In July I hosted the first meeting for TuesdayTogether in the Fox Valley. I had no idea what to expect. I certainly had no idea of what I would learn or gain from being a leader – so many unexpected perks and bonuses! #920tuesdays has not only added much to my business, it has brought so much joy to my personal life! Below are five major lessons I have taken away from being part of the Rising Tide Society.

We Are All In This Together
Owning your own business is tough. It can get lonely. It can be scary. It can make you question every. single. decision. There are tears. There are sleepless nights. There are days when you feel no one could possibly relate or understand. But the good news is you are not the only one because we are all in this together! We get it – we really, really do.

It’s Not About The Custom Cookies
It’s really not. I admit, I ordered custom cookies with our hashtag on them (and they were delicious!). I fell into the trap of wanting our meetings to be styled and blog post worthy. I wanted people to “oh and ah” over the set up and Instagram the heck out of #920tuesdays, but I quickly learned a lot of us don’t care about that. People don’t come for the custom cookies, they come for the community. It’s a safe place every month to talk business, discuss your fears, make friends, and build each other up. It really can’t get much better than that!

Quality Over Quantity
Our groups are small and intimate and thats OK! I would rather have real, authentic “round-table” conversation than surface level introductions and uncomfortable chatter.  Sometimes we can all fit in my living room and that is my absolute favorite. We sit on the comfy couches, sip hot cocoa and dig deep into our topic. You do not need to dress up to come to our meetings. You can show up in yoga pants, stop after work, or drop in late if you have to. There’s no pressure, no judgement, and definitely lots of encouragement, advice, and support!

Not Everyone Supports #CommunityOverCompetition
Before the Rising Tide Society movement I never thought I could make real friends in the industry. When I tell others that I am friends with so many local photographers or (gasp!) refer clients to them, they tend to look at at me a lil puzzled. You guys, it is so freeing and refreshing to know there are people out there that support you. However, it did become very transparent who was not for #communityovercompetition in the area and they stay far away from any #920tuesdays events. If this is you and you cannot imagine befriending competition, I invite you to attend just one meeting. You will be amazed at what connecting with others just like you can do for your soul and your business. I promise.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
If you want to help yourself the fastest way to do that is to help others! Reaching out, making connections, and networking has made such a difference in my business. When you build genuine and authentic relationships with others, they want to help you succeed! They want to send referrals your way! They want to celebrate with you! I have gained so many amazing friendships from #920tuesdays and we all lift each other up in life and in business.

Do you want to be part of this amazing community for creative entreprenuers and business owners? Make sure to join our local Facebook group here or comment on this post below. Next month’s meeting will be on Tuesday, February 9th – location is still to be confirmed!