One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is how beneficial it is to surround myself with awesome people — the kind who can support me and my business through all of the inevitable ups and downs.
You may have heard how important it is to “build your tribe.” Well, I’m here to tell you exactly what that means.
Truth is, life can feel like it’s moving very fast when you own your own business. In between your daily work routine you may have new product launches, networking meetings, niche events, and so on. You may find yourself so busy that you’re missing out on creating meaningful relationships that can actually help support your business — more so than your current busy schedule allows.
Speaking from personal experience, sometimes life throws us a curveball, and that’s when we realize that we could use someone to lean onto. I’ve been there. I’ve been in a situation where I felt like it was just me against the world, with no one to turn to for support.
Fortunately I learned a great lesson from that situation and have since worked on creating a sturdy support system for myself and my business.
Over the past few years, I’ve worked on building my own tribe. My tribe now consists of close friends, mentors, and even mastermind groups, all of which have provided emotional support during both the good and the more challenging times.
How To Build Your Tribe
You’re probably wondering how I went about building this support system, and how you can build your tribe.
The good news is it’s not as difficult as it may seem. It can be as simple as surrounding yourself with people that make you feel good about yourself and your business.
These people can be friends or fellow entrepreneurs in the same field, as well as all kinds of personal coaches. Hiring a personal coach is a great way to build your tribe. Personal coaches can include a life coach, a speaking coach, and even a career coach.
You may also want to consider adding different mentors to your tribe, such as someone who can specifically help you with career development and professional growth. You can find mentors in your field by using social media to connect with people you admire, as well as attending networking events in your niche.
Another great way to build your tribe is to create a personal advisory board. For me, this is a group of close friends who I feel comfortable discussing major issues with and receiving feedback from.
Finally, joining a mastermind group can be another excellent way to find like-minded people who support you and your business. A mastermind is a group of peers who meet regularly to give one another advice and support about their endeavors. It’s a great way to interact with other entrepreneurs and business owners and can be one of the best sources of support for your business.
How Building a Tribe Can Help Your Business
I’ve personally belonged to various mastermind groups over the years that have not only helped me grow my business but also provided the encouragement I needed during difficult times. I now belong to a public speaking and leadership group called Toastmasters, as well as other organizations that focus on talent development, organization, and project management.
Having a group of fresh perspectives to pull from when it feels like everything is falling apart can help you find solutions you would’ve never found alone.
For example, I was recently feeling a little bummed when something that was supposed to happen didn’t exactly go my way. Rather than letting myself soak in those negative feelings, I turned to one of my many groups for advice.
This time around I had a direct platform to turn to for support. The crazy thing is that within just 24 hours of speaking to someone in my support system I had tons of new ideas. My life basically did a 180-degree turn. I felt motivated to move past my current situation and inspired to take on new projects. This is the true magic in building a tribe.
Toastmasters has also had a wonderful impact on my personal and professional growth. I’ve always enjoyed public speaking, and I’ve given many presentations to upper-level management in a corporate environment. It’s a skill I enjoy polishing.
The Toastmasters platform has given me a space to practice my public speaking, especially when it comes to topics that I am not as comfortable talking about. It’s a platform that has challenged me to speak outside my comfort zone, and I now use it as a space to test out different topics I wouldn’t normally touch on.
In fact, I recently told a very personal story that I was wary of sharing — but the response from the group was incredible. That same day my peers voted me “Best Speaker” and shared in the comments that my speech had inspired them.
It was a wonderful way to test a vulnerable story on a group of people that were there to support me and provide helpful feedback.
It’s Time To Look At Your Own Tribe
One way to begin to build your tribe is to take an inventory of the awesome people in your life. Think about who is around you and what role each person plays. Perhaps you’ll realize your tribe is already there, yet you haven’t taken advantage of it yet. Or perhaps you’ll realize there are some gaps to fill.
I hope the message you’ve taken away from this is that having a group of awesome people to lean on will really help you when those curveballs come along. These are the people who will support you through both good and bad. The people you will celebrate with and also lean on for help.
In other words, building your tribe is all about establishing your community. Confiding in your friends. Finding your mentors. Hiring personal coaches. Joining a mastermind. And realizing that you’re not in this alone!
I’d love to hear about your tribe. Who are the awesome people in your life, and how do you categorize them? Let me know in the comments below!
