Welcome to a new series on the blog where we introduce a team or team member that holds us up to bring this business to life. In other words, without these team members, we would not exist as a whole.
Last summer when I attended Alt Summit, I really didn't know what I would gaining long term. Sure, on the short term I was inspired, exhilarated, full of ideas, and just overall enjoyed every second of meeting so many like minded women entrepreneurs. However, what I see now, is that the affects are long term. These folks are still here, they have my back, and I still feel lifted up having shared this experience with them.
Specifically, meet Cyndie Spiegel whom I first met at Alt Summit. This adorable yogini from Brooklyn reached out to me in the fall when I was grappling with a business decision, and offered me a moment to discuss, as she is a business consultant. Naturally, I was not going to turn this down, and I was floored by how much was clear to me after an hour of time with this gem whom I really barely knew. Here is a favorite quote on Cyndie's website: "I'M A PRAGMATIC BOHEMIAN WITH A PENCHANT FOR PROFESSIONALISM, LARGE DOSES OF INSPIRATIONAL HONESTY, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND COLOR."
Nothing was more true, and more welcoming in a time of uncertainty.
I will admit, I figured Cyndie was going to be breezy, and help me bounce a few ideas around based on my brief meeting of her in person. However "namaste" Cyndie may be, she also cuts through the crap faster than anyone I've ever met, getting the the meat of a situation and solving problems, many of which are self manifested.
When Cyndie briefly mentioned starting up a collective of entrepreneurs that she would mentor, I expressed interest as fast as my fingers could type on her Instagram feed.
The Collective Of Us was formed with 20 members before the plan or the name were totally in place. What Cyndie realized is how valued her talents were, and we all realized how lucky we were to be chosen as one of the founding members of this collective.
What set this membership apart was the accountability and the size of the group. We had to sign up for four, two hour long skype calls with other members, whom we did not know and talk about our progress, fears, accomplishments, and questions. That sounded easy, until I had to actually do it. When you sign up for something like this, you think you are going to have all of the time in the world to outline your thoughts, discussion, and you realize like most small business owners, you have to wing it, and work with what you've got.
What we learned together as a group is that no one really has it all figured out when they start a business, and we now knew we could freely admit that, and see how others handled it, and overcome the unknown to move forward instead of focusing on accomplishments we had not yet made.
Because we were on these calls, we really got to know one another, and built relationships. When you have a relationship, it is a two way street, and we all were there to give and receive anything we could to help our fellow entrepreneur, and will continue to do so. I love these connections made, and just like going to Alt Summit, I know this is just the beginning.
Cyndie is starting to open up new memberships to the collective, and if you are a small business owner looking for some clear cut direction on what to do I would seriously suggest you, JOIN CYNDIE'S TRIBE.
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