Make Friends First
Welcome to Issue #2 of The Unstoppable Entrepreneur
Read Time: 3 minutes
Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive response to the premier issue, and welcome to all the new subscribers.
My mission is to share my learnings from growing multiple businesses to 9 figure success.
While keeping all issues to less than a 5 minute read.
Let’s jump into it.
You have to make friends first, do business second.
In business, we’re always aiming to explore our connections to people, and what stakeholders can bring to that bottom-line equation. Customers. Team members. Suppliers. Distribution partners.
Every connection we make creates a better flow, a flow from idea to solution.
But it’s more than that. Building connections can create a sense of community that shifts your business from flow to grow.
Forging a community around your business is about really believing in something. It’s not just about you believing in yourself and what you do (although that’s important too), but also about getting everyone else on board.
Let’s back up for a moment.
Dror Balshine from Sol Cuisine knows all about growing a community around a product. In the world of plant-based consumer products, he led the field right out of the gate in the 1990s, back when the only ready-to-eat meals were fast food burgers, and the only choice we had was chicken or beef. He’s seen the foodservice industry not only shift, but revolutionize.
“Entrepreneurs need experience with finance, they need to understand process, they need intelligence. But to start a business, you also need people you trust in the room. The skills required to put a team together? Those skills are critical,”
– Dror Balshine, Sol Cuisine
In fact, Dror is one of the first people I noticed when I started going to trade shows. Out of all of the plant-based foods entering the market, his stood apart. It’s because the customer experience he created at his Sol Cuisine booth was outstanding. He knew how to engage people, but not just because he had the gift of gab: he built real relationships. He wanted to know what people thought, authentically, about the quality of his products. Dror took that information back to the production line and the boardroom, incrementally improving everything he did so that his customers could trust him. Sol Cuisine became a market leader for those reasons.
Getting to grow means you have to make good on what you do, every day. Every single one of your customers and your team members ought to be your friends, not just people who pay the bills.
Every one of these people need to be able to trust you.
The problem that often comes up, however, is that many new entrepreneurs hide their ideas. They trust no-one. They build a fear-based wall around their product development because they assume that someone bigger or better will come along and steal their thunder, and their revenues.
But what my own experience has made clear, ideas are worth nothing if they remain behind closed doors.
It’s important to remember, however, what a community isn’t. It’s not solely about creating a marketing plan and getting people to buy into it. It’s finding those people who already have the same values and interests as you, and forging connections with them.
What’s the reason you’re actually in this business?
Better yet, why are your customers going to show up again and again? Because they’re the ones who’ll grow your business for you: by being excited about your product, by telling their friends about it, and by integrating your product into their lives.
And each step your customers take towards your product is a step towards building a community.
Dror started with putting a team together who wanted to be in the room when gourmet plant-based proteins were being refined and offered to the public. Then, he and his team were so excited about what they came up with that he went on a cross-Canada tour to literally knock on doors and offer Sol Cuisine products to families in their own homes. That idea was about values. Dror physically stood behind his products because he believed in sharing them with the world. It is no wonder why Dror was ultimately successful and had a 9 figure exit.
So, who do you want to make friends with first?
If you’re creating a business, you need people on your side who want to be there because what you do matters.
Who do you trust to take the next step forward?
Who do you imagine is standing in the room with you when you make your first sale? Your millionth?
What kind of customer do you want to delight with your new idea?
If you are truly passionate about your ideas, find that community. Grow together. Support each other. Don’t hide your excitement. Trust others and let people trust you.
Your community is right there, waiting for you to find them.
I hope you enjoyed the read and are ready to start making friends first.
Until next time.
Let’s Grow!
Here are 3 other ways I can help you grow:
Work with me 1:1 to grow your business.
Listen to my Founder to Mentor podcast.
Get my free mentorship growth tools at www.fatafleishman.org.
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