We need people that “get us” in life and in business.
People that understand what it takes to show up day and day to build a business out of nothing. To follow your dream. To ride the highs and the lows, and keep coming back for more. It takes a special kind of person to live the entrepreneurial life, and not everyone gets it.
Well-meaning friends ask you when you’re going to get a “real job”. You catch an eye-roll when you mention you’re building an online business. These people aren’t trying to poo-poo your lifelong dream, they just don’t get it. Plain and simple.
Entrepreneurship can be lonely, frustrating and overwhelming without people in your corner to give you support, bounce your ideas off of and share the highs (and the lows).
I can say without a doubt that I never would have stuck with it this long if not for the support of my husband, parents, sister and business friends. They all have the entrepreneurial gene, and they believe in me even when I stop believing in myself. We ALL need people like that. We DESERVE people like that.
If you don’t have an Inner Circle of support yet, that’s OK. That’s something we can work together to fix. Just remember, if you’re feeling like a lonely-preneur, you can bet that hundreds - heck, thousands - of others are feeling the same way too. You just have to know where to find them!
Let’s work together to build your Inner Circle of business best friends!
Creativity cannot happen in a vacuum - devoid of contact, interaction and support. And, you cannot be your best self, professionally or personally, without a business best friend or two. You need them and they need you.
Now, you just need to find them!
Click HERE to cultivate your Inner Circle + discover the 6 Best Places to Find Business BFFs.
If you’re ready to feel a part of something as you grow your purpose-full business, if you want to collaborate, connect and build real relationships with like-minded, powerhouse women, join me.
My mission is to connect entrepreneurial, purpose-driven women with one another so that we can, collectively, rise up and change the world as only we can.
love + admiration,
P.S. I'm planning a fabulous LIVE event in 2016 that will include delicious food, well-mixed cocktails, life-changing teachings + business BFFs. If that sounds like your jam, get on the waitlist HERE.
Have you ever ridden the business crush roller coaster?
Come on. Don’t act like you haven’t had a business crush or two in your day.
I get them all the time, and they always start so innocently.
You stumble across a new blog, maybe after seeing the gal behind it featured on another site or interviewed on your favorite podcast. You peruse her content, read her posts, investigate her offerings.
Wow! This chick is really cool. I LOVE what she’s doing. She’s awesome. I wish I could hang out with her. I want to be her friend!
You’re totally smitten.
You sign-up and read every email she sends, feeling like it’s a personal note just to you and not a mass mailing to her thousands of subscribers.
You follow her on Twitter, like her page on Facebook, stalk her online whereabouts and daydream about attending her live event or taking her online program, just for the chance to befriend her.
There’s no denying it. You’re crushing hard.
For now, you’re still in the safe zone, but it could turn ugly fast. Watch out. I know, because it’s happened to me.
What do I mean?
One day you’re casually crushing, and suddenly there’s a shift.
You start comparing your stuff to hers.
She’s so much more innovative than me! I never would have thought to include that in my program.
That blog post was amazing - like she read my mind. I could never write something that spot on.
She’s so ridiculously good at what she does. I’ll never get to that level. Ugh.
Comparison is deadly. It makes you feel like crap and totally trashes your energy.
It’s just like that middle school crush on the hottie a few grades above you, when you went from being high-as-the-sky when he smiled at you to a mopey puddle of mush feeling sorry for yourself when you realized he didn’t know your name.
Business crushes turned bad can wreck your spirits.
But don’t worry, I’m not just going to leave you there, beating yourself for having the occasional business crush.
It’s perfectly normal -- and natural -- to admire the amazing work other awesome-preneurs are doing out there, but when you let it affect you negatively, that’s where we need to pump the brakes.
So, instead of allowing business crushes to turn ugly, I challenge you to harness that crushing power for good!
Here are some ideas:
Send your crush a little “love note” telling her that you admire the work she’s doing. (Who knows, maybe you’ll become actually friends with the gal you’re crushing on!)
Be inspired by her. If you love the way she writes, the look of her website, the head shots she has, the sales page for her signature program, ask yourself in what ways can you up your own game to appeal to your ideal client the way she’s appealing to you.
Spread the love. Remember how fun it was talking about your crush with your BFFs? Same goes for business crushes! If that gal you’re ga-ga for is inspiring/helping/motivating you, chances are her work will uplift your biz friends, Twitter followers and social media pals. Do her a solid and share her good work around! (Plus, you’ll be putting money in the Good Business Karma Account when you do :-)
Enjoy the crush (while it lasts), and squeeze as much positive ju-ju out of it as you can. And, when the time comes to move on, you’ll be left with the memory that it was good while it lasted.
Who’s your business crush? Spill the beans in the comments below so that I can start crushing on them too!
xo,
P.S. Stop crushing and start connecting! Find some real-life business crushes (that’ll soon turn into business BFFs) HERE.
The whole time I’ve been working on this post, I’ve been singing that oldies song in my head, Only the Lonely by Roy Orbison.
(Though I’m not-quite-30, I grew up listening to late 50s & early 60s music because of my parents. My husband is always shocked that I seem to know the words to ANY oldies tune that pops up on Pandora.)
So, in case you’re too young or unfamiliar, this particular ditty goes like this…
Only the lonely (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)Know the way I feel tonight (ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah)Only the lonely (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)Know this feeling ain't right (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)
Let’s be honest here, being an entrepreneur can be super lonely.
There are times when it feels like no one understands what you’re trying to do, and even well-intentioned people sometimes ask (or allude to), “When are you going to get a real job?”
It can feel like it’s you against the world -- or at least you alone in the world -- but I can assure you (because of the number of amazing purpose-driven entrepreneurs whom I’m lucky enough to have hanging with me here), you are NOT alone.
There are thousands and thousands of people out there with passion and drive and vision, just like you, who are working hard to turn their dream into a real, viable business. And they “get it”. They know how hard it can be to work on your budding business day-after-day without seeing any big results and how much of a challenge it can be to (try to) balance family and work. You NEED people like that in your life.
But, how do you find and connect with them?
Disclaimer time. This IS NOT about forming false friendships with hopes of affiliate sales and perks. What I’m talking about here is forming real, lasting relationships with some business best friends that you can turn to for advice, support and honest feedback. People that get you and KNOW you will succeed (even when you’re questioning it).
If that sounds good, let’s continue...
This month I sat down with one of my business BFFs (who also happens to be my beautiful and talented sister!) to talk about how she’s found and fostered relationships with business friends as she’s grown her business, The Baby Maven.
If you’re feeling lonely, isolated and misunderstood as you solopreneur it day-after-day, this one’s for you.
Watch the interview below.
Before we wrap this up, I’ll say it again: YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
There is an entire community of like-minded business owners right here where you can find support, encouragement, feedback, and yes, a few business BFFs too!
And, I’m here for you too, as is my lovely, gifted sister.
Want to hang with Hannah? You should! She's awesome. (FYI - If you’re a mamapreneur with little ones or a mama-to-be, you NEED Han in your life. She’s the reason my little girl has been sleeping through the night since 4 months old :-)
Want to win a Biz BFF date on me? Post the date and location (in-person or online) of your next Business BFF date in the Facebook Group and you'll be instantly entered to win some moolah towards date #2. (You'll find more details on FB and also at the end of the vid.)
Don’t solopreneur it any longer! Find some business best friends HERE.
