Be strong enough to face the world each day.
Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.
Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely, especially if you are operating without a strong support system in place.
A support system can provide you with both business and emotional support and it makes a world of difference when it comes to your success or failure.
Sure, you may be able to do it alone, but your chances of succeeding are much greater when you have the help of others, especially those who matter to you the most.
Here are 10 ideas how to create (and maintain) a support system:
1. Ask for Help
Asking for help, whether it’s from loved ones or strangers can be the scariest step to take. But please realize – most people love to help. I’m sure you do. Ask for advice, knowledge, connections, practical help, time off from house chores, or whatever else you might need.
2. Educate Them About Your Business
Often not being supported by your loved ones, may simply be because they don’t know what you’re doing or why it matters. Tell them about your clients and how you’re making a difference in their lives. What unique qualities or ideas you have. Answer their questions to both educate them and demonstrate your expertise.
3. Tell Them Exactly What Help You Need
Maybe you oly need moral support and encouragement. Maybe you need physical help, or financial help, or assistance in spreading the word about your business. Tell them what you need and how exactly it will help your business.
4. Show Your Appreciation for Their Help
Take them out for dinner and make a thoughtful toast. Send them a gift basket. Write a handwritten note or letter telling them how much their support means to you personally. The possibilities are endless…
5. Keep Your Circle Small
When building your support system, especially at the beginning, keep your circle small. Focus on building long-term relationships with a few people who can have a big impact on your life. Networking is important, but for critical advice or support, too many opinions and hands will confuse and stress you more than support.
6. Create or Join a Mastermind Group
Five people thinking together is all you need. Get together with four other people (who don’t have competing businesses), and think of ways you can help each other. Meeting (virtually or physically) once or twice a month for 60 to 90 minutes is plenty.
7. Get a Mentor
A mentor is a person who has been where you are now, and is now where you want to be in the future. And… they’re willing to share with you the knowledge and wisdom from their journey. It helps to know that support is only one call, email or meeting away.
8. Get a Business Partner You Can Rely On
For many entrepreneurs, the best way to start building a support network is by finding a business partner. Someone you can trust completely. Someone who compliments you (not one that has the same skills, knowledge or qualities). Since my first business, 35 years ago, I always had a partner in all of my businesses.
9. Attend Industry Events
Conferences, fairs, and other industry events are a fantastic way to meet people in a similar place as yourself and those who are many years ahead of you. When building your network remember not only to ask for help, but also to offer it. Industry events are the perfect opportunity to create collaborations that build long-term relationships.
10. Join Local Social Clubs
During social clubs’ events, you have the opportunity to grow your personal network as well as meet potential clients, employees, partners, suppliers and friends. Check out clubs like Rotary, Lions, Young Entrepreneurs, etc…
Now It’s YOUR Turn
For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… what can YOU do build a better support system?
Let's Brainstorm
Please share your ideas (all of them or just one) in the comment box below… and let’s get WOWing.
Live fully, stay awesome,
Nisandeh Neta
Top Commenters – last 30 Days
Let's Brainstorm
Please share your ideas (all of them or just one) in the comment box below… and let’s get WOWing.
Live fully, stay awesome,
Nisandeh Neta
201 comments
Support system.
1. Several buddies
I have several buddies. One I have already for over a year. We know eachother really well by now. We find out what triggers us and know what to work on.
Another buddy group is more about the program at hand. Having totally different groups get different point of view.
That means also that you talk about different things
2. Have a SPORT MENTOR
As an entrepreneur you do not have the luxury to dwell on things because of what clients do, did not do or say. Or what happens in your private live
I found a HIGH END sports mentor that coaches professional tennis players. He says:"Their skills are never the problem.............just their mind"
So I asked him to coach me like he does the professional tennis players.
This was the best decision in a long time. This means that when I have a 1-1 with a business mentor, I do not have to worry about my ego getting stuck.
3. NETWORKING
I found out that networking is about meeting people AND working together, the know like trust.
Running around to meet as much people as you can does not really work.
4. NETWORKING PLACE
Look around what kind of people there are in the networking place.
Find out what the main ambision is of most of the people.
5. Be the weakest link in the group of five.
I can talk or work with people that are much further than I probably ever be because of my ambision. They do not care under what rock you climb from
If you are the strongest one you will probably never learn.
6. Create a healthy inner circle.
Even in you private live. Since I heard about this I changed the people I have around me.
That does not mean that they are all very succesfull. But at the club, musicschool or............... I find like minded people that are at least passionate about being there.
94 comments
I can't do everything so areas like accountancy, design and writing I allocate the work to others. And a mentor of course
112 comments
My accountability buddy is very valuable. We connect weekly. One week it is only a chat, the other week we 'work' together. Each at her own business, but having Skype open, tell what we are going to do and evaluate the afternoon. It helps me also to work on my business.
Furthermore, my website builder gives me tips or gets me out my comfort zone.
And for approximately 6 months another kinesiologist and me were working together, which was very inspiring and helpful. As we have now everything in place for next schoolyear we have a break.
My eldest son helps me from time to time with more technical issues.
276 comments
There are some great options for support out there. Two that can save a lot of time.
Someone to clean the house or office.
Ordering food instead of cooking myself.
160 comments
I'm working on it... getting information about my team like birthdays and special days. And planning certain national holidays. I prefer to give something on a day that no one expects, but I know that people appreciate little things for certain national holidays. So I send a little present (with Christmas I deliver the present to their house myself).
I do the 10 things Nisandeh mentioned, but I could ask for help more, and be more specific of what I need (but therefore I need to know it myself better!). So it starts with me actually 😛
576 comments
The accountability buddy! So important for me… we have a very quick chat every week, that’s it. But it’s something to rely on, keeps me accountable and also someone to celebrate and every now and then share frustrations. It’s just really nice to have someone who knows what I’m doing.
Besides my buddy I have:
* my sister who is kind of a business partner in a few areas.
* my business partner in a different business
* mastermind group (we're 4 we could use an extra member or 2) (English speaking)
* mentor
* I follow a course or a training at least once a year. It helps me to educate myself and I meet other people. This is also often a support group.
* my das helps me with my finances and sometimes a technical question. He also babysits. He’s a rock in my life.
111 comments
This is such an important topic. I wish I knew how important it is to build a support system around me earlier in my life. It would have saved me so much pain, energy and probably would have helped me to get faster to my goals.
Even though I've learned this lesson in the hard way, I still find #1 hard, but I'm teaching myself every day to do it. I think once we get over our need to prove that we can do it all on our own, it becomes easier to ask for help.
I can't stress enough how much #6 & #7 are crucial for me, I found out that they are my lifelines when things look bleak and I can't find a way out, always either my mentor or one of the people in the groups I'm in would give me a way out or a direction I can go, which keeps me going