I’m writing this after a crazy good week. A week jam-packed with work that was made a zillion times better because of the people I was working with. A week that, if those people hadn’t been about, could have just been an insanely busy, stressful & overwhelming time.
And that’s what I want to write about today. People. Your people.
For those of you who don’t know, I teach a six-week program called Super Stoked. The program guides entrepreneurs, startups & established businesses to brand clarity — a place where you know exactly who you are, why you do what you do and how best to position, package & communicate it within the market.
One of the six modules is called Tribe, and it’s all about the people in your business. We start with the most important person, your ideal customer, and holy smokes, we dive deep. But when we come up for air, we spend some time talking about two other groups of people who, I believe, are essential for any entrepreneur.
Your global tribe are the people who influence & inspire your work. They may or may not be in your industry. You may or may not know them personally. In fact, it’s pretty normal for these people to be the folk leading the way. The people who, if you had a magic wand (more about that in a minute .. because you kinda do), you would invite over for dinner because you are fascinated (ok, more like obsessed) by their work.
Your local tribe are the people you surround yourself with on a regular basis.The entrepreneurial buddies, the coworking crew, the people who have your back no matter what. Let’s be clear here though, these aren’t necessarily your closest friends.. they might be (and more often than not, they definitely become them !), but if you’re anything like me, you may have two groups of equally awesome friends. The friends who’ve known you forever, who feel more like family, but whose lifestyle is very different to yours (9–5 job/mortgage/kids). And the friends who are entrepreneurs, the ones who are building businesses, blazing their own path and know exactly how it feels to be where you are now.
An important point here: Neither of these friendship groups is better than the other. In fact, I genuinely believe it’s vital to have both. The entrepreneurial crew are essential to your growth and give you the kind of support that is valuable beyond words. And the friends-who-feel-like-family? They provide the grounded, solid love & care … and the reminder that there is life beyond work haha.
What I’ve realised to be true is that understanding these three elements to your tribe; your ideal customer, your global tribe & your local tribe, plays a massive part in your success. Committing to growing relationships in all three areas is what will make all the difference.
To me, that means scheduling time in my calendar for them. It means being super intentional about adding value. Too often, people build relationships in business that are purely transactional — I’ll give you this if you give me that. But in my experience, those types of relationships mean very little.
Sometimes your only job is to support an entrepreneurial buddy as they go through something tough. Or to help them bounce new ideas around & map out a new strategy.
Here’s the thing: You get to choose who all these people are. Nobody decides who makes up this tribe other than you.
Jim Rohn once said:
You are the average of the five people you spend time with.
This quote rings so freaking true to me right now. Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to speak at an event that aligns with so much of the work I’m doing. The Blue Mind Collective is a summit that speaks to the deep emotional connection we have with water and how the interplay directly impacts our lives.
I found myself surrounded by incredible people. Some of whom I’m blessed to have in my local tribe, and many who were on my ‘global tribe’ list. And here’s whats crazy…. by leaning into this whole tribe thing, for the long haul, I’ve witnessed a shift. People who were on my global tribe list are now moving to my local tribe list. People who I’ve followed on Twitter, whose books I have devoured, whose work has influenced mine profoundly, are becoming friends, mentors & collaboration buddies.
Of course, I feel insanely lucky & blessed. But underneath that? I know that this has come about from an intentional action. This has come about because I’ve understood Jim Rohn’s words to be true.
So my challenge to you this week? Start making smart choices. Invest your energy into your tribe. I promise you won’t regret it.