I have had many different types of coaches over the last 12 years of my entrepreneurial adventure. One thing I have learned is that I can only go so far with a non-believer.
What I mean is. . . I learn what I can from those coaches and mentors, but I cannot continue following them because of the issues that come up. These issues are related to my values as a Christian entrepreneur.
For example, my Instagram coach swears too much for me. The Mindset coach used some techniques that were too New Age for me. My YouTube coach focuses on the money aspect of success.
They each taught me valuable things for my business, but I had to leave them at some point.
Have you had different types of coaches? Some believers, some not? How have you been able to build a support network: coaches, mentors, business partners, etc.?
I want to talk specifically about what is truly important for us as Christian Entrepreneurs as we build connections and networks that support us as we build the businesses God calls us to create.
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The first reason why to build a support network.
Why do we need to have a network when we are in business?
Gain knowledge
We just don’t know what we just don’t know. So there is no shame in connecting with coaches, mentors, and communities to get the business knowledge we need to succeed. I know God has placed some of these people in my path so I can learn from them.
As I stated, I have had many coaches, programs, groups, and connections that are not Christian as I have built my God-centered business. We can be salt and light to those outside the faith as we rub elbows with them.
Long-term connections
I have found that when it comes to long-term connections for support as I continue to grow my business, these ‘non-believer’ groups are sorely lacking. What do I mean by ‘lacking’? It comes down to alignment. When building a support network, you must consider this alignment regarding your values.
If your number one value is to glorify God with your business and serve Him, then you need to be around others who allow you to express that. When you are conducting your business with integrity and genuine love and concern for others, that needs to be supported.
Let’s face it, business can be challenging, tiring, and sometimes hostile. Being around and with others who ‘get you’ is most important.
Thoughts on alignment and long-term connections
You might be thinking the following:
| “I belong to a bunch of Facebook groups that are Christian.” | Let me ask: Are they creating the connections you need to stay strong in your faith and business? |
| “I have an accountability group that keeps me on track, and they are Christians.” | Let me ask: Are they also coaching and mentoring you to learn new skills for your business? |
| “I have a faith community I belong to when I go to church.” | Let me ask you: Can you connect with people on the same entrepreneurial adventure, those who know your struggles? |
Having One or the Other, secular business coaches/mentors/groups and having Christian business coaches/mentors/groups, does not need to be an either/or situation. Especially if you have seen the difference between belonging to the two types of groups.
The Christian coach I had for branding became a very good friend and mentored me in many other ways. I also was able to pour into her to grow her faith.
That’s the beauty of building a support network based on our mutual values as believers. We end up pouring into one another.
Hebrews 10:24 says,
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
Hebrews 10:24 NLT
Your business IS your good work! Therefore, it is essential to choose long-term connections, and networks, that truly get what it means to be a Christian and can help you grow in your business.
The second reason you need to build a support network.
The second reason you need to build a support network is, so you are not alone. God created us to be in a community. The entrepreneurial life can be super lonely because we are working so hard to ‘make it work.’ We are grasping for knowledge in all the areas we have to learn, and most of us are just piecing together that knowledge.
It is easy to understand why you would choose all types of coaches, mentors, programs, and groups to get you going, learn as much as possible, and not feel you are alone.
But when push comes to shove, you really want to be with others who, again, have your values. God has called us into business, and as believers, we have, or should have, a different perspective on business. It is about serving those God has called us to serve.
Yes, I know you need to make money to be in business, but if that is the only focus, you have missed some of God’s greatest work in you.
God’s idea of success, not the world’s
He wants to transform you into the image of His Son, and what better way to do that than to connect with others who can give you the support you need to grow your faith and business?
I’ve heard that some Christian coaches, mentors, and groups are not as savvy as those others. But, unfortunately, that type of thinking will lead you astray because those ‘other’ people have different values and are chasing the ‘world’s’ idea of success, not God’s.
Please don’t do it alone.
Listen, I don’t want you to be alone. God is not asking you to conduct your business without support, learning, and help outside of Him. Those groups, communities, and coaching programs you belong to may only be a small piece of the adventure God is taking you on as you grow your business.
Each Facebook group, accountability group, and coaching program can only take you so far, especially if they have a narrow focus and are not filled with believers.
To build a support network means you have to belong to the best one. The one group that is right for you. When you are involved in one group that can check off many boxes, you can streamline your time inside a community. However, when you have groups for all types of reasons, you cannot build the supportive relationships you need for your business.
Relationships that are for networking, accountability, business learning, masterminding, bible study, and more.
1 Peter 4:10 says,
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
1 Peter 4:10 NLT
Inside the right community and support network, you should be able to get everything you need to build the business God is asking you to create. Inside this community, you also get the satisfaction of contributing to others’ success.
How do we build these deeper connections?
Okay, so where do we go from here? How do we build these deeper connections? First, we need to know where to go. . .
- Make yourself a checklist of what you would LOVE to have in a community. What do you need to be successful? What type of support, learning, and connection?
- Take your checklist and compare it to the groups you currently belong to where you are trying to make connections. Where are they lacking? What would make the experience inside these groups better? What do you wish they did differently?
- Leave those groups that are not serving you and where you cannot contribute. These can be free groups or paid groups. Don’t be afraid to let go.
- Begin to look for groups that fulfill the criteria you need and align with your values. For example, maybe you need business learning and bible learning. Perhaps you need to network with those with the same audience, masterminding for more ideas or collaboration opportunities. Vet these groups and find the right place for you so you can build the supportive relationships you need for your business.
It does take work, even once inside these communities. It is about making personal connections inside the right community, which seeks to support one another, not considering competing.
Be supported to go out into the world.
Are you looking for a community that ‘gets you’? A place where you can get all the necessary pieces to have the business God is calling you to have? Not to come out of the world, but to be more prepared, supported, to go out into the world?
I want to invite you to join my waitlist. I am opening a community for Christian women entrepreneurs, just like you. A community that will not only be the place to build a support network but will also have the learning, connection, accountability, networking, and collaboration opportunities that will grow your business and your faith.
Click on THIS LINK and get on the waitlist, and you’ll be the first I invite!
God has called you and me into the marketplace. That does not mean we are constantly working with Christian people or can surround ourselves with other believers. Having a space where you know you are supported, cherished, and growing is the best place to be.
I want to end with this encouragement from 1 Thessalonians 5:11,
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Let me know in the comments what you are looking for in a community of Christian entrepreneurs. Don’t forget to get on the waitlist.
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