Growing Your Village: Why Entrepreneurial Communities are Vital to Growth and Sanity

By Tricia Scott

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb

I often wondered what was wrong with me. Sometimes I felt like I lived on a different planet from the rest of humanity! I had a good job, a lovely home, great friends and family, but I was always looking for more. I used to call it my 'itchy feet syndrome' - always trying to progress or better my circumstances at every opportunity. 

Later I realised that I was, in fact, an entrepreneur. Working 9-5 was a bit like shoving a very round peg into a very square hole. It just never quite fit, no matter how hard I tried. I wrote another blog on this recently; you can read it here. 

Entrepreneurs have a different mindset to the broader community, and often it can feel challenging at best to be able to be yourself. While I was dreaming of the freedom to choose my paycheck and hours, constantly working into the night learning how to build a website or cultivate a mailing list, others were side-eyeing me across the room and coming up with well-meaning phrases like 'are you sure this is for you?' and 'you're working an awful lot why don't you do this when you have more time?' 

This, my friends, is the biggest problem with entrepreneurship. Not the hard work, not the hours, nor the not knowing where the money will come from every month; it's the feeling of isolation and the lack of understanding and ability to relate to those around you. If we're not careful, it can become challenging to move forward; we start to second guess our ideas and well thought out decisions and plant the seed of doubt in our capabilities. 

This is where a supportive community is vital. 

Belonging to a like-minded community, be it entrepreneurs or any shared interest, all those things are dissolved. Negative talk and doubt are replaced with positive reinforcement; in my case, when I couldn't find what I needed, I created my community of round pegs. A progressive, innovative collection of people sharing the same vision, facing the same issues, cheering each other onward and helping one another avoid the pitfalls by sharing stories and experiences. It was heaven. 

Belonging to a community became essential for my sanity and formed the basis of The Female CEO, an unexpected bonus. It changed my outlook on business and life and reminded me that I wasn't alone in my perceived odd behaviour. I was just entrepreneurial, and there were thousands of others just like me out there! I have been able to take giant leaps rather than tentative baby steps in my business, I've learned shortcuts from others who found out the hard way, I have been pushed, encouraged and catapulted onto stages I barely knew existed backed by cheers of 'you can do it' and consoled when I've messed up. I have given tirelessly to my fellow members, creating, assisting and hand-holding because that's what community is all about giving and receiving. 

Do you have somewhere you can genuinely be yourself? Are you surrounded by like-minded people? I can tell you from my (and hundreds of others I've personally spoken to) that some of the most valuable relationships you could ever have are formed in the spaces between friends, family and sanity. 

Go ahead, find your village, work towards improving the lives of its residents, and I promise you shall receive, big time. 

If you find yourself nodding along whilst reading this thinking ' she's describing ME' feel free to join our free Facebook community or our Business Club, you'll be made to feel at home, offered a warm welcome and given the space to be yourself. What could be better than that? 

Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor of The Female CEO - Create Evolve Overcome, a platform and digital magazine holding the space to showcase female entrepreneurs from all over the world. She works and collaborates with various organisations to bring the most inspirational journeys, stories and training to help entrepreneurs on their own personal success mission.

The Female CEO is growing, expanding and gaining global recognition daily and Tricia is able to bring her own level of expertise as a start-up coach, mentor and multi-company director to her very exclusive table along with her team of brilliant Guest Editors and Bloggers. You'll usually find her with her MacBook in one hand and a coffee or a glass of something fizzy in the other and she always have sunglasses in her hair. Reach out anytime!