One of the main activities in your business is growing your tribe
When I first created the 10-step Roadmap, I put the steps in what felt like to me was a logical order. After it was done, I realized that on my own business creation journey I had regularly jumped between steps. Being the creatively techy person that I am, I jumped in at Step 8: creating my “store” – designing my website. To me, that was the most logical, exciting, and meaningful step to start with. I also noticed that I spent a lot of time in Step 1: Believe you can and Step 10: Grow & Evolve as I worked to get my mindset right and as I learned more about myself and my business. While most of my growth has been personal, I have come to realize that I’ve also worked to grow my business tribe.
The 10-step Roadmap became more of a DANCE – jump in where it makes you the happiest and then work on the steps in a way that makes the most sense to you. Even after a year of doing the DANCE, Step 10 is still the one where I spend the most time. As much as I love to learn, it’s probably my favorite as well. And as is the case with all 10 steps of the roadmap, each step will get repeated multiple times, and with each repetition, you uncover different layers of what each step entails.
Dancing through Step 10
Step 10 is one part about personal growth and evolution. It’s how you grow as a person and as a business owner. It encompasses the new skills you pick up along the way, the new insights you gain from the problems you’ve overcome, and the course adjustments you make along the way.
It’s also about the growth and evolution of your business. You may add new offers, include new ways to work with clients, and adjust the way you do business in general. This can come from new levels of confidence, meeting the needs of your ideal clients, and inspiration that comes to you in peaceful moments. To help ensure your business continues to expand ensure that you take steps to grow your business tribe.
Growth includes your tribe
But possibly the most important aspect of Step 10 is around the growth and evolution of your tribe. Seth Godin, in his book Tribes, describes a tribe as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” I remember when I first read the book how I got excited about the idea of being able to create a movement. To me, creating a movement meant being able to change the world. The book made me believe that I, one single person with some pretty fantastic ideas, could create a change by starting a movement. A movement is “a group of people waiting to be energized and transformed.”
There are four ingredients to a tribe: a leader, a group of people, an idea, and the connection between them. As an entrepreneur, you are the leader. That’s the easy ingredient. You have an idea, a purpose, a mission, or even a superpower. Any of those can be the idea that forms the basis of your movement.
The one area that we may struggle with when we grow our business tribe is gathering a group of people. The key to that will be creating connections.
Connecting with your tribe
You have a connection to your idea. This will be something that you believe so strongly in that no one, not even the Imposter will be able to break the connection. That connection will be part of the key to what attracts members to your tribe. Share your passion for your idea. Explain it to people, educate them, and let them know why it’s important and why they should care.
Some people will come to your tribe because of their connection with you. They believe in you and regardless of your idea, they will support you. Your job will be to educate them about the idea. They may never form the strong connection to the idea that others have, but they can still be emissaries for your tribe, helping to bring others into the tribe and help to create connections among the members.
Ensuring the connections get built
Some people will come to your tribe solely because of your idea. It’s something that they already strongly believe in. They want to be a part of the group because supporting the idea and being a part of the movement around it is important to them. Your job will be to create connections with them individually. Spend time getting to know them and why the idea is important to them. They will help to spread the word and champion the movement.
Some people will come to your tribe for the connections because they want a sense of belonging. They may be connected with others in the tribe and join for only that reason. Your job will be to get to know them and educate them about your movement.
The strength of the tribe will come when all three connections are in place. A member will be connected to you, connected to the idea, and connected to others in the tribe.
How do you create the connections? That is where Step 4: Spread the word comes in.
Spread the word to build your tribe
You find people already connected to the idea. Find Facebook groups where other tribes may have gathered. Not everyone in the tribe may be connected to the leader or the others in the tribe. It’s not that you are taking them away from the tribe, but giving them an opportunity to be a part of another tribe. Your spin on the idea/movement or your personality and superpower may resonate with them more deeply than what they had experienced in the original tribe. Spend time getting to know the people. Inform them of your particular viewpoint on the topic. Invite them to join your tribe.
Spread the word about your idea. Join groups that may be tribes but not around built around your specific idea, but are filled with people who may connect with your idea. Let them know what your idea is all about and why they should be concerned. Many may not connect with your idea, but they may connect with your belief in your idea. Bring them into the tribe if you feel that they can add value.
Share your idea on your social media outlets. Facebook generally requires friend connections before your content will be visible. Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok make use of #hashtags to connect people with ideas. When people follow or comment on your content, you have an opportunity to connect with them to grow your business tribe. You can think of your followers on each platform as a type of tribe.
Keeping the connections strong
As you are building your tribe and creating the connections between you, your idea, and the members of your group, you need a way to maintain the connections. A Facebook group is a great way to create a connected tribe. Within the group, you have the ability to share information about your idea, continuing to educate, empower, and build connections. Going live, sharing your story, and being available to your tribe all allow you to build connections between you and the members of the group and between the members of the group and your idea, but also provide opportunities to for them to connect with each other. Provide ways to start conversations, and allow others to share their stories.
Depending on the platforms you use to build your tribe, you may want to create ways to connect that are not dependent on a social media platform. Sending out regular updates, to an email list allows you to maintain your connection with the members of your tribe. Posting to a blog, creating a podcast, or hosting a video channel also allows you to connect with your tribe. It’s possible to still create connections among the members of the tribe through comments posted on your content.
How to share your idea to create connections
To help people find you, make your idea the main part of the description of your group. When they are searching for a tribe to join and enter search terms related to your idea, they will find your tribe. Also, make the description inviting.
Use your idea in your messaging in the groups you join on Facebook, your Facebook profile, and on all the social media platforms you care you be on. The goal here is to connect with people who connect with your idea.
Use your Facebook group, email, and content platforms to nurture your group. This is one part education about the idea and offer ways they can participate. These will direct them to your offers. Your offers help to empower them.
Keep in mind that your tribe will not be for everyone. The tribe’s strength comes from its connections and when a member of the tribe is no longer connected, let them go. These can be people who unsubscribe from your email list, members that become inactive or leave the group, or followers that drop off. Don’t take it personally. Just continue to focus on the connections and know that your business tribe will continue to grow.
