Who is on your team?

This might sound like a strange question but it is important to know who we have on our team.

For the majority of the business owners I work with, their team is quite small, sometimes it’s simply them on their own in a team of one.

Running a business can be lonely whether you do or don’t have employees or freelance contractors working with you.

Our ego may use the story that we are alone to keep us playing small, feeling like a failure and/or wanting to give up.

As a business owner, I highly recommend you find YOUR group of like-minded business owners. These don’t have to be business owners in the same niche/discipline as you; these are business owners who share the same values as you. When you are with them you support, motivate and cheer for one another. It is safe and non-judgemental place to ask questions and get answers, advice and opinions. You feel inspired and are able to be true to what you want for you and your business.

Take a moment to consider “who is on your team?” Perhaps you realise the space you have been inhabiting is not as supportive or motivating or inspiring as you’d like.

For me finding my group of like-minded business owners was a game changer in so many ways. I was (and am) able to speak freely and be supported. I have a group of people who will check in on me, call me out when I’m getting in my own way and are my biggest cheerleaders.

It is a basic human need to belong and sometimes a part of us will make us feel like a failure if we don’t fit in with the business owners in our immediate vicinity or the business owners a part of us feels we should fit in with.

I have tried numerous networking sessions online and face to face and sometimes they were right and sometimes they weren’t.

Where you are spending your valuable time is important – just because you can be there doesn’t mean you should. Does the space feel right for you? Do you feel lifted or deflated? Do you feel inspired, motivated and excited to be there?

Some people will refer to all of the above as “finding your tribe” and by all means call it that if you wish. I also invite you to remember that your team does not have to be in the same place. You may have team members in various places. You may be part of a couple of Facebook groups and a face t face networking community. I simply invite you to check in with yourself and make sure that they build you up and you feel they are on your team.

Remember to check in with your ego and know that it may not want you to have your team – remember it doesn’t want you to change. A great team will ultimately lead to growth and you flourishing.