122 | The Power of Community as a Business Owner (and Why it’s Vital to your Success)

When you look at the people you are surrounding yourself with, do they support you and cheer you on? Do they inspire you to dream bigger? Do they challenge you? 

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

In this episode we to dive into:

  • What is Community?

  • Why is Building Community Important to Your success? 

  • How do you build a business community around you?

WHAT IS COMMUNITY?

Community is a group of people that have shared interests, values, and goals.

Why Build Community?

Building community and being a part of communities as your grow your business is vital to your success. You have all heard the quote “Your network is your net worth” and in many ways it is true. 

As yourself when you look at the people you are surrounding yourself with:

  • Do they support you and cheer you on? 

  • Do they inspire you to dream bigger? 

  • Do they challenge you?

These are all super important things to think about when it comes to your network and those you are spending time with. 

How do you Build Community?

  • Get in the right rooms. Be a part of networks and communities of people who are dreaming big - it can be virtual or in-person.

  • Recognize that Building Relationships and authentic connections takes time. It’s not going to happen overnight. 

  • Be genuinely interested in other people. Ask questions, and get excited about what they are working on and building towards. Support them however you can! 

    • Networking tip: Instead of just asking “what do you do?” ask “what is the most exciting project you are working on right now”

  • When asked, share your passion for what you are doing and how you help and serve people - focus on the VALUE not just the products or services you sell.

  • Genuinely compliment other people. If you see or hear of them doing something amazing, reach out, compliment them and encourage them.

  • Challenge people to Push themselves. Compliments are great, but make sure people are being the best version of themselves, and encourage them to strive for more

  • Connect people. Always be thinking about who you know and how you can help create connections between people who can help one another. Don’t expect anything from it, just know that you are spreading that amazing sense of connecting within your community 

Remember building a community is much more about what you give then what you get! Always be adding value - it will come back to you in ways you never even thought

“You can have everything in life you want if you'll just help enough other people get what they want”

- Zig Ziglar

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Danielle: Hello and welcome back to the podcast. It's Danielle here, and I'm so excited to be back on this episode today. We missed our second episode last week because we had a big event in Vancouver, and so we were busy working on that, and so we didn't get the episode out in time. So forgive us. Usually we have two episodes a week, but last week, we missed one of them. So we're back to the normal Scheduled two episodes a week, don't worry, this week, and today we're gonna be talking all about the power of community as a business owner.

[00:00:38] And this is a super relevant topic right now because we just hosted our holiday party and we have some really exciting. Is coming up in the new year, and just some other ways as well to connect with our community on a deeper level when it comes to community. So first of all, I wanna explain what community even is. Why do we [00:01:00] need to build community? Why is it vital to our success as a business owner? And then how are some strategic ways that we can grow a community that is going to help our business thrive? So without further ado, let's go ahead and jump into the episode today.

[00:01:16] Welcome to the Business Babes Collective podcast. I'm your host, Danielle Wiebe., in this podcast, you'll learn tangible business tips and strategies on how to grow successfully and sustainably. We'll also interview seasoned entrepreneurs so you can listen in on their stories and see behind the scenes of what it took to grow and scale their businesses. Let's dive in as we discuss the wild, exciting, crazy challenging, rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship.

[00:01:46] Okay, so let's start with what is community? Community is a group of people that have shared interests, values and goals.

[00:01:55] So it's pretty simple when it comes to community and the people that [00:02:00] we surround ourselves with, and I think it's important to recognize that. We can have several different communities in our lives. So we might have our friend community, right? We might have our business connections community. We might have our church community.

[00:02:18] We might have other communities that we're a part of, maybe we're really into health and wellness and we have a community around us that is really into wellness. Like whatever that might be, there could be several communities that you consider yourself a part of, right? And that is the beautiful thing about creating connections, creating these relationships, is that you're building connections with people that have like-minded interests and values and goals for their lives.

[00:02:46] So now that we know what community is, why is it vital that we build community in order to have success in our business? So building community and being a part of communities is [00:03:00] so incredibly important because I'm sure you've probably heard the quote like your net work is your net worth. And it, in many ways that is true.

[00:03:10] When you look at the people that you're surrounding yourself with and looking at, you know, the communities that you're a part of, are those the type of people that you want to be like, right. So of course, yes, that quote is talking about money, but it doesn't just have to be that. It's like, do you. Are you inspired by the people that you are in community with?

[00:03:31] Do they support you? Do they cheer you on? Do they inspire you to dream bigger than you're dreaming right now? Do they challenge you maybe in ways to, uh, you know, Go grow past your comfort zone or do things that you're maybe scared to do. Do they keep you accountable? Like, those are all important things to realize when you're thinking about the people that you surround yourself with.

[00:03:57] Those are the people that are going to either, you know, [00:04:00] lift you up and help you achieve your goals and your business, or they're going to discourage you and actually drag you down and really keep you from being able to achieve those big, massive goals that you have for your life. And so that's why it's so incredibly important to recognize that the people that you surround yourself and surround yourself with and the communities that you're in is going to have a huge effect on the success of your business.

[00:04:28] So maybe just ask yourself the question right now. Who are you spending the most time? Who are the people that you are spending lots of time with? What are the networks that you are a part of? And if you're thinking about that and you're feeling like, Hmm, I don't have a lot of people in my life, or in my networks or in my communities that are supportive of what I'm doing, maybe you don't have any other entrepreneurial friends or maybe the people that you're with are, you know, maybe negative about what you do.

[00:04:59] And [00:05:00] you know, I hear all the time within our community and at our events that people are so inspired to be in a room with other women who are also building their own businesses and pursuing their own dreams. It really fuels their own fire of stepping outside of their comfort zones and continuing and not giving up, right?

[00:05:20] Because, as we know and as we've talked about on this podcast several times, business can get really hard at times and so ha surrounding yourself with other people who understand that type of lifestyle, who understand the fact that business can be hard, and you can talk about those things and you can, you know, share with one another what is happening within your life and your business.

[00:05:42] That is so incredibly powerful. So I encourage you to think about ways that you can connect yourself with other like-minded women and men who are doing similar things that you are doing or that you want to do and get in those communities, whether [00:06:00] that be in person at events or whether that be virtually or hopefully a little bit of both.

[00:06:06] So, let's now talk about how to build community. If you're like, okay, I'm totally on board. I'm super excited, let's do this, then here are some tips on how you can actually build your community. So as I just mentioned, the first step for you is going to be getting in the right rooms. So being a part of networks and communities of people who are dreaming big, and the beauty of this is that nowadays, like we mentioned before, it can be in-person communities or they can be online.

[00:06:36] And I'm always looking for ways that I can connect and network and collaborate with other people that are like-minded. And so that's why I'm always investing. I'm investing in myself, whether it be in programs or masterminds or attending event. , those types of things so I can surround myself with other people who are also investing in themselves. And so I've [00:07:00] been able to meet and connect with some incredible people, some that have become really close friends, some that has have become business connections and collaborators, and then others who have become clients. And this is just being a part of these communities. So that's step one, is getting actually in the right rooms and being, giving yourself the opportunity to build connections.

[00:07:26] The second step is actually building those connections, so recognizing that building relationships and authentic connections takes time and it's not gonna always happen overnight. I think people have this idea in their head that, okay, I'm gonna go to a networking event and I'm gonna find five clients at that networking event.

[00:07:46] And sure, maybe that will happen, but most likely it's gonna be you're gonna go to that event, you're gonna make a couple of connections, and those connections are gonna be nurtured over time and over the [00:08:00] span of maybe six months to a year. Those connections will. and those could become friendships. Those could become business relationships or even clients, right?

[00:08:10] And so really don't put that pressure on the relationship right away. That's not really what you wanna do. You wanna build connections and you wanna build community in a really genuine, authentic way and the way that you do that is to be genuinely interested in other people, right? So don't make it all about you.

[00:08:30] Ask them questions and get excited about what they're working on and building towards, and see if there's any ways that you can actually support them as well. and a tip that I have for this, it's just kind of like a quick networking tip. If you're going to an event or maybe you're meeting someone online instead of asking what do you do?

[00:08:52] Which is a fine question, there's nothing wrong with that, but a more interesting question that you can ask is, what is the most [00:09:00] exciting project that you're working on right now? Or what are you really excited about over the next three to six months? Right, because that lights people up. It gets them excited to talk about the things that they are excited about.

[00:09:15] So they might have a nine to five. And maybe they're not really that passionate about it, but they have this side business that they're really passionate about. And that's actually the thing that they wanna talk about. But when you ask them what they do, they automatically go to their nine to five job.

[00:09:34] Right? And so that's just a quick networking tip. Ask them what they're most excited about or what is an exciting project that they're working on. Right. Okay. Then when you are asked, so say for example, you're having a conversation with someone, you're asking them questions, they're talking about, you know, what they're passionate about, what they're excited about, and then it comes to them asking you.

[00:09:57] So when they ask you, you know, what [00:10:00] do you do? Or What are you most excited about? Then answer what your passions are, right? And so answer in a way that's actually talking about. Where you wanna go instead of where you are right now. And I think it's important to do that because when you share your vision with people, it is so much more compelling than just sharing, oh, this is what I'm doing right now.

[00:10:25] You can say, this is what I'm building towards and this is my vision of where I wanna take it. Cuz you're enrolling them in this bigger picture, this bigger vision, and you know, this is really what I did when I was building our community. At the beginning, I really had no idea what it was gonna look like tangibly, but I knew I had this big vision of what I wanted to create, which was a community, a thriving community for entrepreneurs that was supportive and collaborative.

[00:10:59] And [00:11:00] we would host events and we ha would have online products and, and, and different things that we now have today. And that is all actually something that we've created over the past eight years that we've been in business, but we started kind of with nothing. And so if I just told people when they asked me, you know, what are you doing right now?

[00:11:20] Or What are you up to? And I just shared with them, well, I have this little side thing and I'm kind of trying this thing and I've hosted one event and you know, it was sort of successful. There was like five people there. And you know, if I were to just share that, That's not a compelling vision, but instead, I shared where I wanted to go and where I saw the business, you know, three years from then or five years from then.

[00:11:47] And it's, it was so much more compelling and people really wanted to be a part of it because they could see my vision and they knew that I hadn't created it yet, but they could see where I was going and they knew I was [00:12:00] confident in where I was. So that's just a tip in sharing what you do. Share your vision rather than where you are at right now.

[00:12:08] Okay, now the next tip that I have for you is to genuinely compliment people. And you know, this comes naturally to some people and does not come naturally to other people. So I encourage you to stretch this muscle if it feels a little bit uncomfortable at first. It is kind of something. Becomes a habit once you do it more and more.

[00:12:32] But if you see or hear of someone within your network or within your community doing something amazing, maybe they just launched their business or maybe they got an award for something or something really exciting happened, like they wrote a book or whatever that might be. Reach out to them and compliment them.

[00:12:51] Encourage them and support them. Whether that be just personally one-on-one. Or publicly, maybe [00:13:00] you comment on their post and congratulate them. Maybe you share in your stories or give them a shout out somewhere. I think it is so powerful when we can recognize other people's successes and celebrate with them.

[00:13:15] It makes our connection with them so much stronger. And when we notice things in people or when we notice different strengths or maybe. Are inspired by someone. You know, a lot of the people that we are inspired by, if we think about it, have we actually told them that they have inspired us? So I actually want to challenge you today.

[00:13:39] If you, if someone popped into your mind, you're like, wow, this person has really inspired me, and it doesn't matter whether you've met this person, you know this person personally. Maybe you've never met them before, or, um, whatever, doesn't matter. Honestly, reach out to them today and just tell 'em that they have [00:14:00] inspired you and tell them why they inspire you. What about them inspires you? It is so powerful for people to hear that, and it automatically creates a really strong connection between you and that person. So I encourage you to do that today.

[00:14:16] It could be your mom, it could be your cousin, it could be a, um, a friend or like I said, maybe someone that you've never even connected with before, or doesn't even know you personally, but you're inspired by them, tell them cuz it is so powerful, not only for that person, but also for you. So do that today. I challenge you to do that. Okay. The next tip I have is for when you've built that connection and that relationship with someone and you have built, uh, credibility with them.

[00:14:47] So what that means is basically you know them, they know you. You have maybe had some personal one-on-one conversations with them, and maybe you've seen [00:15:00] them, whether it be in person. Like networking online for a while, and you start to build that trust with them. This is where you can actually go a step further in your relationship and challenge those people.

[00:15:14] So the tip that we talked about just now in compliments, compliments are great, but also it is just as powerful or maybe even more powerful to make sure people are being the best versions of of themselves and encourage them to strive for more or encourage them to dream bigger. Now, I will say that you have to earn trust before you do this. So I would not cold message someone and say like, Hey, I noticed this or I noticed that and I noticed maybe you're not dreaming big enough, or whatever that is. Um, I wouldn't do that if you don't have that credibility with someone because you know they really need to trust you and value you before you actually [00:16:00] go and challenge them in that way.

[00:16:02] But if you do have that relationship, then it can be such a powerful tool to build that relationship and that connection even more. .Okay. My final tip for you today is connect people within your network. So always be thinking of who you know and how you can help connect them with other people within your network.

[00:16:21] Now this is so powerful because people will see you as a connector. They will see you as a networker and they were, will automatically want to also connect you with their networks. What I wanna say about this is don't expect anything back from it. So if you connect two people together, don't expect that anything will come back to you.

[00:16:43] Just know that spreading that amazing sense of connection will always come back to you in some way. And so I wanted to just note a couple things before we ended off this episode is remembering that building community is much [00:17:00] more about what you give than what you get. And always add value. Trust me, it's always gonna come back to you in ways that you never even would think that it would.

[00:17:11] And I wanted to end also this episode with this quote is by Zig Ziegler. If you haven't heard of him. Um, he's an amazing thought leader and he says that you can have anything in life you want. If you'll just help enough other people get what they want. So I wanna leave you with that quote. And I also want to encourage you to find a community.

[00:17:35] Find a community you can be a part of, find a community where you can connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs or women within your industry, whatever that looks like for you. Definitely find a community where you feel supported, where you feel. You are being challenged to dream bigger and to chase after those big goals that you have.

[00:17:58] And if you wanna be a part [00:18:00] of our community, we would love to have you. You can go over to our website and check out all the different ways that you can connect with us and be a part of our communities. And I also wanted to offer you a free gift for listening to this episode. So if you wanna stag that free gift, you can go to businessbabescollective.com/masterclass.

[00:18:21] It's a free training for you all about how to scale a profitable business without working around the clock. I think you're really gonna enjoy it. And if you are interested in either our Action Takers Club or our Mastermind, go check it out on the website. And if you have any questions, send me a DM on Instagram.

[00:18:41] You can find me @danilivinglife, Dani with an I, living life and send me a question. So if you are like, Hey, I don't know if this is for me or you have questions about it, come find me. I love chatting with you in my dms, and I would love to connect with you there. So that is all for me. I cannot wait to see you in the [00:19:00] next episode.

[00:19:00] Until then, have an amazing rest of your day.

[00:19:07] If you love this episode, make sure you screenshot, post and tag us on Instagram @businessbabesco. Want to know when the next episode goes live? Subscribe on your podcast app and while you're there, leave us a review. Until next time, keep dreaming big, setting goals, and taking action.

Danielle Wiebe