3 communities every entrepreneur needs
Anonymous
Business owners need community. From solopreneurs to big businesses, we all could benefit from these three communities. How are yours going?
Here are the ones I recommend:
#1
First, you need to be in a community run by somebody more advanced than you in business, or in the thing they are teaching. A general business group or mastermind is best.
This is where you can learn. Generally, you would pay to be a part of this and would then have the ability to ask, learn, and grow. The purpose here is for you to advance and uplevel your business.
Therefore, be prepared to pay a solid amount to be there.
THREE QUICK SUGGESTIONS:
Make sure it is a safe space. Examples I've seen of unsafe spaces involve participants being criticized for asking silly questions, a culture of making idols out of other group members, having too wide a spread of experience for the participants, gossiping, and cliques.
Decide on the right group size for you. You can ask about size and plans for growth over the duration of the program. Do you prefer a group with 25 people, or a group with 200 people? There's no right answer, just preference. I once joined a mastermind that started out with about 32 people and within the year, it had grown into an unwieldy 200+ people and was a completely different experience. I now know that I need to be in groups with stated caps.
Make sure you understand (and are achieving) the ROI you are seeking, which may not just be money. People join groups for all kinds of reasons: to make more money, proximity to the leader, to do the modules, to find clients or besties. Again, there's no right answer, just preference.
#2
Second, you need a community where you are the leader and the members are there to learn from you.
In this community, you would share, teach, and support your audience. You likely are inviting your audience to join this community.
Generally, these people would pay you to access what you know or have created. The purpose of this community is for you to advance your audience. Done well, this is where you will make your money.
FOUR QUICK SUGGESTIONS:
Price it well enough that you don't feel resentment about having to serve and deliver.
Make sure your promised deliverables are manageable for you and your team.
Keep it a safe space for your participants (see #1 above).
Keep your ego out of the group. In some examples, I've seen group leaders with massive egos who take things personally, who feel threatened by certain members, and who forget that people might be there for various reasons, or who focus only on the students that prove that their method works.
#3
Finally, you need a community of peers.
These are the people at your level of business with whom you share opportunities, swap ideas, and support one another. This is what people are talking about when they refer to their biz besties or business BFFs.
These are generally not paid. They tend to form organically, often between business owners who have met in more formal communities led by others.
The best peers are about equal in business. You can still learn from each other because you all have different strengths and focus points.
Make sure everybody benefits. Avoid linking up with the people you feel like you are always having to teach. In that case, they should be in a paid community led by you (see #2 above).
Make sure these are safe spaces. I've seen biz besties really betray each other, copy each other, or share the others' backend difficulties with others and it isn't friendly. Set rules around these things.
Try to see each other in real life. I have had biz besties where we meet up halfway for intensive coworking sessions, where we meet up at resorts once or twice a year to strategize, and certainly where we have weekly Zoom calls, texts, and phone calls.
Pick people that actually keep you accountable and moving forward. I've also been with biz friends where we get NOTHING done, but just love hanging out together. That's just a friend.
Big Love!