BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GROUPS

Business Community Groups… and why they are so awesome! 

Networking. Who else here hears that word and turns green in the face?🤢 I know I do… did?… still do? I guess it depends on the type of networking we’re talking about. When I think of the traditional form of networking, it invokes thoughts of making cringe-worthy small talk, passing out business cards, and hoping to get some sort of ROI on your time spent with people you really have not a whole lot of interest in talking to. Talk about queuing the green-tinged face. But then I got involved with a networking group that consisted of other accounting firm owners called “Roundtable Labs” and it changed my entire perspective on the subject.  

Now, you may be thinking why on earth would you want to join a group of other accounting firm owners?! Won’t they steal your ideas? They are your competition! Don’t you think they would purposefully give you bad advice so you fail?! (Okay, maybe that last one is a stretch, but they’ll probably be stingy with the good advice, to be sure, right?) Think again, sunshines! This form of networking was different. This was a group of equally impassioned, motivated, and goal-oriented business owners all of which were on a similar journey as I. And to say it completely changed the way I looked at networking AND the way I ran my business, is an understatement.  

The creator of this particular group refers to the magic that happens within it as the “hive-mind” – meaning it’s kind of like a hive of bees… we all come together and work in peace as one supportive unit. In essence, it brings people together that are on a similar path and creates a space that allows them to discuss what is going on in their business (like we’re talking the real deep sh*t) and then get real, live, actual feedback from a group that understands or at least can relate to what we’re going through. The beauty of this is that people end up finding a safe space to share their stories of both failure and triumph and know that it can help someone else with what they are going through. 

I’ve also heard this kind of group called a “Mastermind” – which I kind of love because that’s truly what it feels like. For me, being surrounded by people that are facing the same challenges, opportunities, and chaos is, quite honestly, empowering.  You can express an idea or suggestion, someone adds to it, and then another takes it a step further. Suddenly, your idea has gone from just an off-handed comment to something bigger, something real, something you can walk away with and implement because it’s got the input, feedback, and evolution of multiple other people’s genius brains behind it. These conversations help to breakdown the walls holding you back and truly let you feel like a mastermind at work… now that’s an ROI that you can take advantage of immediately! 

Another thing I love about these types of groups and this type of networking is that it wipes away all the “woe is me” feelings that small business owners and leaders can start to feel. With so much digital information and media constantly being thrown at us, it’s easy to believe the messages that are bombarding us daily– i.e. that “everyone is doing great!” and “business is all hunky-dory”! When in all honesty, the people behind the posts are 100% experiencing your same struggles. By coming together and sharing the experiences, good and bad, you no longer feel alone in your struggle. Plus, everyone has the opportunity to learn and, most of the time, leave with a little nugget of wisdom all because you shared what you are going through!  

And let’s actually stop for a minute and talk about these nuggets of wisdom, because man they are powerful! Just yesterday I was participating in one of these groups and we were discussing a topic that I thought we had nailed down “pat.” In fact, I was almost bummed that this was the topic we were discussing… and then about mid conversation, low and behold, a little sparkle of an idea appeared. Someone shared their story of how they do it, and bam - a new way to improve our own process emerged. What I’m trying to illustrate is that through the discussions with these sorts of groups, you are always picking up new strategies and techniques that you can take back to your business to help improve processes, streamline workflows, or introduce new ideas. They will impact your business growth, make your team stronger, and make you a better leader.  

It's been said that if your business is not constantly in a state of change, then you’re stagnant. And stagnant means no growth or progression. Which means, as business owners and business leaders, we’ve got to constantly think about how we are going to add growth to a business. Why not put yourself in a setting that fuels that growth and drives it forward. That’s what these business community groups can and will do for you.  

So where do you start? How do you find something? What setting is right for you?  

Well, to begin with there are a lot of options out there. There are industry specific groups (like the one I mentioned above), there are community specific groups, there are groups that focus on specific areas of your business such as marketing or operations. So, I would suggest thinking about which areas of your business or professional development need the most TLC and go from there. Perhaps you need help nailing down your online product-drive direct to consumer marketing business – find a group with people that have a similar product driven business or find a group that focuses on marketing. Or perhaps you just want to get your toes wet and see what types of things groups like these can offer, maybe you don’t know where your weaknesses are… then maybe find a generalized group to join or one in your local community. Most groups will allow you to come to a couple of meetings to check out the vibe before you fully commit. The main thing is, just put yourself out there and give it a try!  

What about the time commitment?  

Yeah, yeah, yeah – we all have no time. And this is a big barrier to entry when a) finding the right group to be a part of and b) actually committing to said group. Honestly, I fought joining Roundtable Labs for over a year. I was worried that I would either be wasting my time, or even if it was beneficial, it wasn’t as beneficial as the work I could have been doing while I was “in session.” And yet again, I was so very wrong. The first few meetings were good, but I was still getting a feel for it and while I loved the conversations and the ideas, they were still just conversations and ideas. But after the third meeting, I realized that the words were starting to sink in, they were starting to shift the way I was thinking while doing my day-to-day work. I was carrying the conversations with me and summoning the takeaways to make small changes to my business, small changes that were ultimately saving me time or maximizing the time I was spending. So, do me a favor, let’s flip the old adage of “I don’t have the time” to “I don’t have the time not to,” because that is the truth. If you’re not changing, then you’re not growing and that might as well be the death of your business.  

To wrap it all up… I am clearly all about the community groups. I have gained SO much from my peers over the years I’ve been doing this and feel refreshed and revitalized by their thoughts and conversations. If you’re feeling like you need to mix it up, go find a group that gets you and keep looking until the vibe feels right. Then pour yourself into it – the more you give, the more you’ll get back. I promise!  

And… if you’re local to San Pedro, CA (my hometown!), I’ve actually started an in-person business community group for small business owners, and I’d love to have you join in the fun! Click here to find out the details!