Not Enough Time, Not Enough Money

Learn more about Circle of Impact: www.skool.com/circle-of-impact/about

A Resource Multiplier for Social Impact Leaders

In my coaching practice and Circle of Impact community, I get to speak with social entrepreneurs and impact leaders like you every day.

I know how challenging it can be to keep up with your mission. The demands of time, resources, and responsibility can feel overwhelming. It's a journey that my good friend Hakeem Subair of 1 Million Teachers reflects, where "every day feels like day one."

Perhaps you can relate:

• an incredibly packed agenda
• juggling multiple responsibilities
• building, managing, and motivating teams
• forging partnerships
• finding money
• communicating your vision
• scaling your impact
• and more!

There's no doubt... time and finances feel like finite resources.

So, when the idea of adding a community to your plate is offered, the response is almost always very practical.

Being part of community feels like a "nice-to-have" rather than a necessity. It's "I can't add anything new until things settle down." And we all know that in the work we do, "settle down" is a moving target!

After over three decades of coaching work, I've seen plenty of transformations and the path out of what people say they don't want is without exception, a path in the opposite direction of their default thinking when we first meet.

This little reminder is worth writing or posting somewhere where you will see it every day...

When it comes to helping time and resource squeezed people like you, community can be the missing piece that helps you scale faster and with more ease.

Let's explore whether you can afford not to be part of a community that helps amplify your impact and support your journey. I've decided to write this article in short, bullet format so you can easily pick up the key points and turn them in actionable steps.

Unlocking Time & Financial Resources

The Misconception

Time is often cited as the biggest barrier to engagement in something new. Social entrepreneurs are strapped for time, constantly prioritizing urgent needs. Community involvement seems like yet another task easily moved down on the daily to-do list .

The Reality

Engaging in the right community doesn’t take time, it saves time. A strong, purpose-driven community can:

• Offer shared knowledge and resources, reducing the time spent on trial.
• Provide shortcuts through networking—you gain access to people who have been where you are, offering solutions to problems you haven't even encountered.
• Encourage accountability and focus—helping you stay aligned with your goals and reduce distractions.

Actionable Mindset Shift

The ROI of time spent in the right community far exceeds the perceived time investment. By sharing challenges and learning from others' experiences, time is optimized for strategic decision-making.

Are Limited Resources Really the Issue?

The Misconception

You may be assuming being part of a quality community requires a significant financial investment. This investment may prevent busy leaders from joining, especially when budgets are tight.

The Reality

The cost of not investing in community is far higher. Without support, many social entrepreneurs burn out, lose focus, and struggle to access capital, partners, and market opportunities. A good community isn’t just an expense; it’s an investment in your sustainability and impact. Peer learning and networking can lead to more efficient fundraising or resource allocation strategies, helping to stretch limited budgets.

Actionable Mindset Shift

Community is a resource multiplier. When you invest in the right community, you’re not just paying for access—you’re gaining time, focus, and a network that accelerates your growth.

You Don’t Have to Go It Alone

The Misconception

Do you ever carry the weight of responsibility for the people you are trying to help on your shoulders? The idea that you can go faster or achieve more by going solo is common. But, as you've likely heard before...

The Reality

Collective impact is far more powerful than any individual contribution can be. Collaboration within a community enables leaders to

• Amplify their impact by leveraging the diverse skills, knowledge, and connections.
• Avoid isolation, which often leads to stagnation and burnout - a mission-killer.
• Get real-time feedback from peers who understand the complexities of social impact work.

Actionable Mindset Shift

Communities like Circle of Impact provide a safe space where social entrepreneurs can share not only successes but also challenges. This vulnerability leads to innovation, allowing members to find solutions together that no one person could find alone.

My Story—From Isolation to Collaboration

The Misconception

I spent years as a performance coach, guiding elite athletes and other coaches to greatness. From the outside, it seemed glamorous—working with top performers, striving for excellence.

But behind the scenes, I felt isolated, burnt out, and overwhelmed. There was no space for me to share the struggles and uncertainties that came with my role. This wasn’t just my story—many coaches I knew faced the same. We were all giving so much to others, with no support system of our own.

The Reality

I went to a conference in 2016 where other performance experts from all kinds of different industries came together to share about their experiences supporting elite talent. These were a diverse group of people from the arts, business, medicine, sports, academia, and more..

The collaboration with new peers I connected with at this event has led to:

• A whole new inner belief in the value I could offer the world with my talents.
• An exciting new career path, working with an inspiring and diverse group of talented people.
• A network of trusted peers (and new friends) who I feel powerfully connected to.
• Access to a wealth of incredible knowledge and lived experience.

Really... I could have been too busy and too extended financially to attend that conference.

It has changed my life. What's that worth?

Actionable Mindset Shift

Communities provide an opportunity to see that your challenges and setbacks are part of a very shared human experience -- they are not yours and yours alone. This vulnerability leads to wellbeing and innovation, perhaps curious sounding cousins. When you are willing to share about your experiences, you allow others to do the same, and together, find solutions together no one person could find alone.

Breaking the Cycle—How to Make Time for What Matters

The Misconception

You may be still holding on to an assumption that time spent in a community will distract from your core work.

The Reality

• Community participation actually keeps you focused on what matters most
• It helps you develop better habits for growth, reducing wasted time on less effective strategies.
• Peer learning and mastermind support help refine your focus, ensuring that you’re working on the right things, not just the urgent things.

Actionable Mindset Shift

Take a morning in the next week or two to step away from your busyness and rethink how you allocate time. As you do, ask yourself if investing just a a couple of hours a month in a diverse, supportive, and caring community can give you a greater ROTI than going it alone with the same mindsets would have provided.

Choosing Your Reality

We all live with this truth, whether we are conscious of it or not.

I'm someone who by default empowers others so this invitation to look at your mindset comes from a place of belief in you and that you have far more to offer than you possibly know.

Reflect on what I've shared...

• Investing in the right community optimizes time by sharing challenges and learning from others, which enhances strategic decision-making and offers a higher return on time invested.
• Communities are resource multipliers, providing time, focus, and an invaluable network that accelerates personal and professional growth beyond simple access.
• Communities foster innovation through vulnerability, creating a safe space where social entrepreneurs can share both successes and setbacks, allowing for collective problem-solving that individuals might miss.
• Shared experiences create well-being and innovation, reminding members that their challenges are not isolated and inspiring collaborative solutions that one person could not discover alone.
• Rethink your time allocation by stepping away from the busyness to assess if just a few hours a month in a supportive community could yield a higher return on your efforts than working solo with the same old mindsets.

My Invitation

Join our FREE Circle of Impact community today.

Circle of Impact is a virtual incubator for action-oriented social impact leaders and entrepreneurs, supported by an experienced faculty and caring and supportive community.

Join today by visiting us at www.skool.com/circle-of-impact/about

Circle of Impact is hosted on Skool.com an online community platform led by business leaders Sam Ovens and Alex Hormozi . If you're interested in building your own community, check Skool out and I'd be happy to hop on a call and share about my experience.