The Island Of Entrepreneurship

“Most entrepreneurs experience entrepreneurship on an island which means that the single fastest way to accelerate your relationship capital is to invite like-minded entrepreneurs to your island.”

- Jared Yellin

I was having a conversation recently with a friend and fellow business partner in a CILA Labs portfolio company about the isolation often associated with being an entrepreneur. 

It’s almost like entrepreneurs have had it ingrained in them to experience the journey by themselves. This does not mean people won’t be in their presence and life because most likely there will be others, but what this does mean is that most entrepreneurs have not intentionally built a tribe of relevancy and like-mindedness. 

This was my norm for many many years as an entrepreneur and outside of the darkness I experienced both on days that were high and most certainly on low, I also felt that I had no one to turn to but my own thoughts when making decisions. 

You see, I believe in my intuition on the deepest of levels and my intuition has never guided me down a path that was not right, even if the path was the most difficult, BUT (and this a big bold BUT), having an opportunity to share your intuition with others who have a common audacious vision in their lives is what I call...exponential!

Exponential means more together than on your own…

Exponential means accelerated speeds to your desired outcome…

Exponential means bigger, more impactful, more audacious goals…

Exponential means new ideas that were not present emerging…

I think back to the early days of SYNDUIT…

I was wildly abundant with the people in my life from my fiancé at the time (now wife), parents, siblings, friends, etc. but I was absolutely empty and isolated from exponential. 

I was living on the island of entrepreneurship and there was no one in sight and the isolation did NOT mean I was alone, but I was most certainly LONELY. 

My celebrations did not make sense…

My darkness seemed to be too extreme…

My intensity of lifestyle was confusing…

My overall essence potentially disturbing…

I know entrepreneurship is NOT for the faint of heart, but it is for a certain type of person and that certain type of person can’t imagine it being any other way. 

Which is why I pose a question for you…

Why Stay On The Island By Yourself?

There is a kinship associated with being a crazy entrepreneur…

There is an immediate respect that emerges when you are bold…

There is a magnetic pull which exists between visionaries…

BUT none of the above will be part of your experience without the intentionality associated with building your exponential tribe.  

Your exponential tribe can be in any industry, product, or service…

Your exponential tribe can be any age, gender, nationality, economic level, etc...

Your exponential tribe can be in proximity to you or not….

The key is this….

They must understand the importance of exponential, which looks like the following…

Rhythmic Communication

When you build your exponential tribe it’s extremely important to set up rhythms and rituals for communication with one another. Scheduled touch-bases where you answer three questions is a requirement to be on the island together…

Where have you been?

Where are you now?

Where are you going?

These questions should be answered from the space of emotional, physical, and financial well-being. 

For the record, this is NOT a mastermind, this is NOT a coaching experience, this is NOT an accountability group, it’s simply an exponential tribe and these conversations will often be short and sometimes evolve into something truly exponential. 

Open and Honest Dialogue

One of the rules of entering the island of entrepreneurship with one another is no one can or should ever take anything personally when feedback is shared because the only way to experience exponential is if someone helps you see what you currently can’t see. And the key is being confident enough to speak your truth and to hear the truth without second-guessing yourself or questioning the intent of others. Open and honest communication is where breakthroughs are born. 

Transparency Around The Highs and Lows

You must never suppress your highs of all highs or bury your lows of all lows. EVERY entrepreneur experiences the emotional roller coaster associated with this crazy decision to create something from an idea. There will be moments where you feel untouchable and seconds later feel like you can’t move. Your exponential tribe can’t support you if transparency does not exist. ALSO, this one principal has been responsible for the emergence of the most impactful ideas.

Awareness

This is the principle that I love most about exponential tribes because as you begin to delve deeper with your likeminded visionaries, you become extremely aware of one another and begin to conjure up ideas to support the audacious visions that each of you have for yourselves and the world. It feels wonderful to have your 1, 2, 3, 10, 20 people you define as exponential, because you will be thinking about one another even when you are not thinking about yourself and extraordinary outcomes always come from like minded visionaries putting thoughts into anything. 

Trust 

All of this works if and only if you trust first. I have this creed that I have lived by forever which states…

You will start with 100% trust, you don’t need to earn it, but you can most certainly lose it, and once lost, it’s lost forever.

By deploying a trust first approach it enables you to build a quicker bond with the worthy AND to eliminate those that don’t align. I implore you to accept this creed as well because I guarantee that your exponential will become even more exponential when there are no hoops, walls, or ceilings to impact the acceleration that will take place. 

How Do You Fill Your Island?!?!

You just do it...

Seek out like-mindedness…

Reach out without second-guessing yourself…

Dismantle the self-doubt that stands on your path…

Bounce back if the wrong person or people enter your island…

Never settle for less than you desire…

But here’s the key…

Commit to exponential!

Just commit to it…

You should never feel lonely again…

You should never feel isolated on your mission…

You should never celebrate the highs or experience the lows by yourself…

Your exponential tribe will be a beacon of hope and an accelerator and I can’t wait for you to experience the benefits of this very special union.

Your exponential might be one other person or ten or even more as each relationship is clearly defined by each party so that win-win is the only outcome.

The truth is this…

I was not intentional about my exponential tribe for the majority of SYNDUIT, but in the past 18-months, I made it a primary focus.

A primary focus to invite others to my island…

A primary focus to initiate new relationships…

A primary focus to listen to the universe when someone showed up in my mind…

A primary focus to never be lonely again…

My entire life has changed because of my exponential tribe and I am excited for you to have this experience as well.

NEVER be lonely…

NEVER be isolated…

NEVER be on an island by yourself…

You got this - here we go!!!!

Live with Intention,

JY