If there’s one thing I’ve learned, its that no one achieves anything by themselves. Elvis had Colonel Tom Parker, Beyonce had Destiny’s Child, and Lewis Hamilton had Anthony Hamilton.

Now I’m not saying we’re about to start winning any golden awards (although you might) but growing a business is still pretty epic and it takes more than a few helping hands along the way.

My business started back in 2012 when I was still working full time in a laboratory role and renovating my home. I have had the support of several business coaches along the way, as well as managers in my employment, my tutor team, virtual assistants, my family, and various contractors. But the really aligned and consistent growth happened when I made a concerted effort to grow my network and meet other small business owners on the same journey as me.

Now that I’m on this side of it, it seems so obvious. But for a long time I didn’t know anyone else in business. I found all of my answers from Google, from watching what other people did, or from spending money on training. And so I didn’t have anyone to bounce ideas around with over a cuppa, or to be really honest with about how hard it is to grow a business from scratch.

There were many times when I considered packing it all in and just sticking with paid 9-5 employment (the horror). When inevitable roadblocks hit, I looked to those I could see in business from the outside, and their apparently effortless success made me feel like I was wasting my time.

But here’s the ‘shocker’ – it isn’t easy for anyone. When we have others in our corner who not only understand our challenges but understand the solutions they give us the boost we need to deal with those roadblocks. It doesn’t get easier. We get stronger when we’re not trying to do it all alone.

And what’s more, connecting to others in the business world is a great addition to your marketing strategy. These folks have an engaged audience of your target market? Why wouldn’t we want to connect with them.

So where do we find our Destiny’s Child?

Online communities.

The internet has opened up a whole world of connectivity that we can dive right into. But while there’s a party for everyone, we don’t want to be part of everyone’s party.

These are the places I go to find my Business Bestie Boosters.

Tutors Need Tutors

Of course I lean on my own community within Facebook. These folks have been by my side since March 2020 and they give me a daily pep boost. Initially launched to support classroom teachers with the transition to online working, the group has grown massively since 2020, and the members are always ready to support each other. The ethos that it was started with has spread through the community, so it is extremely rare that we experience any negativity in there.

There’s now a library of resources around tech that you can use for online lessons, filling your calendar with customers, and business advice from guest experts I’ve worked with in the past. If you’re a tutor, there’s something in there for you.

Love Tutoring Community

The Love Tutoring Community is the internets educator love-in. Not only is it bursting with positivity and encouragement for all of its members, but there are always wonderful things being organised by the LTC team that you won’t want to miss out on.

And even better, they organise in person events so that you can meet up with other educators in real life. Do you remember those days?

They offer masses of value to their free community and to their members. If you are an educator, or involved in the world of education, you will want to get involved.

Kimba’s Online Growth Club

I’ve been working with Kimba since very early on in my business journey, when she ran a course on using Instagram to grow your business. Kimba’s training and delivery method suited my scientific mind. She’s organised, honest, and very motivated to add value.

Since then, Kimba has established the Online Growth Club (KOGc), with a library of training resources and an online community all designed to support small business owners in growing their business.

Kimba always adds a fun element to her courses and trainings, and it was no surprise when she set up her gamification business. The networking events within the Instagram course and the Online Growth Club were the inspiration for the fun sessions at the Love Tutoring Festival. Kimba knows how to bring the right level of fun, inspiration, and focus.

The Online Growth Club is only open for new members at specific times of the year, but Kimba is generously offering the chance to sneak a peak at what a KOGc networking event looks like. She’s opened up the next networking event happening 12pm BST 4th May for anyone to join in.

The membership is usually £47 per month, but you can join the event for just £5, or £9 to include a trial of KOGc. That means that you can attend the same networking event as me for less than I am paying 😉 Come and smirk at me through Zoom.

I actually often hate networking events because of the many stuffy conferences I attended in my past employment. But I really enjoyed the KOGc socials. Kimba plans activities that will bring everyone in but not put anyone on the spot. Lots of fun and totally non-cringy, which is what I worry about when I join networking events.

Join the KOGc Networking Event*

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