Last week we talked about 3 Ways Your Community Might Be Holding You Back from Meeting Your Goals -- this week let's talk about how they can help you reach them!

1) See the Talent Around You. Your immediate community is full of talented women who can help you in any and every aspect of your business and life (seriously!)  I firmly believe that every single person in my world has something to offer. I don't need to seek out the celebrity FB ads expert, the celebrity marriage specialist, the celebrity copy writer, the celebrity sleep specialist, the celebrity organizational specialist (you know this list could go on forever right?!  just insert whatever area you are currently trying to tackle!) - all I need to do is look to the amazing people in my world, the ones who the world hasn't caught up with yet!  Not only that, they often provide a more personalized approach and have more of a vested interest in your success than the big names ever could.

2) Find Your Light House. It is so easy to look around and feel intimidated by the people around us.  Social media consistently showcases everyone's successes and if you aren't in the right frame of mind, it can be easy to say "why not me???" As we finish off The Power of Community Month, I want to challenge this way of thinking.  The people in your life who are doing everything you want to be doing, they aren't your competition, they are your light house!  As soon as you start to hear the "why not me??" question in your head, reframe it to an exclamation "WHY NOT ME!" because it can be you and that person is proof!

3) Allow Your Community to Support and Uplift You.  Entrepreneurship has its hard days - find a community that allows you to say out loud what you are struggling with, supports you, and then pushes you to get back on track.  There is something incredibly empowering about knowing there is a group of people hoping you succeed and cheering you on as you try.  But here is the thing, you have to be willing to let them in, to have the honest conversations and to let them give you real feedback because that is where the magic happens.  

You might notice that all of these recommendations have more to do with you than your actual community and I'll tell you why - I want you to feel empowered to create a community that will support and challenge you.  Entrepreneurship can be lonely but it doesn't have to be!  Look around you and see all of the amazing people who are there, the friendships to be made, and the little extra that may help you reach your goals that much faster!

​Is your community holding you back from reaching your goals?!  Let's examine three ways to easily identify that it is time to find a new community to support you!

1) Your money goals might be too big for your community.  Have you ever shared a money goal to your friends and almost felt embarrassed - like "who do I think I am to have this goal?!"  Be aware if you ever feel that feeling of being embarrassed, shrinking or downplaying your own game, then you probably aren't surrounded by the right community.  You know how Dave Ramsey talks about wanting to buy the smallest house in a really nice neighborhood with lots of big houses -- the same theory applies here:  You don't want to have the biggest goals in your community.  You want to be mindful that your community supports your goals and challenges your goals.  If your goals challenge them and trigger them, you might need to find a new community.

2) Your community has the hard worker mentality and thinks that your job is just too easy.  You might hear their judgement about not working hard enough -- because you aren't driving through blizzards to get to work or dropping your sick kids off at daycare to put in long hours, you aren't working hard enough to make the money you are making.  They may not say these things so blatantly, instead it may be offhanded comments like: You are so lucky! How do you make so much without working at all?! While this comment may seem simple enough, if you hear it enough, you may start to internalize the need to work more.  

In reality, you need to make the shift from being a hard worker to an aligned worker.  I used to be a hard worker and I was broke.  When I had my babies, I had a c-section and both times I brought my laptop with me to the hospital to get work done.  I worked my entire maternity leave and at 7 weeks old both of my kids went to daycare so I could get back to the office.  I was a hard worker and I was broke!  So hard work does not equal making more money, no matter how much people will tell you that is the case! Aligned work may look easier but it is simply because you are operating from your zone of genius and speaking from a place of authenticity.  It doesn't feel like or look like work when you are in your zone!  If you feel like you have to prove you are working hard enough in your community, then it might be time to find a new community.

3) Your community tries to put you into a mold of who you used to be but that mold no longer serves you.  You may hear things like: "Oh but you always used to do it this way!" or "You never thought that way before!" or "Oh you never used to get upset about this before!" Again, these statements may seem innocent enough but it is a clear indicator that your community wants you to stay the person you have always been.  They aren't able to see the changes you have made or the bigger goals you are reaching for.  Look for a community that is interested in learning more about the things you are now passionate about, even if it is something that is completely new to you! Surround yourself with people who challenge you to explore this new way of thinking, who push you to continue to be the best version of yourself. 

I want to leave you with a final thought: a rising tide raises all boats -- when you step into your full potential, you are going to give subconscious permission to everyone around you to do the same thing.  Life is too short to surround yourself with people who make you feel like you need to shrink! You have worked too hard to get here, just to get here, it is time for more!  I promise you, it gets better and better!

​I wanted to take a minute to tell you a little bit about what is happening behind the scenes in Six Figure Society™️ because it really illustrates the power of community and having a quality support network.

Some of the ladies have been reaching their goal of 10k months in as little as 4 weeks - which is super crazy and I am so honored to be a part of their journey!  Like we all do business together - they hire me as their coach but they also all work together.  

Entrepreneurship can be lonely, especially in a COVID world where we have lost the vast majority of our in person support mechanisms.  It is hard not to have people to talk to about your big goals, the strategies you will use to achieve them and all the little nuances that go into being an entrepreneur.  Most women I talk to don't even have a partner who truly gets it -- even if they are supportive of you, if they aren't doing the same thing it can be hard to have in depth conversations.  I will never say your support network can make or break you but having a support group to hold you accountable to meeting your goals and provide support and encouragement is priceless.  What would it mean to you to know that you have a support system that is cheering you on from start to finish - who actually want you to be successful and will go out of their way to support you in meeting your goals. 

I got to watch that scenario play out within Six Figure Society, recently.  We all regularly talk about our goals, steps we are taking to make our goals and how close we are to achieving them. One of the ladies was about $300 short of her $10k goal on the last day of the month.  She does business with someone else in the group, who told her to go ahead and bill her the $300 because they would surely find something else for her to do to account for that amount.  So she billed her the $300 and she met her $10k month goal!! Was it cheating?! No, not in my opinion.  She put her goal out into the universe, she worked to get super close to it and then her relationship helped to push her over the edge to make that goal.  What an amazing confidence boost for her.  Now that she has done it once, she knows she can do it over and over again. 

You are the result of the five people you surround yourself with.  Make sure that those people you are surrounded with are the right people.  You want those five people to be the ones who celebrate you when you are successful, push you to be your best, encourage you and challenge you.  Avoid including people who pull you down or consciously (or subconsciously) by giving you messaging that keeps you "safe."  You shouldn't have to ask yourself if you network is supporting you, you should know it.  

Finally, find people to support you in your weakness but also challenge you in your goals.  Your network needs to help you to see what your blind spots are.  Look for people who ask you how they can support you (and you should do the same for them!).  Also, you don't just want people in your circle to just say your did you best!  You want your support network to challenge you to do more because they know you can.  Your support network should never let you short change yourself or come up with excuses.  

Have you experienced the life changing experience of being a part of a supportive community?!  If you haven't and would like to experience the magic of Six Figure Society, click here to get on the wait list. 

​I was hesitant to write a blog on money and your network because I was afraid that the way that I do things might be a personality trait.  However, after further reflection I figured out this wasn't the case because I am an introvert (I know, crazy right?!)  In fact, short and simple small talk drains me! Once I figured that out, I realized I needed to network in a way that felt organic and natural to me. When I really looked at this way of networking, I realized it was something anyone could do.

Before I begin, I want to emphasize that I do not see people as a dollar signs and you shouldn't either!  You should not create a network for the sole purpose of making more money, even if that is often the natural outcome of having a solid network.  

1) Be visible - Don't play small when it comes to your business, take up space, own that you are a business person with a real business.  Tell the people around you what you do! Why? If people know what you do, then it is easier for them to seek you out to help them or to refer their friends to you. Don't be a business owner that hides away and no one knows what it is that you do or what success people have had from working with you.  

When you are talking about your business and what you do, don't just tell people your title, tell them exactly what it is that you do.  For example, don't just say - I am a business coach, tell them: I help entrepreneurs make more money!  Why does that make a difference?! When you just say business coach, it is very generic and people can't begin to think about how that would apply to their lives or the lives of those they know.  However, as soon as you use the word entrepreneur, they begin to think of people in their lives who are entrepreneurs, maybe they just reconnected with a friend who was telling them about the new business they started - suddenly you've connected the dots for them about how you can help! Bottom line, if you don't tell the world (and especially your network) what you do, then the world will never benefit from what you do!

2) Treat People as People: That ones sounds sooooo basic but it is perhaps the one that I see most entrepreneurs struggle with.  How often does someone friend request you and then immediately start pitching whatever it is they have to sell!  Connect with people on a real level, not just a business level. 

It is ok to connect with people online about something you see that intrigues you that isn't business -- a song they are listening to or a quote that you saw that spoke to you.  If the conversation flows naturally to business, great! 

Also, don't disregard engaging with someone because they aren't your ideal client -- they probably know 1-3 people who are your ideal client.  When you disregard them as not being your ideal client, you are actually seeing them as a dollar sign.  When you interact with people from a genuine space and are open to give them your attention, then you are making a true connection. Connect with people on a real level - it doesn't always have to be a conversation based solely on business

3) Operate from the highest level of integrity -  You are in business to make money, but money shouldn't be what drives your decisions.  Don't sell your business to someone if it isn't the right fit.  There is always the possibility it will be the right fit in the future OR that they know someone who you are the right fit for.  When you say no to someone because it isn't the right fit, you aren't saying no to an opportunity, you are saying no to the potential for an opportunity gone bad.  People appreciate and respect when you are upfront and say, this isn't the right time for us to work with one another - you need to do A B and C before we can work together because I don't want to just take your money and not be able to deliver the results you are expecting.  Again, this shows the person that you see them as a person and not as a dollar sign - it isn't about the sale, it is about wanting them to get the help they need!

If you really have deep connections with people, instead of seeing them as a dollar sign, you are going to make more money.  Anytime you operate from the utmost integrity, you are going to make more money.  We spend so much of our lives feeling like a number, be someone who listens to them and actually offers them a true solution, even if that solution isn't you!  

When you look around at others in your field, do you see competition or a network of like minded people?  When you see someone else's posts who is a little farther on their journey, do you feel a pang of jealousy or do you see them as a lighthouse?  Do you ever wish you could just have a real, authentic conversation with other entrepreneurs, where everyone let down their guard and were willing to work through the areas they were struggling with?! {Seriously, pause for a second and answer those questions!}

This month we will be working rising together to create 10K months! How do you do that?  By investing time in creating a network that supports you, challenges you, and serves as a place to both give and receive referrals.  Business doesn't have to be a lonely place, I promise. How do I know this, because I am currently surrounded by an amazing network of fellow entrepreneurs who do just that for me.  

So what does it take to create a strong network? Making space in your schedule to form authentic relationships; admitting what areas of your business you are struggling with; being open to sharing what works for you, especially if it can help them succeed as well; and a strong understanding that there are enough clients that everyone has the ability to make money. 

In theory, those steps sounds simple but everyone I talk to struggles with at least one element of that process.  Be honest with yourself about what aspect is hard for you.  If it is authentic relationships, set aside time each day to connect with those you look up to on a people level first.  If you struggle to be honest about what areas of your business you are struggling with, challenge yourself to connect with someone you have a great friendship with and simply state: "I am really struggling with [work/life balance, finding new people to work with, keeping my finances in order, insert what you are struggling with!].  You might be surprised at the conversation that follows!  If you are struggling to share what works for you with others, ask yourself why!  Is it because you are seeing them as competition?  If you have a hard time recognizing there are more than enough clients for everyone, you need to take time to evaluate your money mindset.  Are you operating from a place of lack, instead of abundance?  

We will dive more into all of these aspects of creating a network throughout the month, but I want you to begin to see the invaluable resource a network provides.  In addition to seeing the benefits of a network in my own life, over the past month, I have had the privilege of interacting with an amazing group of women in my Six Figure Society.  I have watched them open up to one another, support one another, refer one another, and hold one another accountable.  I think if you talk to them, they will say they have found a safe place where they feel supported, challenged and encouraged.  The result: their businesses are growing at a rapid pace!  

So spend some time today and reach out to friends, colleagues, mentors, or anyone else that will help you to feel supported and encouraged.  I promise you won't regret it.