A Support Group Success Story

When I taught the Business Planning Class at Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center (a class I taught for over 30 years), I talked with students often about the importance of having a strong personal support system. That may not sound like a “hard-core” business topic but I believe it is central to success as a small business owner. One BP Class assignment was for each student to develop their own personal support system. That could mean finding a support partner or mentor, or developing a peer support group or a team of advisors. (See my post about these four types of personal support systems.)

As small business owners we are responsible for every aspect of our business. We develop our products and/or services, market our business, create good management and financial systems, and define our business culture. We are juggling so much and it can be overwhelming and also isolating, especially if we are a solo entrepreneur. Having other business owners around us (be it one person or a small group) who are dealing with similar challenges is very helpful. They understand what we are going through and will have advice and their own perspective to share. They can help us stay focused on our business goals and hold us accountable. 

Recently, in conversation with Business Planning Class graduate, Tracy Lemmon, I was very pleased to learn that she still meets regularly with the peer support group that she started when she was a student in my class in 2012! Tracy told me that she and her support partners, Kay (a fellow BP Class grad) and Marina, credit their support group for their personal and professional success and happiness. Those are strong words!  

With 10 years of experience supporting each other, I thought it would be helpful for other small business owners to learn how Tracy, Kay and Marina structure their group, tackle big and smaller issues, and also get their advice on how to start a group of one’s own. These three amazing women had so many details to share!

Here is my interview with…

  • Tracy Lemmon, owner of Lemmon Employment Law & Conflict Resolution
  • Kay Suk, Mediator, U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit (past owner of Forward Mediation)
  • Marina Sarmiento Feehan, Senior Attorney, CA Department of General Services (past owner of Positive Counsel)
Marina, Tracy & Kay

1. How do you structure your meetings?

MARINA: Before Covid we met monthly, in person. Monthly meetings allow us to do our homework and achieve goals in between meetings. Monthly keeps us accountable, and if we need more accountability, we text or call for more support during the month.

TRACY: When we first started in 2012 (during Kay’s and my Renaissance course with Paul), we met once a month and there was a strong focus on business issues, development, cash flow and marketing. As we got to know each other better (and got busier) we moved to quarterly meetings, with a January New Year stock taking / goal setting in-person meeting (with Wheel of Life comparisons each year) with dinner and something fun afterwards. We are back to monthly now, and that works for trying to implement what we discussed, accountability, and support.

2. What is your meeting agenda?

MARINA: We don’t really have an agenda for each meeting, but Kay did ask for more structure. I’ll leave it to Kay to give her reasons. Usually we follow a format of checking in and giving updates on our goals, obstacles, or we raise an issue that is currently bothering us. 

TRACY:  We don’t have a specific agenda but everyone has their “turn” to share good/bad, updates, challenges. We really share and celebrate successes and encourage “bragging” as we have become a 360 support group, well beyond just business. We do take notes for ourselves and each other to help with continuity and accountability.

KAY:  As Marina mentioned, I do like to have more structure in a meeting than perhaps Marina and Tracy.  So when I feel the need, the other two allow me to come up with an agenda and try to stick to it.  We even have a spreadsheet with annual or monthly goals that we update from time to time. Over time, I realized that imposing an agenda on this group was not the best format. Nowadays, we use structure when necessary and if not, we do check ins and celebrations as Tracy indicated.

3. Do you use any business or meeting management tools? What has been most helpful?

TRACYWheel of Life is a key component to our January stock taking/goal setting meeting. We give numbers re: satisfaction in 8 areas, then list what is going on, and what we want to accomplish in each area in the new year. Now that we have been meeting for 10 years, it’s fun to look back on where we came from, and how we have evolved.

Our Goals Spreadsheet is helpful, too. I find that I usually fill it out shortly before our meetings (accountability!) We use a shared Google Doc so we can all see each other’s progress.

KAY – We also used the SMART goal system and kept track of action items especially in the beginning to break down our objectives to manageable follow-up activities.

MARINA: SMART means Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Relevant – Time bound Goals.

4. Have there been times when you haven’t met regularly? If so, why?

TRACY: We have all remained engaged and in touch. Sometimes we need to step back, slow down, or skip a meeting, and we all agree to reconnect or set our next date so we don’t ebb out.

KAY:  Putting the next date on the calendar keeps us on track.  In the beginning it was on a particular day of the month. These days, we set the next date on the calendar before we finish the meeting and prioritize it.

MARINA: This has been my longest running goal group. I attribute its longevity to (1) similar goals and desires in life (2) strong trust, and (3) strong bonds of friendship – we love each other. 

5. How well did you know each other before you started meeting together?  Were you all at the same stage of business or doing the same type of businesses?

MARINA: I met Kay at an Asian Bar Association women’s event and she was a total stranger. I liked what Kay had to say during the meeting and I approached her after the event as I found her interesting and wanted to be her friend. I don’t think she knew what hit her. Kay told me about Renaissance and the advice to get a support group and I told her about my previous successful Goal Groups. She suggested forming one with Tracy, who I did not know. But what a small world – Tracy went to UCLA law school with my brother (which is where I went) and my brother had good things to say about Tracy. I liked Tracy immediately when we met. I tend to trust my gut when I meet people and my gut was happy. We were all at the same stage of starting our businesses and although I was launching a career-life coaching business geared toward lawyers, it was in the same world so our business and marketing goals went well together. 

TRACY:  Yes, each of us were attorneys who wanted to make a new start in a new area, less law, more satisfaction, more mediation and resolution (for Kay and I), more personal connection and meaning for Marina. It was helpful to be at the same stage as no one was dispensing wisdom or advice, we were all muddling through it together, bonded by our Renaissance teachings!

6. From your perspectives, what are the qualities that matter when you are looking for other people to join a support group?

MARINA:  Trustworthy, friendly, open-minded, goal oriented, has “worked” on themselves or willing to do so, self-aware and self-motivated, and smart. 

TRACY: What Marina said. Not judgmental and not someone who tells you what to do, rather someone who listens to what your goals are, and helps you find your best way to achieve them. We do not “should on each other” in our group, for the most part. Except for Kay, the (loving) Enforcer!!!

KAY:  Yes, I have a lot of the oldest sister energy.  But Marina and Tracy have helped me to ease up! Having said that, I think having a process (Enforcer) person in the group that is committed to keeping a group going especially in the beginning before people know a lot about each other is helpful. Luckily, we were all pretty committed from the start, which was key.

7. How do you support one other during meetings?

TRACY: We really listen carefully and deeply, we listen to understand each other’s goals, emotions, trials and focus on helping each in her own way, rather than telling each other ideas what to do better. Of course that happens sometimes, but gently and as a suggestion. Reminding each other of past goals, successes, trials in a very loving way to help shape reflections and suggestions to each other.

KAY:  I think we all strive for what Tracy said. But sometimes we fall short. During those times, we have learned to give each other grace and see the comments in the best light because we have built trust.

MARINA: We give each other hugs when needed; give examples of our own failures/successes if that will help give insight; we also celebrate and celebration is IMPORTANT. There were times when we lost sight of what we accomplished and were thinking in a glass half-empty way, and we’ve had to stop and look at what we’ve achieved. It can be too easy to focus on the negative, or what needs to be done and not appreciate where you’ve been and where you are now. 

8. Have there ever been moments when you have been at odds or had to give someone else in the group “tough” advice?

MARINA: Oh this happens all the time and that is why TRUST and friendship is so important. We know each other really well by now and love each other dearly. We’ve been through so many ups and downs, wins and failures. We ask for reality checks from each other and value each other’s opinions and advice. I know I can get too direct at times. I’ll pull myself back as soon as I notice and apologize immediately. The great thing about this group is I learn from Tracy and Kay how to communicate better. I’m more of a thinker than a feeler and can come in guns blazing. Luckily, I have Kay and Tracy to temper my guns. There is so much trust and safety in the group that we can reveal things we might not raise with other people without fear of judgment; yes there may be hard truths or tough love but it’s done out of care and concern for the other person. 

TRACY:  Yes, we have sometimes pushed too hard, or pressed a sore subject to the point someone says the equivalent of “back off.” We apologize and reconnect naturally and well, so things never get to the point of hostilities, and certainly no gossip. We are all each other’s mutual support network, free to speak our truth about ourselves and to each other, and when that “truth” is not well received, we come in closer to figure out why, and to reframe or at least to reassure. It’s nice to be in a group with two mediators! There is very little conflict and what does arise makes us stronger.

KAY:  Ditto. The level of vulnerability in the group is off the charts. We all have our own strong personalities but not too much ego. I think it helps that we are not in direct competition with each other in our businesses. We also share a lot of failures and trials which have helped us to bond.

9. What advice do you have for other small business owners who want to start a similar group?

TRACY: It is useful to find people who know, like and trust you early on. I think this is more important than being at the same stage, or in the same business or industry. Trusting and valuing each other is what makes these groups work. I’ve heard people talk about starting their “own personal Board of Directors” to keep them on track. That is nice, but this is more fluid, more organic and goes both ways. 

KAY: I agree with Tracy.  I initially would have thought meeting with people who are in the same business, market or someone who could teach me something would be more important than meeting with people I like. It’s a business group, not a social group. But the two kind of go together. I don’t think a purely business group would have lasted as long as ours. I think meeting with people you like and want to spend time with is key.

MARINA: This is my 5th or 6th Goal Group and it always helps to be with people similarly situated. It seemed each Goal Group ended up having a particular focus, even though it didn’t start out that way; it just seemed folks were seeking similar goals. One group was about dating and relationship success; another was about career advancement; one was about major change – career, divorce, marriage; most Goal Groups lasted about a year, then naturally stopped when the group members achieved their goals. 

10. How has the pandemic changed how you meet and/or how you support one another?

TRACY: Luckily our relationships were strongly melded before the pandemic. We now meet usually by Zoom, but try to get together in person at least two times a year. We stepped up the frequency of our meetings for a while to offer more support during these times of isolation.

KAY:  When we started the group, we all lived in San Francisco. Since then Tracy has moved to Oakland and Marina to Burlingame and now Sacramento.  Thanks to Zoom, we can still meet.

MARINA: I do miss our monthly in person meetings. I would like to go back to having an in-person meeting three times a year, where we meet in person, either at each other’s home or at a fun location. Zoom is convenient but for me, nothing beats the energy of the in person meetings.

Grappling with change

The only thing constant is changeAs a small business owner, you know this well. Navigating the ups and downs of sales and marketing trends, hiring employees or letting them go, adjusting your business expertise to match the marketplace. Change is inevitable.

Predictable change

There are some changes you can anticipate, control and prepare for. You may know your product sales will jump during the holidays. You can predict a seasonal spike in sales and be ready with more inventory, increased employee hours, etc.

You can also be the driver of change. You can take a new direction with your business, plan for business growth, or decide it is time for ownership succession or a business sale. You can map out a specific management timeline and take a series of steps over weeks (or even years) to manage the change.

Unexpected change

Then there are the changes that happen suddenly and are completely out of your control. With the coronavirus pandemic and its related public health orders and business closures, you (like many others) may be scrambling to address the impacts on your business while also dealing with the effects to your personal life. You may be feeling out of control and anxious and perhaps at a loss for what to do next.

Here are some simple yet effective strategies that may help during this unprecedented time.

  • Acknowledge your fears. Think about your fears and write them down. Some of your fears may lose their power once you face them straight on. Recognizing them could lead to ideas for how to deal with them.
  • Seek support. Reach out to others — friends, colleagues, advisors — who can remind you that you are not alone. They can be there for you with support, empathy and accountability. They may be able to give you a different perspective to help illuminate a path forward.
  • Be here now. Mindfulness meditation (even for just a few minutes a day) and other awareness practices can help you relax and stay calm. Meditation can help you focus on the present moment and make mental and emotional space for new insights and perspecive.
  • Remember the past. You have never experienced something like the coronavirus pandemic before. But the way you dealt with past challenges may help you get through this one. What helped in past difficult situations? Did you get support from friends, spend time on self care, actively tackle the problem a little bit at a time each day? Tap into an old practice that worked.
  • Keep moving. Sometimes the easiest first step is just to put one foot in front of the other. Focus on what you love. Focus on concrete tasks. What you accomplish each day, even if small, will help you deal with the challenge at hand.

Above all, remember to be patient with yourself. Give yourself the permission to wait for solutions to come. You will get through this. We will get through this together.

Do you have a personal support system?

Being a small business owner can be isolating. By creating your own personal support system, you can combat that feeling, get guidance with business next steps and find the motivation to take action.

Here are four personal support strategies that are simple to set-up, easy to maintain, have a built-in accountability factor and are proven to work!

support system

1. Support Partner

The support partner is your unconditional “business friend”.  Ideally, this person is someone in business like you who can listen, give emotional support for your business issues, and provide constructive feedback on business dilemmas and opportunities. The relationship is bi-directional – each support partner helps the other. You each take turns listening and giving/getting advice. You may agree to meet weekly, catch-up, share problems and successes, and then use your partner as an objective reviewer for your weekly plans. During this pandemic, you can meet in person outside appropriately distanced, or by phone or video chat. The meeting should be a check-in for ongoing support and follow-up. It is important that this relationship is on-going (at least bi-weekly) and long-term (at least 6 months). That way,  your support partner gets exposed to your business issues and understands the context and the players in your world. Your meetings can be a catalyst for positive change and an opportunity to talk discreetly about business issues outside of your own business environment.

2. Peer Support Group

This strategy involves gathering several “business friends” into a support group of peers – people in business at similar stages of growth and open to getting and giving help to colleagues. They could be in the same industry but they don’t have to be. This group could meet monthly on Zoom to share concerns and common goals and to provide one another with useful information. Like the support partner strategy, each member of the support group gets encouragement but to an even greater extent, since the support is coming from a group of three to six people. You can prepare for a meeting ahead of time and focus on a work-related goal. At the meeting you can get creative brainstorming support from a small group of people all focused on you. You will provide the same support and business feedback for them – each person taking 15-30 minutes of group time to discuss the issues, present some options, take feedback and promise to implement a solution. Before the next meeting, you will complete your tasks, as there are other people waiting for your results! This accountability factor is very helpful. Your support group will be expecting to hear about your progress at the next meeting and your success related to implementing next steps.

3. Business Mentor

We all know people who know more about being in business than we do. These are people that we approach as our advisors or “business mentors”. This person could be a small business owner or business professional like a banker or an accountant, a larger (and friendly) competitor, or simply a friend wise to the ways of business. The relationship is usually very professional, managed carefully, and used only when appropriate. Once a mentor has been located and established (even if informally), you must respect the advisor’s time (which, after all, they are giving you for free).  Show that you value their time and professional advice by staying within the meeting timeframe agreed upon, communicating your appreciation for their support, and following up by email to share your progress and the results of their advice.

4. Team of Advisors

This group is a voluntary board or team of advisors that may only meet annually. This is a broad-based group of people who volunteer to meet together for you, follow your agenda, review your issues, and give their individual and collective advice. This group may include a senior manager in your industry, a successful entrepreneur, your friendly attorney or accountant, or even an established competitor in your field – who wants to give back and help you!

You need to find and invite the right mix of experts and set up the meeting. You will want to prepare an agenda beforehand. The idea is that there is time for you to talk about your business and key issues/challenges and then have time for them to share their advice. You will have a group of incredible experts focused specifically on you and your success for 1 to 2 hours.  Their compensation is that you will take in their advice, implement it and follow-up about the results. They will delight in your progress and success. In addition, they may get to develop a new network of peer supporters for their own businesses.

 


Each of these four business support strategies are valuable. Depending on your needs, you can use just one or all four to support yourself and your business.  Start by picking the one that most appeals to you, seems the simplest to get going, and has the most potential to bring you tangible results. By committing to this process, you are committing to make your business work. Asking for and getting help from others will help you succeed!

Hiring great professional support

In every stage of small business, whether you are an emerging or an established business owner, it is important to have trusted relationships with professionals who know you and can support and direct your business growth and long-term sustainability.

professional support

Why get professional support?

As a small business owner, you will hire outside experts for many reasons — for technology support, social media development, financial planning, bookkeeping, legal issues, personnel reviews, or to improve your business management. You may also benefit from contracting with a business advisor who can be an expert sounding board on business decision-making, holding you accountable and helping you to meet your goals.

What to consider first

First, you need to be clear about why you want help and what you want from any professional. What is your challenge or opportunity?

Next, identify the qualities that would make a professional a good match for you and your business. You want to find someone who:

  • Has skills and experience that exceed your needs
  • Is ethical, transparent and trustworthy
  • Has an approach that fits with your style
  • Is available when you need them

How to find “the right one”

It can be hard to know if someone will be a good match just from looking at a website. We recommend asking for referrals from people you know and trust, and who are also in small business. After getting referrals, though, you must still do your own due diligence! You are not just hiring someone for an hour of their time (even if for now that is all you need). You want to find someone who can be a great support person for your business for months and years to come.

Due diligence

Whether you find a professional from a Google search or a trusted colleague, you need to do your homework. When interviewing potential people to work with, it is important to:

  • Honestly represent who you are and what you are looking for
  • Ask lots of questions to verify this person has the expertise you need
  • Read their testimonials and/or reviews
  • Understand the terms of the relationship and any contract, including fees.
  • Pay careful attention to the questions he/she asks you. (They should be assessing if you are the right fit for them, too!)

(Once you are working with someone, be sure to continue to re-assess your needs and the professional relationship so that you get the outcomes desired as your business grows and your needs change.)

Finalizing the match

Take your time to make a good decision. You need to feel confident that this professional understands you and your needs, will be available when you need them, and will help you implement effective solutions. This person will be an essential business asset – giving you advice that you can use, and helping you to develop systems for your business. With the right support, you will be able to focus your energy on your clients, customers, employees and business goals… and see long-term positive results for your business!

Elements of effective mentoring

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image,
but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”

– Steven Spielberg

January is National Mentoring Month so it feels like the right time to be talking about small business mentoring — a key ingredient to success for every entrepreneur.

At some point, we all need guidance, a sounding board and a cheerleader to navigate through changes, growth and challenges in our business. Guidance can come in many forms — from a business “buddy”, through a peer support group, or directly from a trusted business adviser or a team of advisers. No matter the form, what is most important is that our mentors encourage us to look closely at issues and opportunities, and to maximize our potential. With their support, we can develop our business skills, take risks, and be successful.

mentoring

Our support system must include people who have been in our shoes.  We must surround ourselves with subject-matter experts and experienced small business owners who have dealt with similar challenges first-hand and can help us make sense of the clutter and make decisions with relevant, timely advice.

Though we believe that the best small business mentors are other small businesses owners, success in business does not qualify someone as a good mentor.  That person must also be a skillful listener and motivator, know how to ask questions, and know when and how to give honest advice. In addition, the best mentors open doors to a wider network that can support us and our business.

To sum it up, we believe that effective mentors…

  • Listen carefully to what you say (and don’t say)
  • Understand your needs and respect your point of view
  • Ask questions and challenge assumptions
  • Guide based on their own experience/expertise
  • Share relevant and immediately actionable advice, and
  • Are accessible and supportive over the longer term.

Above all, the mentor-mentee relationship should be a partnership, based on mutual respect and trust.

Mentoring matters

What really matters to us as we move through life? For many of us, it is family, friends, good health and making a difference in the world through the work we do.

I recently read the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson and watched a documentary on his life and last few months. Jobs didn’t ever seem to give up. He pushed himself and others to be different and make a difference. He is an example of someone who had a passion for life, a commitment to make an impact, and a curiosity that never went away.

Jobs felt that “the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe to be great work.” He went on to say that “the only way to do great work, is to love what you do.” Do we all have this passion and enthusiasm? Are we committed to being a success no matter what stands in our way?

Most small business owners are driven… to do something our own way and to be a success. Yes, we want to be financially successful but other types of success matter to us, too: doing something unique, being remembered, teaching others, and leaving a legacy — something that will last.

But what happens when we get stuck? What if we cannot stay connected to the passion? What if success feels elusive and failures do not all become lessons learned? Innately, we know we must keep moving forward and that we will learn from our failures if we can figure out a different path. (Of course, trying to do the same thing the same way over and over is not wisdom, it’s insanity.) Success usually doesn’t just show up. We have to go out there and get it…tackle it, embrace it, own it.

small business mentor

Sometimes we have trouble figuring out the next steps on our own, though. There may be too many options. We may be spinning our wheels around one particular issue. We may hesitate instead of taking action. When we stumble and panic, who can guide us and nudge us forward? Finding someone we trust to mentor us can be critical.

I have a client who is a long-distance open water swimmer. When his group is on a long swim they have escorts in kayaks, rowboats and inflatable motorboats. As he explains, the escorts “look out for our safety, fending off other boats, telling us where we are, where to go, they feed us. They make sure we are okay in mind and body. They are our cheerleaders and companions in our journey to the goal.”

small business mentor

Small business owners also need guides through rough waters. We need escorts, cheerleaders and supporters as we deal with changes and difficulties in our businesses. We might be forced to move locations unexpectedly, have an important employee abandon us, or struggle to make the business financially sustainable. In these times, mentors are essential.

According to the Startup Genome Report, “having helpful mentors” is key to entrepreneurial success. This survey of 650 internet startups found that “the right mentors significantly influence a company’s performance and ability to raise money.” Though we may not have the data to prove it yet, I believe mentoring matters for all small businesses, both new and established. With great mentor support, we can all become the small business owners we want to be.

Leading you in the Right Direction

expert

 

As business owners, we cannot do it all by ourselves. Small business specialists can help tackle problems in accounting, law, insurance, graphic design, marketing, management and other critical areas.

I’ve found there are three primary reasons for a business owner to hire an outside expert:

  1. For the short-term when over-extended, such as market expansion or preparing a business for sale
  2. For specific or sensitive issues, such as personnel problems
  3. For issues demanding special expertise, such as computer systems, taxes or engineering help.

Here’s how you can choose the right professional for you and your business:

Before your search begins
Determine what you really need, when you need it and how much you can afford to spend. This will help you decide the type of professional to look for and the criteria you’ll want to use in evaluating your options. Know the results or outcomes you would like to obtain. This will help clarify the level of expertise you’re looking for.

The Search
Ask for recommendations from colleagues in businesses of similar type, size and philosophy (instead of blindly searching the internet). If colleagues have been satisfied clients they will be happy and eager to refer the professional or consultant to you. You can also find quality help through business associations and industry-specific professional groups.

The Screening
Find an advisor who can really listen, evaluate the situation, make recommendations and then, if appropriate, help you implement solutions. When you first talk with the professional, notice if he or she can connect your problem to his or her previous experience. Pay attention to the questions the professional asks you.

The Meeting
Spend the first few minutes of your first face-to-face meeting setting an agenda, identifying possible outcomes and getting agreement on the length of the first session. This will help focus your time, set criteria for measurable results and keep you in charge. The professional should be able to define the basic issues and then estimate time, terms and fees.

The Agreement
It’s wise to get things in writing, including a work plan and timeline. Many professionals will provide a letter of agreement but don’t expect consultants, like a computer or management consultant, to provide a full analysis for free. A thorough analysis of your business situation and expert recommendations are worth paying for in advance of a solution being implemented. This important step, if done properly, can actually save the overall expenditure of certain projects and should be included in the total budget for the project.

Using professionals in your business is not a sign of weakness! It is an indication of sound management practices. As a business grows, staff can be added to replace outside experts or you can continue to use contract professionals.

Are you all alone?

Being the owner of your own small business is a fantastic undertaking.  Here is where you prove your concept, sell your product for a profit and become a social entrepreneur, changing the world one transaction at a time.  Yet, being a small business owner CAN be isolating and sometimes lonely. alone However, there IS one simple and successful support strategy that is free, motivational and really helpful from a practical perspective.  This is a solution that will provide information, motivation, and access to resources.  This is a solution you can develop without spending a lot of time and money on professional advisors and/or consultants.

Solving Isolation

All business owners need personal support, access to accurate information, and to be around people who can motivate and inspire. Business is an interdependent environment of vendors, competitors, and resources. Business owners need to set up support systems that are appropriate (for level and content), easy to use (accessible) and timely (available when and where they are most needed).

The first step and easiest solution is to find a support partner who will help make you accountable.  The support partner is your unconditional “business friend”. Ideally, this is someone also in business like you who can listen, give emotional support for your business issues, and can provide constructive feedback on business dilemmas and opportunities.

The relationship is bi-directional – each support partner helps the other. You may agree to meet weekly, catch-up, share problems and successes, and then use your partner as an objective reviewer for your plans of the week. The meeting should be a check-in for ongoing support and follow-up. It is also key that this be on-going and long-term (e.g. 6 months) so that your support partner gets exposed to the issues and understands the context and the players in your world. Your meetings with your support partner can be a catalyst for positive change and an opportunity to talk discreetly about business issues outside of your own business environment.

Roberto felt that getting his business marketing efforts off the ground was so difficult he ignored many of the key initial steps. He felt the isolation and frustration and had no one to really talk to that could relate to his issues of time management, cash flow and making internal decisions. Then he found Maria who was in a very similar situation, yet in a totally different business. They liked each other, respected each others’ opinions and set-up a weekly review meeting over coffee every Friday when they could talk to each other, give each other feedback, and commit to an action for each week. These meetings continued weekly for many months and were supported by the occasional e-mail and phone call.

All you need to starts is to find ONE person in business like yourself.  This will need to be someone you like and trust…and is willing to help you just as you will help them.  Try it out and see if this will help you build your business and get the support you need to keep going and flourish!