My Company Grew 800 Percent in a Year After I Made This Mindset Shift Grow The surprising thing about being grateful for what you have is how much more you end up getting.

When it comes to rapid growth, there are lots of strategies you can implement. But what if I told you that the strategy responsible for growing my business 800 percent in the last year was free? Not only that, but it was a strategy that gave us an insane edge by elevating the competitiveness of our new products, authenticity of our marketing and strength of our team.

The strategy is gratitude -- the practice of being intentional and authentic in your appreciation toward your customers, your team and your life.

Now, if someone had told me this time last year that practicing gratitude would be so important, I'd have laughed! But looking back, I wouldn't be where I am today without it.

Related: 4 Super Business Lessons From Marvel's Decade of Box Office Success

So if you're curious about the hidden power of gratitude and how to implement this practice in your business, keep reading. As well as the five pillars of gratitude, I'll also share some simple techniques inspired by these pillars to apply so you can reach massive growth in your own business.

1. Gratitude fuels an abundance mindset.

Gratitude is a practice that helps you feel good about who you are, what you have and what you're doing. It helps you connect more deeply with yourself and others while empowering a heightened sense of purpose. Combining this concept with strategic goal-setting transforms it into a business game changer.

When you feel abundant, you consistently push the boundaries because shooting for the moon feels safe. In this way, a sense of gratitude inspires you to think bigger, take risks, push through fear and follow through on the actions needed to hit stretch goals.

When you make appreciation and gratitude a daily practice, you feel as if you can do more and give more. When you appreciate what you have, you feel obligated to give back -- fueling your goals with impact.

Finally, when there's greater impact at play, you're motivated to achieve big, unattainable goals because you're aware of the meaningful difference your company can make. This attitude opens the doors to the right connections and opportunities and helps convert growth goals into reality -- because abundance attracts abundance.

2. Gratitude makes for happier employees.

According to Nataly Kogan, author of Happier Now: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Everyday Moments, "There are more than 11,000 different studies that have shown that if there is one habit that we can all adopt to improve our physical and emotional well-being, it's the practice of gratitude."

So as well as boosting your own output, gratitude fosters happiness, which empowers your team to perform at a higher level too.

Gratitude is the ultimate connector. It breaks down barriers and allows everyone to find common ground -- regardless of their position in the business. For example, starting off team meetings with a gratitude roundtable not only transforms the atmosphere but builds stronger bonds too.

Developing a culture of appreciation and care can also result in a step change in effort and work quality. When people feel valued and important, they connect deeper with their work and your mission. This inspires fresh ideas, experimentation and innovation, which fuels growth. It's a benefit that's easy to foster too. Compliments and written acknowledgments take minimal time and cost you nothing, but go a long, long way.

Related: Coaching Over Managing: Motivate Your Team

3. Gratitude makes you more empathetic toward customers.

When you're grateful for customers, you see individuals and not dollar signs. In turn, you feel inspired to show your appreciation, and this puts more emphasis on delivering an impeccable customer experience.

Sales grow as a result of this shift because when customers feel valued they become your biggest fans. Along with buying more of your products, they'll refer you to their friends, post positive messages about you on social media and give great testimonials. This level of connectedness can make or break your company.

So by actively implementing appreciation towards your customers, you begin caring more about the way your product makes your customers feel. This attitude of stepping into your customers' shoes is fueled by gratitude and a mindset that motivates you to put more emphasis on retention, engagement and lifetime value.

One way to put this into practice is to write a thank you letter to your favorite customer. This simple activity sparks all kinds of ideas that can help you build profitable relationships instead of constantly hustling for the next sale.

4. Gratitude injects authenticity into your marketing.

When you genuinely care about your customers and the way your product makes them feel, your marketing transforms.

Instead of focusing on product features, you turn to storytelling. You switch off the BS, stop being faceless, and focus on building meaningful connections with your target audience.

At JavaPresse, we took on the responsibility to tell our farmers' stories because we were grateful for the hard work they do. We challenge the narrative around coffee because we are grateful for the joy it brings us in our own lives -- and we want others to experience it the same way.

Related: Leading Your Company Forward in These Tumultuous Times

When you feel proud and grateful for the way you market and sell your services, it shows. Customers feel it, investors sense "something different" about your pitch, and you craft your own sub-culture in your market.

5. Gratitude fuels you like a boss -- so you can handle more.

As the boss, gratitude energizes you to deal with the challenges and stress that running a business can bring. When you're at the helm, it all falls on you. If you want to succeed, you have to nurture your mindset and resilience so you can keep going regardless.

A lot of success comes down to mindset -- and whether you believe you can do it.

Gratitude keeps you in a positive frame of mind by training you to focus on what you DO have and what you CAN do. Practice gratitude and you'll always have access to a tool that can shift your perspective and help you unlock the resources needed to overcome roadblocks and get back on track.

Gratitude also keeps you feeling positive. This boosts your confidence and self-belief because, in your eyes, the glass is always half full. In this way, gratitude becomes your cheat code to success. A practice that keeps your own well full -- even during those times when nothing seems to work and it's all falling apart. In fact, gratitude is especially powerful during those times.

Related: Practice This Important Skill to Get Your Way Every Day

A new approach to growth.

We can all implement hacks and growth strategies, but without the right mindset, the foundations become weak -- putting your rapidly growing business at risk of falling apart. Gratitude is the super glue that holds it all together.

It's a free practice that gives you a competitive edge, which can transform the trajectory of your business. That's certainly been the case for my company, and I believe it can be the same for you as well.