Ep. 17 Building Your Entrepreneurial Support System: Practical Steps and Community Connections

DO GOOD X Podcast

Welcome to DO GOOD X, hosted by Kimberly Daniel. In this episode, Kimberly focuses on building a supportive community for entrepreneurs and provides practical steps to create the support system you need. She outlines the advantages of staying connected to the community through three steps: identify, engage, and build. Kimberly emphasizes that the entrepreneurial journey can often feel isolating and lonely. She discusses how connecting with the community can provide resilience, a sense of belonging, and a competitive edge. She encourages introverts to engage in intimate, one-on-one conversations or small gatherings to build their networks comfortably. Kimberly also highlights the value of having a personal advisory board, recommending Kathryn Finney's book, "Build The Damn Thing," for further guidance. She encourages entrepreneurs to leave their comfort zones and leverage the DO GOOD X LinkedIn community to build their needed supportive network.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [1:01] Kimberly discusses the importance of connecting within the entrepreneurial community
• [2:45] Kimberly outlines the advantages of staying connected to the community in three steps: identify, engage and build
• [3:48] Identify the best types of communities where you thrive and how to engage within those communities
• [6:34] Kimberly speaks to introvert entrepreneurs
• [9:34] Gain clarity of people and Kimberly refers to the book by Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing, where she recommends selecting a personal advisory board
• [13:02] Kimberly encourages you to build the community you need, get outside of your comfort zone and take advantage of the DO GOOD X LinkedIn community

TAKEAWAYS:

• The community can provide a source of resilience, help you see that you are not alone, give you a place of belonging, and give you a competitive advantage as an entrepreneur
• If you enter a relationship with a sense of reciprocity and curiosity, you will learn their story and how you can serve them. In return, they will be interested in your story
• Introverts should focus their engagement on more intimate conversations. One-on-one conversations or small gatherings of people will make the introvert more comfortable

LINKS:

DO GOOD X - Startup Accelerator Program
DO GOOD X - LinkedIn
DO GOOD X - Instagram
DO GOOD X - YouTube
DO GOOD X - Spotify
Kimberly Daniel - LinkedIn
Stephen Lewis - LinkedIn
Build The Damn Thing - Book on Amazon
BIO:
Kimberly R. Daniel catalyzes entrepreneurs and organizations to do good. She is co-founder and project director of DO GOOD X, a community that provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive Change.

Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X. This community provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive change.

Stephen and Kimberly co-authored Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).