Having a community of like-minded business owners has impacted me so much! I didn’t realize this would be the case until I started coaching the FASTer Way.

I was introduced to SOWBO, society of women business owners at the end of 2019. On a whim, I applied for a business planning retreat and got accepted. I had no idea that it would open the door for so many friendships.

One of them, my business coach, Amanda Mickenberg. She is the founder of SOWBO. I got to talk with her about her journey on why she started this incredible community, tips for finding a community, and so much more.

Get to know Amanda

Amanda is from the South and loves people, especially female entrepreneurs. Outside of her career she likes anything outdoors (hiking, going to the beach all day, gardening, building stuff in her garage). She also really enjoys home projects and hosting events.

How has Amanda found community at transition stages in her life?

So far, Amanda has lived in 11 places so she knows a thing or two about finding community wherever you and it whatever stage of life.

She really didn’t understand what it took to be in community until her mid 20’s when she moved away from family and friends and had to start over. It took her several attempts to figure out that finding community is an intentional process. You actually have to invest the time, energy, and effort into getting to know people.

One example  is when she moved to Florida in 2021. She didn’t really know anyone other than her now husband. She immediately found a church and signed up for their small groups. One for women and one for couples. Amanda also joined a bunch of Facebook groups so that she could be in the loop of the community and started seeking out local places of business where she could work from her laptop.

What were Amanda’s first thoughts & dreams about her community SOWBO?

When SOWBO first started in 2016 it was just another attempt for her to find community. She had started a blog and wanted to monetize it. Back then, female entrepreneur communities were not really trending yet. She had not really intended to start a business… rather just create a group of women who could understand the growing pains of business that I could lean into for support. 

The heart of SOWBO is still the same today as when she started it… to bring women together who have a desire to make the word a better place with their gifts and talents (through entrepreneurship).

How does Amanda continue to nurture this community of women?

Leading a community and nurturing relationships within your community look very similar, but they are different. 

Amanda nurtures relationships within her own community by intentionaally connecting. She does this by showing up consistently and she gives her full attention when she’s physically present with the community.

As a leader of a community, she wants to lead her members to nurture each other. So she leads by example. She connects with each member directly. Then, she thinks of connections or opportunities that will help them get plugged into the community more. Amanda challenges all of her members and even potential members to talk to each other.

What is Amanda’s biggest tip for anyone starting a community or group?

Leading a group doesn’t need to be perfect or even pretty. It just needs to be consistent and real. Show up for the right reasons and be yourself. The people you are meant to serve will stick around.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW

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Connect with Amanda HERE

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