Lessons learned from leading a virtual community of women entrepreneurs for the past 5 years

Five years ago this week, I invited in 29 of the founding members into the Create Your Purpose??Collective, an intimate business strategy + support community for women solopreneurs… and this week, we celebrated!

I didn’t know exactly where this idea would lead me nearly half a decade ago, but I was determined to build a community of purpose-driven women entrepreneurs who could grow their businesses without sacrificing what matters most.

To celebrate, I sat down this weekend to reflect on a few of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in those 5 years—lessons that continue to shape not only my business but how I, and our members, show up in the world. I hope you can take something from them too…

1. Good things take time.

The Collective turned 5 this week, but the idea has been brewing since April 2017. After leaving my corporate marketing role, I started dreaming of a way to support women entrepreneurs on a deeper level. By fall 2019, I launched a beta round and invited in 29 founding members.

And let me tell you—the Collective today is worlds away from those early days.

We started in a free Facebook group where I went live once a week with lessons that have since become a cornerstone business planning course. Fast forward to today, and we’re thriving on a?customized Mighty Networks platform, with members often calling?The Academy?one of the best things they’ve ever done for their business.

All this to say: good things take time.

The Collective may look different today, but the heart remains the same. Every step has shown me that when you put your vision into the world, it evolves—often into something even better than you imagined.

2. Women need (and deserve) business support, now more than ever

Women entrepreneurs face challenges most people don’t even see.

One moment you’re soaring with confidence, and the next, you’re drowning in self-doubt, wondering if you’ll ever be enough. ?? Add the invisible workload of entrepreneurship (and, frankly, just being a woman), and you’re left grappling with guilt.

I’ve been there too—feeling the pressure to meet impossible standards, caught in comparison traps, wondering why I’m not where I thought I’d be by now.

People say, "create what you wish existed."

That’s exactly what the Collective is—it’s what I WISHED I had in my own entrepreneurial journey much earlier.

Because I wish I had a space that lifted me up, even when my brain wanted to bring me down. A space where the hard stuff is normalized by women in the same trenches, and where I could redefine success on my own terms, inspired by others doing the same.

The Create Your Purpose Collective isn’t just about strategic guidance (though we’ve got plenty of that in our learning library!). It’s about stepping into a sisterhood where women can feel seen, heard, and backed by other women who truly get it.

3. You can’t control much in business except yourself.

The early success of the Collective felt almost effortless—right time, right place.

As new members joined during the pandemic, women flocked to the Collective in cohorts of 25-30, craving connection and purpose. I naively believed this momentum would never stop.

Spoiler alert: it did.

By summer 2021, as the world shifted post-vaccines, everything changed. Priorities shifted, and cohort sizes dropped overnight. At first, I took it personally—cue Taylor Swift’s “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.” ?? But after some reflection (and therapy), I realized it wasn’t about me.

Market forces are real, and some things are beyond my control.?

It didn’t mean what I created wasn’t valuable—our members were still achieving big wins. But that pesky?negativity bias?set in, and I had to learn (and am?still?learning) how to detach my self-worth from my business outcomes.

That experience forced me to reset my expectations. I pivoted—reintroduced 1:1 services, created new offers, and reminded myself of a core truth I teach our members:

Your purpose can come to life in many ways in your business.

Letting go of rigid expectations is no small feat, but it’s a lot easier when you’re riding that wave with like-minded women. ??

4. You’re never alone, even if it feels that way

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that we’re never truly alone.

Watching the women in the Collective show up for each other has been magical. I remember hearing from one of our members,?Beth Simpson, who struggled with perfectionism before joining.

She found clarity by embracing imperfect action, thanks to the support of the Collective. With the community behind her, she let go of the need to "get it all right" and took consistent action that moved her business forward.

The Collective has taught me the true power of community— it’s a permission slip to keep going, do things your way, and make time for what lights you up. ??

And that’s why I built the Collective in the first place.

To create a space where women can lean on each other, normalize the tough moments, and celebrate the small wins that lead to the big breakthroughs.

I'm excited to see where the next 5 years takes us!

If you know of a woman solo or small business owner who is looking to grow their business on purpose by the end of the year - send them to the link to join our waitlist. We open applications officially to new members on October 1st.