QUESTION:

“How does following conventional marketing and business advice force expert entrepreneurs to operate against their own human nature, and how should each Human Design Type apply their specific Strategy and Authority in direct business interactions—like client calls, collaborations, and networking—to create aligned success instead?”

 

I think the biggest block I’m seeing, both in my own business journey and in those I’m honored to guide, is buying into marketing advice without questioning it against our own human nature.

Human Design is about what makes us unique, but even if we don’t dig deep enough to understand every little nuance in our chart, we still carry some top-level traits. There are four Human Design Types (Projectors, Generators, Manifestors, Reflectors). The types determine how we find the energy to take action and also the levels of the energy available to us, as well as the strategy for this energy to do what it is designed to do – every energy type carries a certain quality that it brings to the world.

The Decision-Making Authority is about our unconscious “confirmation” that the action we want to take is correct for us. It is not about always having positive outcomes, but it may be an important lesson we need to recalibrate for future success. Traditional business and marketing strategy ignores this crucial nuance and imposes goal-setting and productivity demands that force us to go against the inner guidance or clarity we need to stay in flow with ourselves.

The reason is that a lot of modern business strategies are designed for product- or service-based businesses or created for larger corporations, which are so different in their nature from an expert, soul-led, thought-leadership type of business, often done solo, like mine or yours, that those strategies simply do not work for us.

Let me make a huge disclaimer here: everything below applies only to situations where the interaction involves other people directly. For example, client calls, networking events, collaborations, live events.

It does not apply to content we share: writing, talking on video, sharing insights. I call it building your Visibility Castle (more in my books, “On Visibility That Sells” and “On Frequency of YOU”).

To demonstrate, I will use myself as an example. I am a Projector with Splenic decision-making Authority by Human Design.

Projector Strategy. Wait For Invitations.

Projectors are here to BE AWARE. This explains why their existential question is “who is the other?” and why they can penetrate others’ aura and sense their alignment or misalignment.  Of course, this awareness fills them with a desire to express what they see, but because it often reveals a vulnerability – a specific strategy to “wait for invitations” to share that insight is crucial in order for it to land as intended- as guidance, not unsolicited imposition.

It is hard because Projectors are impatient.

Even with my closest friends, I notice this happening: I sense something and have an immediate urge to share, but my friend may not be open to my guidance in that moment. Maybe they just need to say it out loud, so that I hold space for them – without my 2 cents. And with that penetrating aura, it is so hard to always hold back. But when they are open, what I share can become a pivotal moment in their journey, and it is beautiful.

The same happens on client calls; there has to be an openness, an energetic or even formal invitation for my guidance to be allowed. The more I honor the Projector strategy to “wait for invitations,” the more I practice patience and self-centering as I wait; the more transformational that guidance becomes.

But if I don’t, I can easily get myself into trouble – especially with potential clients. Because we need to redefine what an invitation is. For a while, I assumed someone booking one of my Visibility Castle Orientation calls is a form of invitation. And yes, of course, it is to an extent.

But every time we actually get on a call, I need to sense and often even check with the client if they are actually open for me to share what I am sensing. Because it is not about what I think as an expert. One person could be sharing with me that they want to build a membership, and my whole energy goes NO. I am sensing that this direction is “unsafe” for them.

But I have to be very careful how I express it; sometimes I can also sense the person is open to my guidance, and they see me fully and recognize the value of their insight. Sometimes they even directly tell me that, and I see the moment is aligned. My Splenic decision-making Authority indicates it is “safe to proceed”.

But other times, I have this feeling of unease or even danger, completely irrationally at a surface level – yet this is when my Splenic Authority warns me that this is not a correct invitation and the person is likely to be closed to my guidance. Their reasons for booking this call may be different from “recognition of my gifts.” It could be confusion, frustration, or anger that makes them look for answers wherever they can. So they saw our consultation as yet another source to get unstuck – not as an opportunity to be guided by yours truly.

There is a subtle difference in intention here that makes a massive difference in how I should lead that call.

In this case, I might hold back from telling them that their idea feels off, and try to ask them questions or try to guide them to that realization on their own – it is also an opportunity for me to sense if the openness to me as their guide happens during that process, or if I am still just a cog in their truth-seeking machine. If it is the latter, they are not the “right person” for me to even invite them to work with me long term.

My guidance directly depends on the other’s recognition of me – Juliette Stapleton – as their guide. If they do not, the work we do together will not yield any results. They will just not take action. They will come to calls to talk at me, then keep holding back until the next call.

I let go of feeling responsible for my clients’ results a while ago, exactly because I started to see that for some people our work together works as a temporary burst of motivation. What they do with it is a different story. I wrote a long article recently on waiting to be motivated and why it is a trap.

So my Human Design Strategy as a Projector to wait for invitations is crucial for the alignment of my work with clients, and my Splenic decision-making Authority helps me choose what invitations are indeed correct and when it is correct to do my “Projector” magic and shine the light on the vulnerable, sore, or hidden part that needs adjustment, healing, or letting go of. Like a laser that burns what is in its way, a Projector’s guidance is full, and it can only be received when invited with an open heart and mind.

And this brings me to the “rules” of marketing that tell us to blindly outreach, engage, convert, and sell… completely disregarding the nuances of our auras, the rules, and the focus of our sheer existence as this energy type.

Generator Strategy. Wait to Respond

Generators following blindly what the “should” be doing or trying to look/speak/act like they “should” (professionally, polished, perfect… all that nonsense). Ignoring their body’s very physical responses – like sounds they make or body movements- telling them what their energy is available for and what it simple doesn’t have the resources to do. And it is scary to commit to listening to your body when all your life you are conditioned to put yourself last. Scary and difficult to change. But not impossible.

And in terms of decision-making, Generators and Manifesting Generators have only two possible Authorities.

If it is Sacral, the body dictates whether it is ready to act on what it just responded to with energy. You can act right away.

If it is Emotional, there are powerful emotional waves of nervousness and excitement that have to be honored and waited to see if the available energy remains throughout the wave – thus indicating that, emotionally, you are clear and the body is eager to provide you with the life force you need to do what you need to do.

When a Generator Type does not listen to their body (or honor their emotional authority), they say yes for a different reason: it seems beneficial, it is what others are doing, or it is what they were told they have to do. By nature, Generators’ aura is very porous. It is designed this way so external stimuli can engage the Sacral Response.

But this also makes them very open to being conditioned by other people’s charisma, excitement, or definition.

So Generators make their best decisions when they are alone, or away from other auras. Even if you are a Sacral authority Generator or MG, make an excuse and step out to feel through the decision in your body on your own. Is it expanding with available energy for the task at hand? If yes, it is your true Sacral response. But maybe you don’t feel so excited now? That could signal the conditioning of others.

If you are physically alone, you can still be conditioned through online consumption of other people’s content. There is still this auric echo when we are connected online that represents our auras. Offline, it’s much more potent, but online the interaction still follows the same rules.

So, to make aligned decisions, create space with no distractions. I like switching my phone to airplane mode, so nothing can interfere. Clarity comes from knowing that nobody can distract you in that moment. And you can feel the response more strongly with that peace of mind.

If something “they” tell you to do does not get a response with available energy, it is either a NO (although a no would have a distinct contraction feeling also), or more likely it may need to be redefined or adjusted to see if a different version of it feels lighter and doable.

Manifestor Strategy “Inform. Then Act”

Manifestors’ aura is dense because it is created for impact. Not merging with others, or penetration. Impact. Like a ball in a game of pool. The ball hits another ball at an angle, changing its trajectory. Most of the time, unpredictably, which gets better with practice.

Yet still, whether intentional or not, Manifestors will impact anyone they come in contact with, auricly speaking. Therefore, the strategy is just to let those in the way know what’s coming – officially presented in Human Design as “To Inform.”

This can also be super confusing for a Manifestor as it feels like asking permission or discussing their moves, which is such an annoyance! Right?

And in business context (again, not content, but direct interaction), understanding this “lone wolf” comet-like, just do my thing, “get-out-if-the-way-if-not-ready-or-be-prepared-for-impact-and-off-we-go” will determine a lot about what business model would feel best, what containers to create with relevant terms and conditions, so client know what to expect an what they are getting, and even your positioning can become so much more powerful, beause it frees you from the chains of comforming, networking, chasing or waiting for others to take the next step. Basically, all those things that drive you nuts!

And then, when making your decisions, your Authority can help choosing what feels right for YOU. Despite anyone else’s opinions or agendas. Manifestors can have either Splenic, Ego-manifested, Self-manifested, or Emotional Authority. I briefly outlined them in my Ultimate Guide To Manifestor Strategy & Authority Types here.

Where it can go wrong for a Manifestor following traditional business advice is that it largely focuses on completion of processes and often on collaborations or networking. Both are not on a list of a Manifestor’s power skills.

I am not talking about selling. I worked with a Manifestor client, Pamela Campbell, who, in her career as a salesperson, made a billion dollars for one of the largest IT companies in the world. Part of her manifestation process (which she later packed into her coaching business as she retired) was asking. Asking the right people for information, referrals, tips, anything that could bring what she wanted to manifest forward. But that is very different than asking for permission to pursue what she needed.

A lot of Manifestors (if not most of them) hold back because from a very early age, their power wasn’t recognized or nurtured, and their powerful initiating voices were silenced by poor parenting. But mechanically, the power is there. And it is absolutely OK to choose to run your business in a way the let’s this power surge in whatever way it needs. So that the impact can be created – without overwhelming you with the need to see the thing through till completion. Let others take care of that.

As a coach, a Manifestor can do really well as long as they do not try to please their clients. Understanding your igniting role and preparing the client for the impact of your energy can remove a lot of friction that may happen if you try to play a space-holding role that is innately not you.

Reflector: The Chameleon Strategy

This will be very short. Each Reflector is so unique that generalizing feels unfair. What defines this type is a lack of definition (pardon the puN). There are no defined centers in a Reflector design, and it is most affected by the cycles of the Moon (as opposed to other types, which are Sun-led creatures). As the lunar cycle progresses, various activations by the Moon make that Reflector experience different states (like trying on a costume of a Generator, Manifestor, Projector, or even Manifesting Generator) depending on planetary transits. 

Therefore, there is no set decision-making authority except for waiting for the lunar cycle (and sometimes several for bigger decisions) to complete before making final decisions. It sounds like an awful position, but it is not. This energy type is here to sample as it “travels through the lunar cycle” and then reflect back. Reflectors are literally mirrors of their environment. If you are a Reflector having difficulties in life, look around you: who you are with, your environment. This will hold the key to your alignment also.

In business, Reflectors are perfect for communities, but you need to allow yourself to be fluid and not niche too narrowly on one topic. You are a nomad of niches, and there is nothing wrong with it if it is assumed as part of your brand and business model. Whatever draws you, bring it back to your audience and clients, and your people will follow you.

There is a lot of direction for the brand voice and how you are perceived by others in your Human Design profile – more so than the energy type- so book your Visibility Castle Orientation consultation with me to dive deeper into it.

 Relevant or not, I was married to a Reflector for three years; it was my first marriage, and in hindsight, it was very interesting to observe the morphing nature of my husband as people and seasons came and went. In fact, we almost cancelled out wedding (as it was too soon after we met). He was supposed to withdraw our application, but he waited – surprisingly, 28 days- and made a decision to go ahead and marry me despite the resistance of his family. Even though we did not stay together for life, our daughter was born out of that marriage, and he has been a great rock for me during emigration and anchoring abroad.

In our marriage, he reflected the warmth and love I had for him, and ironically the marriage ended as a new (toxic) connection entered his life, and he started reflecting that toxicity outwards, which created a lot of trouble and undermined the trust our marriage was built on. However, life is life, and I do not regret anything.

What it shows me, though, is that as a Reflector, one needs to be extremely careful who they allow into their world. Because this aura is sampling, it may not realize the sample is toxic or misaligned. I would say for any new collaboration, create a one-to-three-month trial period to have a solid exit plan if it starts feeling off. That will give you more security and create healthier boundaries. Generally, various trial periods and cool-off periods can be very beneficial for your design. 

Bottom line, before blindly following a business strategy, we need to really feel into what is right for us, our energy specifics, our needs for more or fewer people, and factor in our processes or lives. If I learned anything in my journey as an online expert business person, it is that there are many ways to become successful, but the best way for you is the one that feels right. It will still take effort and discipline. Not everything will work out straight away.

But as you fail, you get data points for what does not work for you. And those are gold! Sooner or later, you will see what actually works and is enjoyable to put your hard work into. So you can do more of that. But it is very unlikely to be one generic strategy learned from conventional marketing and business advice.