BROADCASTS.com

b'Leading a business can be lonely.\\n\\n\\n\\nI noticed just how disconnected business owners are when I started my very first website way back in 2009.\\n\\n\\n\\nThat website was a blog about makers and artists in Pennsylvania. I wrote about their stories and shared products that caught my eye. The blog was relatively popular but the real magic of it wasn\\u2019t in what I was writing about.\\n\\n\\n\\nThe magic was in how it connected people who didn\\u2019t know anyone else who was trying to make a go of turning their ideas into a business. They connected on my website, they connected in an early iteration of what Facebook groups have become, and they even connected in person.\\n\\n\\n\\nEven though I haven\\u2019t written for that blog in a decade, I know there are still people from that community who support each other as business owners. They are less lonely because of the connections they made through that simple website.\\n\\n\\n\\nAfter I handed that blog off to other people and started down the path of business coaching and education, I noticed that not only were small business owners a lonely bunch, I noticed that our isolation often led to missing information, confirmation bias, and unhelpful assumptions.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd that\\u2019s what\\u2019s really led to how I\\u2019ve structured my business from there on out. I have been creating the structure to connect small business owners to each other for the last 10 years. I build containers, see what works, and then evolve. From Kick Start Labs to Quiet Power Strategy to What Works, I\\u2019ve endeavored to help entrepreneurs find the support they need\\u2013the support they crave.\\n\\n\\n\\nI\\u2019ve seen first hand how, yes, the emotional support of the right people can make all the difference in whether you press on or whether you quit. But even beyond the huge help of emotional support, I\\u2019ve seen how the right people can open your eyes to new ideas, how it can help you check your assumptions and self-limiting beliefs. I\\u2019ve seen how support can help you set new goals and find your focus.\\n\\n\\n\\nI believe we all need to find our support as small business owners\\u2026 and I believe that support comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it\\u2019s the people we hire to work for us. Other times it\\u2019s our families. Sometimes it\\u2019s the professionals we engage with. Other times it\\u2019s the colleagues who call us on our own bullshit.\\n\\n\\n\\nAll this month, we\\u2019ve looked at the challenges\\u2013and opportunities\\u2013that small business owners face in getting the support they need to feel confident and prepared.\\n\\n\\n\\nWe\\u2019ve looked at mental health support, we\\u2019ve examined peer support, and we dug into coaching. This week, we asked 4 of our community members to share times when they\\u2019ve experienced a profound sense of support and I\\u2019m thrilled with how each of them shared a different form of support.\\n\\n\\n\\nRebel Therapist founder Annie Schuessler shared how being honest & vulnerable with her peers has made a huge impact on her and her business.\\n\\n\\n\\nBusiness coach Justine Clay shared how a year-long program and accountability partner helped her get a new business off the ground.\\n\\n\\n\\nVoice coach and the SpeakEasy Cooperative founder Michelle Markwart Deveaux shared how her team supports her\\u2013and has helped her see herself and her role in a new way.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd coach Leigh Johnson brings it all home by sharing how important different types o...'