002: Shelley Delayne | Why Community is So Important for Entrepreneurs

The Longcut: A SaaS Business Podcast

Shelley Delayne is the owner and proprietor at Orange Coworking in Austin, Texas. I wanted to catch up with Shelley because she is someone who has remarkable insight into the psychology and the mental landscape of independent entrepreneurs.

Shelley opened Orange Coworking partly out of her own need for a place to work outside the house. But she quickly realized that the need for community—to be around other entrepreneurs and self-employed knowledge workers in a supportive environment—was something that many other people felt.

Takeaways:

Most business failures happen in the head or the heart of the entrepreneur. Founders, especially solo founders remote workers, need community and support. Sometimes more than we realize. We need to be around like-minded people who understand the unique kinds of struggles that we face.

Self-motivated people are really bad at self-congratulating. It's important to pat ourselves on the back—or let someone else pat us on the back—every now and then. Celebrating those small wins and little victories prevents them from being forgotten in the rush to get to the next thing.

Discovering what motivates you—truly understanding why you're doing it the first place and what changes that you want to affect in the world—is so important.

Working around other entrepreneurs on a similar trajectory, which happens in coworking spaces, can help you build entrepreneurship as a core competency. This is because you’re literally sharing the same space with people who have knowledge and skills that can help you fill your own gaps, just as you can help fill theirs. When your workplace is truly a community, as it is at Orange, members have the opportunity to help one another advance professionally.

Full Shownotes:

• https://thelongcut.fm/shelley-delayne

Links in this episode:

• OrangeCoworking.com
• Orange Coworking on Facebook

Sponsor:

Booster Stage is sponsored this week by MastermindJam.com: Your mastermind group gives you accountability, feedback, and support from like-minded entrepreneurs to help you grow your business. Join a mastermind group today. Use the coupon code "thelongcut" for $10 off your first month.

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