Don’t underestimate the possibilities of growing a purpose-led community. It’s one of the most influential tools in the entrepreneur’s toolkit to help guide your business toward longevity and long-term happiness.

Because let’s be honest — no one wants to be unhappy in their business. In this article, you will learn the importance of building a community of shared purpose and how it impacts the continued success of your business.

Entrepreneurial success sits at the heart of purpose

I would like to see more purpose-led businesses being built in the world.

Purpose-led businesses are run by entrepreneurs who lead from the heart and with the conviction that their business is doing good in the world. The business solves an important problem — maybe one that is societal or environmental. Purpose-led businesses aren’t driven solely by profit but by the change the entrepreneur wants to see in the world.

Surprisingly, my entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with purpose. It began with the idea of starting a marketing agency and solving complex marketing problems. But as my business grew, I became less driven by profit and success. Over time, my main driver became purpose, or the value that I want to bring to the world. It doesn’t matter where you are on your business journey. You can take the alternative path and refocus your business on purpose.

Building a community of shared purpose-driven entrepreneurs helped me forge this path of success. It was their inspiration, advice, and support in tough times that got me to five years in business. Remember, 2 in 10 businesses fail in the first year of operating. If you’re past this point, you’re thriving!

When you forge a community of shared interests, you see more business projects aligned with your values, better collaboration opportunities and new service verticals emerging. Don’t underestimate the power of collaboration and aligning with other business leaders on purpose. Nurturing this community is a successful ingredient to business growth — equally compared to organizational, marketing and sales tactics.

Related: Why a Purpose-Driven Business Is the Real Key to Success

Identify your community

Who will you build your purpose-led community with? That question is answered by identifying your values and purpose as an entrepreneur.

Start the process by identifying the purpose of your business. It took me hours of reflection to narrow down my purpose and values, which then fed decisively into my business. Personally, my purpose is to forge meaningful connections, lead by example and support marketers and creatives on their path to climate work — and become an ecomarketer, someone who puts people and the planet at the center focus of all their marketing campaigns.

Understanding my purpose has equipped me to identify a community of like-minded entrepreneurs interested in sustainability. It also helped me to connect with them on a deeper level. When you have a shared purpose, community connections go deeper, from transactional to building a world collaboratively for the better.

Once you’ve identified your purpose, find your community. The LinkedIn community is a great platform to connect with entrepreneurs and to identify those who might share the same values as you. It’s truly the largest business networking social media platform in the world with 1 billion members. You can use the search function to identify members sharing and talking about similar topics to yours.

But being engaged actively in the community will help you identify those with common values. These individuals are pure gold and will help your business grow. They champion your ideas, connect you to opportunities and push your industry forward. Remember, identifying the group is only the beginning. As mentioned, your long-term success comes from fostering relationships with those having a shared purpose.

Related: 3 Reasons Why Purpose-Driven Businesses Can Help You Find Better Hires, Mentors and Investors

How to build a community of shared purpose

Once you’ve built the bridge, you can follow these three pathways to building a community of shared-purpose entrepreneurs.

1. Change of mindset: Long-term — To build a community, you must have the right mindset. First, put personal gain aside and focus on the community. You will be surprised to see that the community-first mindset leads to more authentic connections that build long-term business growth. It also focuses your sights on the future, building connections that last years and don’t stop at the end of a transaction.
2. Step up: Contribute — Contributing is another important step toward building a community of purpose-driven entrepreneurs. You can’t ask for value from others if you’re not willing to step up and give the value yourself. Meaningful connections are made by giving a helping hand, passing along business opportunities to your community and offering collaboration opportunities. To build a community of shared purpose, you must embody your values and practice them openly.
3. Pass the torch: Champion other entrepreneurs — Long-term entrepreneurial success comes from taking you out of the equation. Your growth goals, objectives and business strategy aren’t the most important things in the entrepreneurial circle. Champion others’ work, give referrals and forge meaningful connections.

Find entrepreneurs with the same values and a similar journey as yours. Then, work on forging a community of shared purpose with those entrepreneurs. It’s this one business tactic that will bring you longevity and long-term business success.