for more free time and free choice appears

2. Team: once the business offers us free time and choice, we focus on surrounding ourselves with awesome people who are on similar quests (networking galore!)

1. Purpose: once all the above goals are achieved, then appears this need for more fulfillment, meaning, and purpose in one's life (this is when masculine businesses turn toward philanthropy)

ELEMENTS OF A FEMININE BUSINESS HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

4. Purpose: the feminine hierarchy of needs is founded on purpose, gaining a sense of fulfillment and lasting meaning in the work we do (<-- this is where, unfortunately, there so many women under-earners stay stuck: if they haven't found THE thing that gives this a lifetime of meaning, then they can't proceed)

3. Team: once purposeful work is met, feminine businesses crave community, a sense of belonging, awesome people who spark each others' fires

2. Time: once a solid support foundation is established, then the business focus shifts toward a need for flexibility, free time, and power of choice

1. Money: once that sense of freedom and serenity is achieved, then the business seeks profit to sustain itself (<-- this is why so many women under-earners never make it past 5 years because they spend too much time in levels 4, 3, and 2)

LEVERAGE BOTH

There is truly no right or wrong hierarchy of needs, neither is better or lesser. A woman can leverage both hierarchy as can a man. The key to success and wealth is to identify which hierarchy of need you are currently in and ask yourself, "It is serving me?" If not, switch to the other. And when you've outgrown that model, switch back. There is magic in fluidity!