Pack

Who have you been spending the most time with since the year started?

I’ve been spending time with the usual suspects—my immediate family and my chosen family. I’ve also been spending a decent amount of time with my 10KSB classmates! I’ve seen some of them once or twice a week since the year started. Earlier this week, my classmate Tina (the person I bought the salt from for my neighbors’ New Year’s gift) took me and another one of our classmates to her salami plant so I could get a BTS look at how they operate their USDA facility. One of my goals is finding a larger production facility, and she has been so supportive of this endeavor since I started presenting it in class.

Image (L-R): me with Bri from Toss’t Press’t and Tina from Ceriello Fine Foods

This morning, I met with two other classmates for a jog around the Central Park Reservoir. I’ve been slacking on my running and feeling less motivated to move. Meeting them for this run was just what the doctor ordered because if there is anything that’s going to motivate me when I don’t want to do something, it’s doing it for or with other people that I care about.

I decided to run from my house to our meeting point so I could get a couple more miles into the workout. After making my way up Harlem Hill, I was winded and slowing down. I was trying to get my body to 85th and Central Park West as fast as I could and ended up running right behind this pack of four who kept a steady pace faster than what I was running but manageable enough for them to carry on a full conversation. I ended up running with them for a little bit to pick up speed.

Image L-R: Me with Ada from BOUNCE Marketing & Consulting and John from FundEd Strategies

As I was running behind them, I thought about how just being in their proximity was helping me get to where I needed to go faster. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with, as they impact our behavior, how we think, and our future. Today I realized that I’ve been gravitating toward my fellow 10KSB entrepreneur friends for socializing not only because they’re awesome, but because being in their presence will get me to where I’m going in this business faster than if I were going at it alone—just like the pack from this morning’s Central Park run.

Author Mia Birdsong says, “We’re pack animals—wired for connection. So we can understand building community as uncovering what we already are, rather than creating something totally new.” The connection I have with my cohort isn’t about creating something new; it’s about me continuing to build my ecosystem of small business owners who have a vision for sustainably scaling their businesses.

And honestly, I couldn’t think of better company to keep.

Who are you spending time with? I hope they are a reflection of where you’re going and not what you’re trying to leave behind. They should be pushing you forward.

Petrushka

Your Local Ice Cream Lady & Life/Business Coach