When it comes to business, it’s essential to have a tribe of likeminded people around you. The saying goes, "you are who you surround yourself with." And it couldn't be more true for women entrepreneurs. If you want to be successful, it's important to find like-minded people to network and co-create with.
Nobody 'gets' you like another female entrepreneur.
Having supportive friends and family goes a long way to helping you achieve success. However, if they're not in the same type of business as you or at least have an online business of any kind, then they can't help you with business related challenges - of which there are many.
If you already have your ninja clan then please leave your tips on how you found them in the comments so others can learn from your experience. However, those of you who are still looking, read on.
The Bad Way
I've been in the online space for over 20 years and back in the beginning there was the 'boys club.' A group of male marketers who supported each other and promoted each others stuff and every month one of them would have a huge launch and everyone supported it and because there were very few people who stood up and said, "I'm an expert, follow me" they had a huge crowd listening to their every word and buying their stuff.
It was definitely a time like the wild west and before social media.
They led with a stick and personally I prefer the carrot. The stick impacts me negatively and I freeze. In those days you'd join one of their coaching programs for whatever the balance was left on your credit card.
Yep, you read that right. There would be the presale call then you were transferred to the closer who said you'd qualified and how much was left on your credit card and he'd see whether that was enough to get in the program.
It was.
I was naïve and just wanted to support myself and my 3 young kids at the time. This was my first journey into debt and seeing the power of being in a group, although I was on the outside! The program they were selling was based on earning money from Google Adsense and it cost me over $5k. It took me over 10 years to get a payout from Adsense with the minimum payout being £60/$70!
As well as the coaching program I was 'lucky' enough to be asked to join a company that was an MLM opportunity - where the coach signed up ALL his members in his downline.
Not having people in my offline life or online one to 'sell' to, I ended up buying the minimum monthly stock order myself. I was told to sell the opportunity, not the products so I could build my downline. I was 'mentored' by someone who was struggling themselves to get orders.
It was a horrible situation to be in and I know I wasn't the only one suckered in. Thankfully those days are behind us, however it shows the power of being in a group.
Imagine being in a ninja clan and using that power for GOOD?
Where to Find Your Ninja Clan
The great thing about the internet is that there are lots of different places to find your perfect Ninja Clan.
If it's not been made clear, a Ninja Clan is a group of like-minded people (in our case female entrepreneurs) who come together to support and encourage each other to global domination.
Ninja comes into play because they are smart, resourceful and practise mastery - just like YOU.
Clan, because I'm Scottish and well, tribe is so overused.
Now, how to decide what you are looking for.
There are Facebook groups, masterminds and stalking. Yep, stalking. Where you find people you'd love to be in your clan and you stalk them (in a nice way of course, no creepy 'You' vibes.) Follow them on social media, share and engage with their content and then when you feel almost comfortable, ask them to jump on Zoom with you and take it from there.
You can build your clan one person at a time.
Masterminds are usually paid and there are a host of female entrepreneurs out there who have them, myself included. They often last a year and you can meet other like-minded people in there too.
Then there are the Facebook groups. There are hundreds on Facebook, but you have to be selective and choose one or two that have active participation and the owner of the group is sharing and encouraging members to achieve the same intention you have.
Which leads us nicely to...
What do You Want from Your Ninja Clan?
It depends on where you are in your level of business success and whether or not you are looking for global domination, happy with where you are or just starting out.
You're not going to achieve your intentions without taking action outside your comfort zone.
Therefore, look for programs that promise the transformation and results you intend for yourself.
You want to be the dumbest person in the room.
As your business grows, the investment to join a mastermind program can reach up to six-figures for the year for those looking to achieve multiple seven and eight figures.
If those masterminds deliver that, isn't it worth it?
It's not only the training within the masterminds that are valuable, it's the connections you make with the other members. Those are your Ninja Clan.
When your business is under $100k/year then perhaps looking or a mastermind or coaching program where the members are either your ideal clients or you they have the same ideal client as you but you provide complementary products and/or services.
Be clear before you start searching.
Write it down so that when you do start searching you aren't swayed by what else is available before taking time to evaluate the ones that you are interested in.
One last thought. Choose people who are like the person you want to become. Your Future Self.
Always strive for more, to be more and achieve more.
Get out of your comfort zone and SOAR!
