It can be a really lonely gig.

Hey friend,

Welcome to the Friday 5x5!

Every week we share:

5 x Minutes Read for you and your Business

4 x Nuggets from a Book

3 x Thoughts from the Three Ps of Business, for good.

2 x Things I’m Frothing Over

1 x Action to take today.

Also don’t forget to comment or hit reply to let me know what you think :)

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5 x Minutes Read for you and your Business - It can be a really lonely gig.

Hey friend,

I didn’t expect him to say this.

I was chatting to a client a week or so ago and he said something that really struck me.

We had just been talking about how we were going to help him:

- make more money;

- spend more time with his family

- and double down on something fulfilling in his business...

...then I asked him a question.

This is a question I ask all my clients at the end of the session:

"What is the number one thing you take away from our time together today?"

This isn't for me to pat myself on the shoulder or to walk away high-fiving myself in the face.

It's for them to sort through their thoughts & work out what they want to change.

I want our time together to be useful.

I deal in clarity.

But his answer wasn’t anything I had said or we had discussed.

He said something that has been swimming around my mind ever since.

He said:

"I'm just glad to know that I'm not on my own anymore."

And it wrecked me a bit.

It reminded me of the statistics on loneliness and mental health in small business, the numbers are damning.

You see until you’ve done it, you don’t know what it takes.

You equally don’t see how lonely it can be.

You only see the glory side.

When this legend signed up with me, his goal was to build more profits, have more impact and get more freedom to spend with those he loves.

Like most of my clients.

That’s what I sold him.

That’s what we’ll do.

But what he got was what he probably didn’t realise he was looking for.

Community.

Life, like business, is about relationships.

There's a scripture in the Bible that says:

"Plans die for lack of counsel, but with many advisors you succeed” Prov 15:22

Counsel isn't just transactional advice.

It's someone with you for the ride.

It's someone alongside.

Someone who's either been there before or knows where you need to go.

Someone to help you when you fall.

Somene to motivate you when you feel down.

Someone to celebrate with you when you win.

What I love about the work that I do, is that God has blessed me with people I not only get to help practically but also journey with.

Business takes all of you, body, mind and spirit.

So, counsel needs to cover all those bases too.

It’s never just business.

It takes a tribe.

So on that, my question to you is:

"Who is in your tribe?"

We need a a tribe 4 levels deep, in order to win at the game of life and business.

Here’s a helpful model that I've adapted which I call The Community Compass.

?? NORTH ??

Connection to something above and beyond yourself

- Think God, Nature, Passion and Purpose

- A Mission to fuel you (e.g., God, nature, contribution)

?? SOUTH ??

Connection to people you can serve or pour into: Serving others is the baseline of a profitable business

- Clients you love and want to help

- An audience to serve and solve problems for.

?? EAST ??

Connection to peers who keep you moving.

- Fellow entrepreneurs who get it and get you.

- Fellow pilgrims who want to change the world, just like you do.

?? WEST ??

Connection to strategic partners who will amplify your impact

- Allied services or professionals you could work alongside.

- People who serve your audience in different ways - There is no such thing as competition.

At the centre of this compass sits someone like a Sherpa (or a Monk ??) to give you map, tools and the fuel to stay the course.

Someone who will keep pointing you back to the 4 points of the compass.

That's what I love to do.

I'd love to be that person for you if it's a good fit.

DISCLAIMER: I can't work with everybody. Heck you may hate my weird Aussie Welsh fushion of an accent.

Indeed, I like to keep the number of people I work with quite small, so I can maintain the depth and quality of what we do.

But if you want better results, a better sense of fulfilment an quietly are even a bit lonely, slide me a DM

Even if I'm not the one to help you, I promise I'll signpost you to somebody else who may be good.

Because this business is better when we do it together.

Love you, love me.

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4 x Nuggets from a Book -? The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry - John Mark Comer

* “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry frrom your life”

* “Because what you give your attention to, you become.”

* “If there’s a secret to happiness, it’s simple - presence to the moment”

* We fall into a frantic pace in response to a feeling of inadequacy, fear and guilt ??

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3 x Thoughts from the Three Ps of Business, for Good: PURPOSE, PEOPLE, PROFITS

This is the formula I follow to help clients launch and grow a business with God at the centre

* ???? - What is a problem that hurts the world? How could you solve it? Purpose lies here.

* ???? -?Take a look at the Community Compass listed above. Which of the points is lacking for you?

* ??-? Money is a reflection of service. Not earning enough? How would you serve more, better? Profit lies there.

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2 x Things I’m Frothing Over

#1 -?Incedental Chats - I had someone in the Post Office call me a scrubber (I was looking for a cleaner!) and it brought me immense joy.

#2 - Sitting in my rocking chair and staring out the window at the trees - It’s so simple but also breathtakingly beautiful.

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1 x Action to Take today

Want to Launch a Business?

Ask your self: “Am I just looking to do my hobby full time and get paid?“ If so, think again. Following your passion is often bad advice. Follow service instead.

Got a Business but want peaceful, predictable, profits?

Somebody is already doing what you want to do, elsewhere. Nothing is new. How can you imitate their success?

Praying for you x