Abundance vs. Scarcity in Business, and What I Learned the Hard Way

Most leaders talk about mindset like it is a nice-to-have. In my experience, it is the thing that determines whether you grow or collapse when the pressure hits.

Over the last couple of years, I have lived both sides of this. I went through a stretch where I was working to hold a company together with duct tape and long nights, watching capital dry up, watching trust erode, and dealing with governance issues that put a real dent in my faith in people. When you are in the middle of all that, scarcity becomes the air you breathe. You start gripping everything. You watch for threats instead of opportunities. You try to control outcomes that can’t be controlled.

Scarcity feels rational in the moment. It feels protective. But it gets expensive. It shrinks your creativity. It narrows your vision. It pulls you away from your principles. And it disconnects you from the people who want to help.

After leaving that environment, I rebuilt. I slowed down. I’ve been spending time getting honest with myself about what matters. I’ve gotten back into the practices that keep me grounded, like breathwork, writing, and the coaching work that forces me to pay attention to something deeper than fear.

That shift, from tightening to opening, changed everything. Abundance isn’t magical thinking. It is a discipline. It is the choice to act from clarity instead of panic. It shows up in how you negotiate, how you lead a team through uncertainty, and how you treat the people who are betting on you.

In business, abundance looks like:

• Making decisions from values, not fear.

• Sharing credit and information even when you feel exposed.

• Creating real partnerships instead of transactional alliances.

• Investing in relationships before you need them.

• Letting go of roles, strategies, or companies that no longer align, and trusting that something better follows when you lead with integrity.

The irony is that abundance works best when you have every excuse not to believe in it. When the numbers look tight. When the board is anxious. When you are exhausted. Those moments are the test. They are also the leverage points.

The most important lesson for me was this. Scarcity isolates. Abundance connects. One drains you. The other builds you.

If you are in a season where everything feels tight, I get it. I have been there. My only encouragement is this: the moment you shift your stance, even slightly, the world around you starts to shift with you. It is not instant. But it is real.

Lead from fear and you get smaller. Lead from abundance and you create space for something new to emerge.

And in my experience, that space is where the best work begins.

Reading Recommendations

1. The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist
   A foundational reframing of scarcity and abundance.

2. The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible by Charles Eisenstein
   A deep look at separation, fear, and what it means to create from connection instead of scarcity.

3. The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
   A practical and philosophical approach to building long term value instead of short term fear driven choices.

4. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
   A beautiful exploration of reciprocity and the flow of giving and receiving.

5. The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope
   A grounded exploration of purpose and alignment.

6. The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
   A clear guide to moving out of fear-based patterns and expanding into abundance.

7. Essentialism by Greg McKeown
   A simple, powerful framework for focusing on what truly matters.

8. The Gift by Lewis Hyde
   A fascinating look at creativity, generosity, and the difference between transactional value and true value.