In the ever-evolving landscape of business, leaders are constantly seeking innovative methods to gain a competitive edge. While traditional strategies like market analysis and financial planning remain essential, an unconventional tool is gaining traction among savvy professionals: astrology. Astrology holds potential as a valuable resource for understanding human behavior, predicting trends, and making strategic decisions.  

In celebration of FlexTrades’ 20th birthday this May, I delved into its astrological birth chart out of curiosity. Given my interest in astrology, I wanted to see how the present planetary positions might influence my workplace. Stay tuned until the end of this blog to get a glimpse into the process we used to discover FlexTrades’ astrology and how we intend to use it. For now, let’s explore how astrology can be utilized to enhance business practices and drive success. 

Understanding Astrology in Business 

At its core, astrology is the study of celestial bodies’ positions and their influence on human affairs. While some may view it skeptically, many successful individuals and businesses have leveraged astrological insights to their advantage. Astrology operates on the belief that celestial alignments can impact individuals’ personalities, behaviors, and even broader societal trends. 

In the context of business, astrology offers valuable insights into consumer behavior, market trends, and optimal timing for decision-making. By understanding the unique characteristics associated with different astrological signs, businesses can tailor their marketing strategies, product offerings, and customer interactions to resonate more effectively with their target audience. 

Utilizing Astrological Insights 

  1. Consumer Profiling: Just as marketers create buyer personas based on demographic data, they can also incorporate astrological insights to refine their understanding of consumer preferences. For example, individuals born under the sign of Leo might be drawn to products that emphasize luxury and self-expression, while those under Virgo may prioritize practicality and attention to detail. 
  2. Timing Strategies: Astrology offers guidance on auspicious timing for launching new products, initiating marketing campaigns, or making major business decisions. By consulting astrological calendars, businesses can align their activities with favorable planetary alignments, maximizing their chances of success. 
  3. Team Dynamics: Understanding the astrological profiles of team members can enhance communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution within organizations. By recognizing individuals’ strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles based on their astrological signs, managers can foster more productive and harmonious work environments. 
  4. Strategic Planning: Astrology provides a broader perspective on cyclical patterns and long-term trends, enabling businesses to anticipate market shifts and adapt their strategies accordingly. By identifying recurring planetary alignments associated with economic cycles or industry-specific trends, businesses can proactively position themselves for success. 

Considerations 

While astrology offers unique insights, it’s essential to approach its use in business with a critical mindset. Skeptics argue that astrology lacks empirical evidence and scientific validity, making it unreliable as a basis for decision-making. Additionally, relying too heavily on astrological guidance may lead to confirmation bias or oversimplified interpretations of complex market dynamics. 

However, some of the most successful companies in the world, like Coca-Cola, are proponents of astrological business practices. They emphasize astrology as a complementary tool rather than a sole determinant of strategy. When used in conjunction with traditional data analysis and strategic planning, astrology can offer fresh perspectives, creative inspiration, and a deeper understanding of human behavior. 

Some like to think of astrology as a weather report, much like grabbing an umbrella when rain is predicted, or choosing an alternate route for your daily commute if you’re aware of certain areas prone to flooding and traffic jams during rainy weather; knowing astrological forecasts can help you anticipate and plan for upcoming events. 

Conclusion 

In the dynamic and competitive landscape of business, companies must explore unconventional avenues for gaining insights and achieving success. Astrology, with its rich history and unique approach to understanding human behavior, holds promise as a valuable resource for businesses seeking a competitive edge. By incorporating astrological insights into consumer profiling, timing strategies, team dynamics, and strategic planning businesses can unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation. 

Ultimately, whether one chooses to embrace astrology or remain skeptical, its influence on human culture and decision-making cannot be denied. In the realm of business, those who dare to explore its potential may discover hidden opportunities and insights that lead to greater prosperity and success. 

How To Decode a Business Birth Chart 

The first part in decoding a business birth chart involves gathering founding information. This includes the date, time and location of its birth—the more specific the better. Tracking down the exact time is likely the most challenging piece. Some ways you can do this are: using the timestamp from a significant purchase like a business license or website domain name or the time your doors opened for the first time.  

As someone who uses astrology in my personal life, I knew how important determining the time is because it helps give a more accurate reading by utilizing the rising sign (AKA your Ascendant). Your rising sign represents your social personality or the energy that you put into the world.  

For FlexTrades we used the first mark on our company’s historical timeline—May 13, 2004 “Open for business with two employees”. This felt like a very clear sign to use May 13, 2004, for our birthdate and 8:00am for our birthtime.  

From here you can calculate the business natal chart by using astrology software like Astrograph.com or consulting a professional astrologer. The resulting chart will depict the positions of the Sun, Ascendant, Moon, planets, and other astrological components at the time of the company’s establishment. 

From here, you can consult a professional astrologer to walk you through how astrological house positions and current planetary placements may impact your business.  

Curious to know more about FlexTrades’ astrology? 

Here is a sneak peek into FlexTrades’ Big 3 (Sun, Ascendent/Rising and Moon signs) and the characteristics that represent those signs. 

  1. Sun (will and purpose): Taurus 
  2. Ascendent/Rising (social personality): Gemini 
  3. Moon (emotional nature): Pisces  

Taurus is an earth sign, known for its stability, and reliability. Taureans are grounded, provide a strong foundation, value security, and seek stability. They are also determined, persistent, dependable, and consistent.  

Geminis are highly adaptable individuals who embrace new experiences with enthusiasm. They are natural communicators, have a strong intellectual curiosity, and enjoy exploring new ideas, concepts, 

Pisceans are compassionate with a natural inclination to help those in need and are drawn to humanitarian causes. They are also imaginative, idealistic, and naturally inspire those around them. 

It’s no surprise that the prominent traits emphasized in FlexTrades’ Big 3 support our brand’s personality and archetype exploration efforts. This enhances the perception of FlexTrades to our diverse audience – including technicians, clients, and the communities we serve. At FlexTrades, our commitment lies in making a difference every day by being reliable, intelligent, down-to-earth, and honest. We show up consistently and authentically to serve our technicians, clients, and communities exemplifying thought leadership, transparency, and possibility 

Leveraging Astrology for Business Success Insights from FlexTrades (1)

Here’s a glimpse at FlexTrades’ natal chart, created with astrograph.com’s free birth chart tool. Lucky for us novice to intermediate astrology readers, the astrology software tool will provide insights into planetary symbols, aspects, placements, and their significance. We recommend consulting a professional astrologer to gain a comprehensive understanding of your chart and how the planetary placements and aspects could influence your company. Happy forecasting and strategic planning! 

At the dawn of 2023, I found myself in the position of so many Americans – being laid off and facing unemployment. This juncture brought with it a mix of apprehension about the unknown, hope for a brighter future and a myriad of questions: Could I have done something differently? What lies ahead? Is my hard-earned success at risk?

As a single-income household, the full weight of life’s challenges suddenly bore down on me. In the weeks after my layoff, I channeled my energy into alleviating my mental and emotional strain. I sought solace and strength in the support of friends, family, and neighbors, who uplifted me with their presence and reminded me of my greatness.

Realizing the importance of a clear and positive mindset, I embarked on a journey to discover the endless opportunities ahead of me. To fully embrace this new chapter, it was essential to be in a mindset of abundance and readiness for growth, both personally and professionally. Rather than hastily applying to numerous jobs in a state of panic, I chose to reflect deeply on myself. This introspective journey led me to identify my core personal values – the fundamental principles that have steered my life’s course.

These values became the foundation of my job search, ultimately guiding me to a role that resonated deeply with my core beliefs. Just 67 days post-layoff, I found myself in an interview, engaging in discussions deeply rooted in the prospective company’s values.

Now, having been part of the FlexTrades Team for nearly eight months, I’ve observed how the company’s ethos is intricately integrated into every facet of our work – from emails and events to projects and daily interactions. Here, values are more than mere words. They are the essence of our collective spirit. I am both grateful and proud to contribute to a team that earnestly lives its principles.

Let me share a snapshot of FlexTrades’ Values and how they manifest in our everyday operations – a source of inspiration for both individuals and businesses. 

Move the Line 

We challenge ourselves and move the line every day, in everything we do. We push your own boundaries by focusing on outcomes and incremental improvement. We are forward-thinking. We embrace change and innovation. We make mistakes. We deliver results.  

From finding new and better ways to amplify the FlexTrades message to offering incentivized referral programs to our technicians, all teams have the opportunity to move the line at FlexTrades. We embrace change and innovation by using available tools and technology, like AI, to support our greatest efforts in moving the company forward.  

Be the Next 

We strive to set the highest standard of quality in everything we do. We always want to drive towards “the NEXT” great thing by constantly challenging ourselves to improve and break new ground. We pursue growth.  

FlexTrades invested in updating its tech stack to provide the team with the latest tools and technologies that support growth. This includes Bullhorn, an applicant tracking system and operations software; and HubSpot, a contact relationship management software. Various teams use AI to push their projects to the next level and Microsoft Teams helps us be a highly collaborative virtual workforce. 

Elevate Others 

We lift up our teammates, technicians, customers and neighbors, with confidence, positivity, and graciousness. We respect others.  

From thank you’s and shoutouts through our company shared Teams channel to how we communicate with our client partners and technicians, elevating others is an everyday occurrence at FlexTrades. On a bigger scale, every quarter FlexTrades employees have the opportunity to nominate their colleagues for the Employee of the Quarter Award. Each quarter, six winners are selected representing each of FlexTrades’ Values and are given a celebration package thoughtfully curated by HR. 

Pull the Wagon  

Winning takes teamwork, ambition and diligence, not egos. We pitch in and do whatever it takes to move the company forward. Our leaders pull the wagon alongside the team. We promote teamwork.  

Everyone from the newest member of the team to FlexTrades’ CEO, Amy Grussing, who has been a part of the team for nearly 20 years is dedicated to moving the company forward together. From quarterly Town Hall meetings to cross-functional collaborative projects, leadership at FlexTrades has created an open environment, where all ideas and feedback are welcome and encouraged.  

Enjoy the Journey 

We take the time to stop and acknowledge where we came from so that we don’t miss how impressive the climb has been. We never turn down a reason to celebrate. We get a lot done and have fun along the way. We have fun, seriously.  

FlexTrades holds a Summer Picnic in July where we gather to align on company goals, participate in teambuilding activities and celebrate our hard work. We put our game-faces on for weekly and holiday themed virtual Trivia Games, and there’s dedicated time spent in our quarterly town halls to celebrate individual and collective accomplishments. 

Give Back 

We give back to the communities where we live and work through volunteering and charitable donations. We believe that when we do good, we feel good and make our world a better place. We give back.  

There is a dedicated Give Back Committee that supports the FlexTrades team in participating in charitable events, making company backed donations to local charities, and partnering with our clients on charitable endeavors close to their hearts. For the last 5 years (and counting), FlexTrades employees have donated and participated in the annual Polar Plunge® for Special Olympics.  At this year’s Summer Picnic we partnered with Wine to Water, a non-profit charity organization that helps provide clean water resources for areas in need, to make hundreds of care packages. 

Join the FlexTrades Team

Are you seeking a workplace that truly reflects its values? If FlexTrades’ ethos resonates with you, explore our current openings and find where you fit in our vibrant team.