How does it all start?

Which came first - the chicken or the egg? 

This philosophical riddle parallels a modern marketing problem. Do you build a profitable practice before giving back - like waiting for a fully grown chicken to produce eggs? Or do you nurture potential clients first - offering “eggs” of value - hoping for new opportunities to eventually hatch?

Businesses may waver between the two models. As passionate entrepreneurs, we believe in the good of our services and want to give back, but we need our businesses to survive. Building a business around a mission may call for generosity, but we need boundaries to make sure we don’t give all our time away. 

This paradox begins at the start of your business. When you are beginning to give back value in a big way. Once the cycle starts, it can continue to hatch, grow, and give back again and again - helping more people and growing your business. But how do you start?

An egg-first approach starts with generosity: sharing insights, clarity, and guidance. These “eggs” help clients feel understood and build trust—but information alone isn’t enough. True connection comes when your value resonates on a personal level.

A chicken-first approach focuses on strengthening your business first—creating systems, profitability, and stability. A well-fed “chicken” has the capacity to give more meaningfully and sustainably.

In both cases, the cycle eventually becomes self-reinforcing: value builds trust, trust leads to warm leads, warm leads strengthen the business, and a stronger business has more capacity to give.

Just like the chicken in your comic who can’t quite decide which came first, the truth is that both matter—and the magic happens once you let the loop begin: 

Give → Connect → Thrive → Give Again.