Is there anything as exciting as the spark of a new business idea?
Motivated by its brilliance and fuelled by your passion, you double down to turn all your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
But soon you realize everything’s not as simple as it seems. Especially when the newness of the idea wears off and you’re haunted by pressing questions in your sleep, while driving, or when you should be hanging out with your friends…
How do I create a product that leaves my competition in the dust?
Should I market on Insta or are am I better off making connections on LinkedIn?
Should I chase organic growth or run paid ads?
Phew!
What if I tell you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself? That the answers to ALL your questions can be at your fingertips…
Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? That’s the power of a community. If you’ve ever second-guessed what an engaged community can do for you and your business, keep reading.
1. Every entrepreneur needs a support system
Watching your business transform and grow is magical. But sometimes it can also be downright miserable.
Tell me if this sounds about right:
Some days you feel like an utter failure and you’ve dabbled with the idea of giving it all up.
And you know what?
There are so many others who feel the same way. This is confirmed in the Self-Employment Review conducted by Julie Deane (founder of the Cambridge Satchel Company), where, of 4.6 million UK entrepreneurs surveyed, 25% felt entrepreneurship and loneliness go hand in hand.
Do you feel a tiny bit lighter? Strange isn’t it how knowing that other people are going through the same thing makes us feel better?
In fact, I felt the same way. Now if I’m having a bad day, I simply turn to my community of entrepreneurs to bounce a few ideas or simply to vent.
Crippling loneliness and ebbing confidence be gone! Ain’t nobody got time for that.
2. Your learning is accelerated
Let’s face it: entrepreneurship has a steep learning curve, often with Sisyphean outcomes.
You can invest thousands in courses, speed read 60 books in a year, binge on podcasts every waking hour, and your business can still bomb.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about learning and investing in myself.
But there’s more than one way to learn, and I’m a huge fan of learning from experiences of others.
That way, I can make sure that I take the necessary steps to serve my clients and prime my business for growth in the best way possible.
Being part of a community means creating a platform for easy knowledge swapping and being able to use that intel to make positive changes in your business. Essentially, your community acts as your sounding board, your beta-tester, as well as your oracle. Ask, and you shall receive. And remember to give freely too!
3. Get access to the latest tools and resources
Which project management app is hot these days? Which accounting software works best for a business of your scale? Does cold emailing work and can someone share a swipe file of their most successful pitches?
Being a successful entrepreneur means being clued in to all the latest trends that can help you work smarter and close deals faster. And with a thousand things to tackle every day, you can only test or get to know about a handful of tools and resources.
Join a community with a healthy sharing culture and watch your business grow!
4. Tons of collaboration opportunities
Collaboration and not competition is the way take things forward in 2020 and beyond.
When you’re a part of a dynamic community and you grow your network, it’s easy to come across profitable and productive collaboration opportunities.
Whether you want to appear on a podcast your customers know and love, create a series of guest posts, or launch a new product, teaming up with your tribe will give you way more exposure than you could’ve garnered by yourself.
Need help staying on track to make all this possible? You can bank on your community for this too!
The Wrap
It may seem scary at first to step out of your comfort zone and attend large scale live events. My advice? Start small.
Start working at a co-working space for a few hours a week and invite folks you gel with to catch up over a cup of coffee. It all starts with building genuine relationships.
Entrepreneurship is a lot of things, and two of those things are: getting comfortable with pushing boundaries and being part of a thriving, supportive community. If you master both, no one can stop you from surging ahead.