There’s a specific kind of loneliness that comes with running your own business. You might have clients, a team, maybe even a growing social media following. But at the end of the day, you’re making decisions alone. You’re carrying the weight of everything alone. And if you’re anything like I was a few years ago, you’re wondering why success still feels so isolating.
I never set out to build a community of thousands of women. Truly. When I started Leading Lady Coaching, the Leading Ladies Facebook group, and the Annapolis Collective, I was simply looking for connection. I wanted a space where women like me, ambitious and heart-driven, didn’t have to wear armor. I wanted to talk about the hard parts of leading. The loneliness. The doubts. But also the joy, the purpose, and the growth.
So I started small. I met women in coffee shops. I created conversation topics and invited others to join me. No fancy platform, no elaborate launch plan. Just a genuine desire for meaningful connection with other women who understood what it felt like to lead.
And somewhere along the way, I realized something that changed everything for me: community wasn’t a byproduct of my business. It is my business.
That was my real aha moment. And if you’ve been thinking about building a community around your own business but don’t know where to start, I want to walk you through what I’ve learned.
Your Vision Is the Anchor (Not Your Follower Count)
Every community that actually lasts starts with a clear vision. Not a membership number. Not a revenue goal. A vision.
My vision has always been about creating spaces where women entrepreneurs and leaders feel safe, seen, and supported. Once I got clear on that, it started guiding everything I did. It guided what to build, who to work with, and even what to say no to.
And here’s what I’ve found to be true over and over again: when people understand your vision, they’ll decide if they want to walk beside you. You don’t have to convince anyone. You don’t have to chase people or craft the perfect sales pitch. Your people will find you when your vision is clear.
So let me pause and ask you something. If someone joined your circle today, your Facebook group, your email list, your local meetup, would they know what you stand for? Not what you sell. What you stand for. That’s the heartbeat of a community that endures.
If you’re not sure how to answer that question yet, that’s okay. Clarity comes from doing the work, and tools like my Strategic Planning Wheel can help you map out what matters most in your business and your life.
Start Small and Start Real
I think one of the biggest myths about building a community is that you need a huge audience or a polished platform to begin. You don’t. I used to drag a red wagon full of supplies through downtown Annapolis to set up pop-up gatherings at coffee shops and rented spaces. It wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it worked.
Those early meetings weren’t about reach or scale. They were about depth. I invited women who wanted more than surface-level networking, women who wanted to have real conversations about what it actually takes to build a business while managing everything else life throws at you.
Research backs this up, too. Nearly 27% of entrepreneurs report struggling with loneliness and isolation, and for women in particular, the numbers are even more concerning. A study by TheLi.st and Berlin Cameron found that 80% of women experience loneliness and isolation at work. We’re surrounded by people, but we’re starving for real connection.
Starting small is actually a strategic advantage. You can’t build deep relationships at scale right out of the gate. A handful of women who genuinely trust each other will always be more powerful than a thousand followers who scroll past your content. As I like to say, it is better to have a deep network than a wide network.
So if you’re sitting there thinking, “I only have five people who might show up,” that’s not a limitation. That’s your foundation.
Why Collaboration Changes Everything
Once you have a vision and a small group of people who share it, the next thing that will grow your community is collaboration. Not marketing funnels. Not ad spend. Collaboration.
When I launched the Leading Lady Ambassador program, I didn’t do it because I needed help promoting my work. I did it because I wanted to highlight women I trusted, women who had walked beside me and inspired me both personally and professionally. The ambassadors are vetted professionals whom I have personally worked with. And they each serve the women entrepreneur community in their own unique ways.
And the magic that came from that? It was incredible. Ambassadors started collaborating on workshops. They shared resources. They connected members across industries. The community expanded, not just in size, but in depth and richness. That’s what happens when you shift from a competition mindset to what I call a contribution mindset.
I saw this same thing when I partnered with M&T Bank for the 2025 WeLead Conference. That collaboration wasn’t transactional, which actually sounds hilarious, being that it’s a bank. Instead, it was rooted in shared values. We weren’t just slapping logos on each other’s stuff. We actually cared about the same people, and that’s what made it work.
There’s a simple equation I come back to often: authenticity plus consistency equals trust. And trust is what makes collaboration work. When you let go of the idea that other people in your space are competition and start asking, “How can we serve the same people in different ways?”, everything changes.
Think about it this way. If you’re a realtor, a collaborative partner might be a home stager, an interior designer, or a house cleaning service. You all work with the same ideal client, but you serve her differently. That’s the kind of partnership that builds a community with real staying power.
Want to go deeper on this topic? I’ve written about how a collaboration mindset can transform your business relationships and why it matters more than you might think.
Belonging Is What Makes a Community Last
So what keeps a community alive beyond the events, the launches, and the social media posts?
I’ve been thinking about this question for most of my career, and the answer is actually quite simple. It’s belonging. Every member of your community needs to feel like her presence matters and her voice is valued. Not just when she’s buying something or showing up to an event, but all the time.
In the Leading Lady Collective, I’ve watched this evolution happen over and over. A woman joins looking for business networking. Makes sense, right? But then she builds genuine friendships with the other women in the room. Those friendships lead to collaborations, new programs, mentorship opportunities, referrals, and ideas that none of us would have come up with alone. Most of the women who join the Collective aren’t looking for friendships when they walk in the door. But friendship is the organic bonus that comes from spending real time with women you trust.
And you know what happens next? The women in your community start taking ownership. They’re not just showing up anymore. They’re contributing their own gifts, their perspectives, and their connections. They’re bringing people into the room that you never would have found on your own.
How to Start Building Your Community (Even If It’s Just You Right Now)
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Okay, I get it. But where do I actually begin?”, I want to leave you with three questions that will help you get moving. These are the same questions I come back to whenever I’m planning the next chapter for my own community.
What is your vision for your community, and what vision do your members have for being there? These are two different questions on purpose. Your vision gives the community direction. Their hopes and needs give it relevance. You need both. Spend some time thinking about why someone would want to be in a room with you, and what she’d walk away with that she couldn’t get anywhere else.
Who are you called to collaborate with? Think about the people who work with your ideal client but serve her in a different way than you do. Grab coffee with someone whose work you admire and say, ‘Hey, what if we tried something together?’ That’s how some of my best collaborations started. One coffee. One idea. And it grew from there.
How are you nurturing belonging in your space? This is the one I’m most passionate about, because belonging is something I’ve been searching for my entire life. How are you letting women know that they are safe with you? That they can trust you? That you have their back, and that they are welcome and accepted in your space? You don’t need elaborate gestures for this. Remember names, remember kids’ names, remember that when someone says she was nervous about raising her prices. Those tiny moments are what tell someone, ‘You matter here.’
You don’t need a building, a big budget, or a polished brand to start building a community. You need a vision, a willingness to show up, and the courage to invite other women to show up with you. Start a Facebook group. Host a monthly coffee meetup. Organize a Zoom gathering for women in your industry. Start wherever you are with whatever you have.
As I like to say: if you wanna go fast, go alone. If you wanna go far, go together. But if you wanna make it matter, go intentionally.
Questions About Building a Business Community
Your Legacy Starts with a Single Invitation
We are not meant to do this alone. Not in life, and certainly not in business. Community is the most powerful thing you can build, and it starts with a single invitation to someone who needs exactly what you’re creating.
If you’re looking for a community of women who get it, who understand the highs and lows of building something meaningful, I’d love for you to join us. Come connect with over 7,000 women entrepreneurs in the Leading Ladies Facebook Group, or explore The Leading Lady Business Hub for ongoing coaching, resources, and a virtual community designed to meet you wherever you are in your business.
If you have questions about building your community or want to explore collaborative partnerships, please reach out. I read and respond to every email. Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this: when vision, collaboration, and connection come together, they create something that outlasts everything. A legacy.
