The Power of Community in Entrepreneurship

Human beings are social social beings, we thrive in a social context according to UNESCO “We have an innate, biologically-driven ability to develop and form interpersonal connections.”

In the startup context this statement gains another magnitude, because most of the time the start of an entrepreneurs journey is a lonely one.

The start is as a solopreneurs however, successful entrepreneurs rapidly realise that if they are to scale, they can’t go at it alone.

The pursuit of success in conjunction with human beings innate need to engage in meaningful relationships, entrepreneurs sort for a team to achieve their goals, and an ecosystem to nurture that team.

Communities are the catalyst of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and most times not given the relevant importance.

Communities in the Tech Startup Context

Communities in the tech context, as in any other context, to be honest, comes down to: Like minded individuals getting together to share their interests and expertise and ultimately being each others support system for success.

Collaborative communities make great communities and great communities make ecosystem changing impact.

In order to Build, Nurture and Scale great communities it is important for the community to have a collaborative and knowledge sharing culture right from the get go.

These communities can take any shape or form.

For example an entrepreneur can see themselves being part of a great WhatsApp Startup community and on the other hand they can experience being part of a poor Startup Hub community.

What entrepreneurs should have in mind is to explore as many tech communities as they can and pick the one that challenges them towards achieving their goals.

A community that challenges you to achieve your goals should be able to understand your current entrepreneurial stage and journey and allow for Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Learning.

Meaning that this community should provide the stage for entrepreneurs to share their knowledge and experiences and allow for less experienced entrepreneurs to voice their needs while they also learn and share their own experiences.

Great communities then allow entrepreneurs to expand their network and build valuable business relationships.

Being part of a tech community, requires entrepreneurs not shying away from asking for support or mentorship. You will be surprised how willing other entrepreneurs and members of the community are willing to give their time to help you achieve your goals.

Don’t forget that this communities full of passionate and like minded individuals.

There will be days that you will need support, guidance and encouragement from other entrepreneurs. There will be other times that you will be doing the same, supporting or sharing insights from your own experience and perspective.

However, don’t forget that the bread and butter of entrepreneurship is validation and feedback, by actively engaging with your tech community you can get valuable feedback as well as gaining advocates and early adopters for your solution.

Tech communities can be a great way to gain much needed credibility and visibility, however, this is achieved by contributing with insights, experiences and sharing your learnings.

By doing so, not only that you become a source of inspiration to others, you can even become a thought leader in your space.

Cons of Tech Communities for Startups

There are also some Cons of engaging with communities in the tech space, you will need to allocate some time to make the most of your community, and time is such a valuable commodity for founders.

As a founder you will have to be great in time management, to be able to fulfil business critical engagements and avoid seeing active participation in communities as a distraction.

Another deterrent could be the fact that there is often too much noise i.e. lots of information going right, front and centre.

Founders should be laser focused and know how to filter the noise.

Even though the startup ecosystem is very challenging and demanding, founders should refrain from making the mistake of comparing themselves or competing with each other; this surely defeats the purpose of this tech startup communities.

Role of Communities in the Technology Ecosystem

While the benefit outweighs the risk entrepreneurs should be aware of potential challenges this communities may present. Challenges such as time commitment, information overload, and potential distractions.

Tech communities play a key role in nurturing the startup ecosystem; they function as a support system for members, providing them a platform to share ideas, collaborate, innovate and grow.

In conclusion, tech communities play a vital role in shaping and empowering entrepreneurs by providing opportunities for knowledge sharing, networking, support, access to resources, validation, visibility, and motivation.

Nevertheless, as discussed earlier, human beings are social social beings, and thrive in a social context, they also need social and emotional connections to learn.

This learning is boosted or deflated by the social and emotional experiences of the entrepreneur, therefore, go out there, experience these connections, learn from them and help your community to be the best in class.

 

Entrepreneurs that engage actively in tech communities will undoubtedly leverage the benefits of these communities and will be in a better position to accelerate their growth, easily overcome obstacles and succeed in the dynamic and competitive startup ecosystem.