How to act as a Cheerleader for other Entrepreneurs, Freelancers & Creatives
As a small business owner, you know first-hand how challenging it can be and how much it means to you when someone recognises your hard work.
Can you be that cheerleader for someone else too? Believe me, it feels great to support entrepreneurs, pay them a compliment or help them get a referral. Being kind gives you such a dopamine hit…
If you’re a millennial like me and grew up with ‘Friends’, then you may be familiar with the episode where Phoebe is unable to find an ‘unselfish good deed.’ I’m not sure I care. Maybe it is ‘selfish’ to be kind because it also makes you feel good… but it still leaves two people feeling fab and that’s a beautiful thing. As small business owners, it’s invaluable to know that other people have our backs and to create opportunities where we can show up and be that person for someone else.
Here’s a few suggestions as to what being a cheerleader may look like:
- Leave a positive review for a fellow small business online
- Refer their business to a friends or family member
- Like, share or comment on their social media posts
- Mention them to others when you’re networking
- If you can afford it / the business is relevant, buy from them
Some of these may seem really obvious but, when you’re busy, it’s all too easy to forget. Acting as a cheerleader for others is a habit it’s worth curating though. Why not try write a note in your diary to act as a cheerleader once a month? You may even want to broaden this out and make it a ‘Random Act of Kindness.’ This can be completely free e.g. sharing news of a local start up on your social channels. Or, you could send a care package to someone in your tribe who you know is going through a challenging time.
Whilst I would never suggest offering compliments or gifts with any expectation of a return… you will also be amazed at how much comes back your way. Not just that people will reciprocate but also that people will tell you how much it meant to them; what a difference it made to them / their business. Without a pre-existing team or office environment, we have to create our own network of support and make sure we’re looking after one another.
Can you imagine if everyone reading this decided to act as a cheerleader for another person? The difference that would make is enormous. So, take a moment to pause now and consider who you could act as a cheerleader to. Who could you refer on or buy from? If you have time, then put this post down for a moment and do that now…
Didn’t that feel great? Pop a note in your diary to make sure that you don’t forget to make this a consistent practice. You’ll be amazed at what you get back naturally but you could even consider making this its own mini kind of skills swap. You could partner up with someone and like each other’s posts online or commit to trying to refer them on at Christmas. All these little things really do add up and, importantly, help us remember that we’re part of something bigger.
MY ACTION PLAN:
Make a note of people you could act as a cheerleader to.
Pick one and perform a random act of kindness now: share a post about their business, send them a care package or pick something of your own then you know they’d appreciate.
Pop some time in the diary to help create this as a new habit.
You may want to pick one person each month and note down an idea as to how you could be a cheerleader for them and their business.
