When you’re starting and running a business you cannot get to where you truly want to go without actually interacting and connecting with people.
Real people.
Real. Live. People.
In our age of being hyper-connected the irony is that we’re often hyper-disconnected when it comes to meaningful one-to-one connections and relationships.
All this crazy “friending” and such on social media is giving people a false sense of community.
Just because you know the meal that a high school friend had last week and the vacation she took with her family last year, doesn’t mean you’re having a relationship with her.
Let’s face it. You know her because of history and you’re basically scrolling the daily news highlights of her life (which she carefully chose to share, boast and otherwise publicly transmit).
All and all, this hyper connection is pretty shallow if you’re not meaningfully having one-to-one thoughtful conversations with the other person on the other end of your Facebook account.
Ok I’ll get off my soapbox regarding phony connected-ness.
When you’re in the weeds of getting your business up and running or in the clouds of dreaming and scheming, you really need a circle of people who not only support and guide you but who also just plain “get” what you’re going through.
Masterminds, in particular, have been around for eons but they’ve become part of mainstream business culture ever since Napoleon Hill coined the term in his book “Think and Grow Rich”.
“When a group of individual brains are coordinated and function in Harmony, the increased energy created through that alliance, becomes available to every individual brain in that group.” – Napoleon Hill
As women, we’ve naturally gravitated towards circles and community since the beginning of time. We’ve been “masterminding” for years by cooking around the fire as a community, joining in knitting circles and hosting book clubs.
Let’s face it, we love a good circle of women coming together to help one another out, yet when we start a business we do it alone. What gives?
Before you go out and launch that dream business as a lone wolf take a gander below and maybe you’ll reconsider.
Here are 6 Reasons Why You Need Support When Building Your Business
1 | Support and Reassurance
Starting and growing a business is a roller coaster of emotions. The ups and downs! The highs and lows. Seriously it can make you feel like you need to make an appointment to see someone and get some happy pills to settle the nerves.
It’s easy to question why you even decided to take this path. Unless your partner, family members or close friends are also in business for themselves, they really won’t get what you’re going through. Surrounding yourself with others going through the same emotional ups and downs make this journey much more enjoyable. And makes you feel a little more sane.
2. Accountability
Research has shown that you are more likely to reach your goals when you are accountable to someone else for accomplishing them. Few people have the discipline to stick to big, bold, scary goals and to see them through in a timely manner. Having an accountability partner or mentor to report back to will keep you honest with staying the course and will help you get to where you want much faster!
3. Provide Resource Ideas
There is always something to be learned when it comes to business and the landscape is constantly changing and evolving. Having a group of others you can rely on for ideas, strategies and resources saves you time and money. And quite frankly, sharing tips, resources, best practices and more enables everyone to grow.
4. Antidote for Isolation
So many women start businesses in isolation. It could be because of their location (in a rural community or one that isn’t teeming with other female biz owners) or due to caregiving responsibilities that keep them from activity networking. A mastermind group, circles of friends or a regular supportive networking group can be just the ticket to keep feelings of isolation at bay. These days you can do a lot of that online via video and one-to-one interactions within the group. Such as our Savvy and Springboard Circles 
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5. The Collective Contribution
When people get together to solve a problem the results can be amazing. Hill highlighted that there is an additional invisible force that comes into place when two or more people come together – the Master Mind – as he coined it. Solutions to a problem are plentiful when you have several heads all working on it together.
6. Encourage Big Thinking
Nothing gets the juices of big creative thinking flowing like getting a bunch of aspiring women business owners together. In the right group, the ideas pour like water from a faucet. They are stretched, questioned, added to, and played with. The group adds fuel to the creative fire stoking it further with “I bet you can go even bigger. I believe in you!”
As a women business owner it is crucial that you find a support system that will not only help you stay sane but to help you expand and grow. There is no excuse to go this path alone.
Find an accountability partner, gather your biz gal pals for monthly gatherings or start/join a mastermind group.
There are so many options available in-person and on-line (via video which is key!) that will help you deepen the relationships and connections you need to feel empowered and on fire!
Don’t be surprised that after you form or join a group or mastermind that you see dramatic and amazing results in both your business and your personal life.
Photos Unsplash
Armando Castillejos
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