Lately in the online world, I’ve been noticing the word “community” makes me cringe a little. Which is unnerving. Isn’t community absolutely critical for women in business? Of course it is. Community is completely vital but it has migrated away from its true heart and function. The word “community” within the landscape of social media has all but lost it’s meaning. How did the term community descend into cliche? Like so many good things, it is recklessly overused and stripped of it’s depth.
Is it really a community if, at least in the online world ie -Facebook Groups-, it’s a place in which you gather your prospective customers in order to sell them products?
You give some value here and there, but basically it’s just to make a sale. There is no connection; it’s a one-way street.
Many of these so-called communities have a cult culture.
There is a leader (which normally is the only one allowed to make offers) and then there is “the rest of us”. If they let the other members make offers, it just becomes a market. Where is the heart in that? Where is the authenticity?
Some of my experiences have left me reexamining what it means to be a part of a community.
I’ve left almost all the facebook groups, and I have only stayed in the ones that are part of a paid course or membership. Frankly, the other ones give me anxiety. As simple as that.
And that is why I created the Women Entrepreneur Community Journey, I want to take back the word “community” and restore it to it’s truest essence.
A place in which we thrive together, take action and create a new generation of online entrepreneurs that feel that they are doing something good in the world without compromising their intuition and what feels right for them. Not following secret formulas, but growing and learning from each other and give themselves permission to BE who they are and show up unapologetically.
A place in which you have a support system and somebody to turn into no matter what and at the same time learning about the practical aspects of marketing and growing a business.
Ideally, an actualized community for women entrepreneurs should offer a platform where the individual is heard, where she can get support, where she can be held lovingly accountable, and where she can sharpen her skills to thrive, not only in her business, but in all facets of her life.
Community is fertile ground to share with our peers and lean on them and learn from them. Community is important to galvanize the individual, and propel her along in her business. It should be an open forum of trust and insight.
