‘Pay It Forward’: Investing in your Future Self
Welcome back! If you’ve read the last few posts, you’ll know that this work I’m suggesting about finding and growing your tribe is ‘paying it forward’ – investing in your future wellbeing and success.
There’s no rush to get there. Perhaps you need to pop a note in your diary for next month when you have a little more headspace… or maybe it’s just not realistic you work through this until next quarter. That’s ok! These posts can be re-opened at any time and the conversation about self-care can be continued when you’re ready.
As with so many things when you’re building up a business, you have to do a lot of the challenging work up front and then things get easier over time. Everyone says the first three years are the most challenging (especially the first one!) and I see that be proved true again and again. Growing your tribe also takes time, energy and effort but it’s worth it for the support you get.
Often, you have to invest in those relationships to see the rewards. At the start of every networking event, I try to remind people that if everyone comes with the attitude: “what can I get out of this / take from others?” then no one will get anything. If everyone approaches networking with the question: “how could I help at least one person today?” then everyone will leave having been helped.
Sometimes, you have to switch your mindset and ask how you can pay it forward and help others before expecting others to show up for you. If you never like anyone else’s posts on social media, then you can’t be surprised that your account isn’t growing. If you never buy from another small business, then why do you think no one else is buying from you?
As with everything, it’s a question of balance though. I’m definitely not suggesting you go and do loads of unpaid work in order to be ‘kind’. Boundaries are very important. You should absolutely know your value and charge for your time accordingly. What I’m talking about here goes slightly beyond that though. Building up your tribe is a little different from building a network of contacts and collaborations.
This is about taking the time to find people you truly connect with, who see you for who you are and how hard you’re working. When you have those people in your life, magic happens. I have wonderful family and friends, who I’m very grateful for – but having people who are also small business owners does add a different dimension. You need those people to pick you up when the going gets tough, to empathise, share their own successes and failures… and laugh with you about the mad world of being a business owner.
It’s a world that takes some pretty careful designing, from your business plan through to the physical place that you work from. So, stick with me and let’s explore how to create a workspace that will help you fly…
MY ACTION PLAN:
- Pop some time in your diary for when you can come back and look at this post again, if you don’t have time to action things right now.
- Read back over the last few posts – all the ones that came before this one have actionable steps about how to grow your tribe.
