Looking for a startup community that has actually been helpfulhttps://dreami.io/
Looking for a startup community that has actually been helpfulhttps://dreami.io/
I'm a first-time solo founder, and I am realizing more than ever that I need a community of other founders to learn from.Does anyone have any recommendations for startup founder communities to join? I've joined ifundwomen so far, but I'd love one that is more intimate and supportive. Any recs are appreciated!
JenYi·Jan 28, 2021JenYi·Jan 28, 2021https://www.femalefounderschool.com/I'm a solo as well and, last October, started feeling lonely and depressed about how difficult it was to slog through this by myself. I was told that I was experience Entrepreneurial isolation which I didn't know was a thing (it's all over Google though). To solve that, I joined Female Founder School. I preferred it over other options b/c a) it's not too big, it's not too small, b) it provides several services so I felt I had the freedom to take what I needed and leave what I didn't (unlike a few where you had to go through a prescribed set of expectations), and c) great value - it's $50 / month and they often offer first month free so you can try it. (You can email them and ask). There are some services that are incremental. For example, I'm about to jump into a PR Workshop Sprint over 5 weeks to work on my messaging and it's an additional $50. Well worth it, imho. I have taken advantage of their weekly open office hours, several valuable workshops, and I'm active on their Founderpass Slack channel where I've never seen anyone not get a response to their post (which is cool). Those ladies work hard to maintain a vibrant community! I hope you find the right place for yourself.
Ashima·Jan 28, 2021Ashima·Jan 28, 2021Thank you for this, Jenifer! I totally feel you on the entrepreneurial isolation lately. It feels like there are an overwhelming amount of things to do, and all by myself. Great to hear this has worked for you, and I'll check it out.
JenYi·Jan 28, 2021JenYi·Jan 28, 2021No problem. They have a start-up handbook I've found very useful b/c it's helped me pace myself. It's pretty "step-by-step." Also, I don't know if this can work for you, but I also slowed down my work so that it would feel less overwhelming b/c I also work a part-time job. That helped a lot. Take care!
Ashima·Jan 28, 2021Ashima·Jan 28, 2021Yes, I definitely need to stop putting so much pressure on myself and remind myself why I started this in the first place! Thank you for your help, I just just Female Founder School :).
I've tapped into the community on Twitter just recently...also a new solo Founder and it's been very helpful. People actually answer your questions...like real people that know what they are talking about and tips about funding and all that jazz...I'm doing Ifundwomen too :)....But I have so much work to do, I'm trying not to get lost in these 'communities'...Facebook never helped anyone with productivity....
Oooh, Twitter is an interesting one. I peruse it every so often, but never thought of it as a community to get my questions answered.
Which threads on Twitter have you found to be helpful for entrepreneurs?
actually this week we have two people from The Hustle Fund who have the Open Office Hours...Lolita and Elizabeth. Follow them on Twitter, then follow all of their people.
That's a super good tip! Thanks ~
also clubhouse has these epic business discussions like every single day...but I make sure I only join the ones with people that I follow on twitter...see below.
Check out Ycombinator startup school at startupschool.org
Startupschool has been amazing so far! I was hoping to get connected with more female founders, but I am so thankful for all of the free resources they've shared.
I agree, the Startup School by Y Combinator is a good one. It offers useful videos, a member forum, and optional weekly video calls to connect with other founders. From my experience it seemed that most of their members were men, but I still found it to be a valuable community. It's also free so perfect for a cash strapped startup. There is also Female Founder Collective where you can connect with other members through their Slack.
I joined this today! It has some great information! Thanks for the tip :)
I just joined https://gsvbootcamp.com/ They have a women founder focus group also. It's a 7 weeks boot camp that just started.
Im here too! Which small group are you in? I'm in Edtech!
I am in FinTech subgroup. Did you join the Slack Channel? I can look for you there.
Yes I am on the Slack Channel...How was your fintech meeting? Are you working on a startup as well?
I am here as well and also in edtech :)
lol I LOVE THE INTERNET!
Wow, this looks amazing!! Will check it out.
@Ashima I'm also a first-time founder and have struggled to find community. I'm in a few different groups, but none have been the go-to resource all the time. I'm also loathe to pay to join a group as my startup has no revenue and is self-funded, so literally every dollar counts.I've been thinking this over and am wondering - do you think a free slack workspace for founders would be of interest?
You may want to try Female Founder School's free Slack space first. They have another that is behind a paywall but their general space has a lot of women on it.
I tried looking for a free Female Founder School slack workspace with no luck. Any chance you know the workspace name?
Did you try the Slack link on their home page? https://www.femalefounderschool.com/That should work. Otherwise, you can email them and they can give you instructions. This is the title of the space: femalefounderschool.slack.com then "General" (free) and FounderPass (paid) shows up.
The link on their home page takes me to a login page that requires a @mentorkind.org email address (as does the slack link you provided - if I click on "make an account", I'm taken to the same page requiring a mentorkind.org email address).I'll try reaching out to them, though!
I emailed them, because I had the same issue and was sent a link to join :)
Thank you, checking it out now!
Ashima, I've been working to solve this problem -- it's an intimate and supportive place for founders to share what's really going on with them and to be heard in a confidential space. Here's a video about what I'm doing. https://diane-prince-co.salesreach.io/special-invitation-to-forumMost of my one-on-one clients are elphas and I'd love to do an elpha forum --Please let me know your thoughts and any questions!The forum is a small group of people committed to helping each other and sharing with each other on a regular basis. It is a powerful experience that serves as an antidote to the “lonely at the top” isolation that comes with being a startup CEO.Every founder needs somewhere to turn for the insight and perspective that trusted peers can provide. In YPO, that “magical” place is forum. But YPO’s elite qualifications, not to mention their limitative screening process, makes membership inaccessible to most startup CEOs. That’s why I’ve created my version of forum. In my forum groups founders can experience an atmosphere of confidentiality, trust and openness to share in each other’s business, family and personal experiences. Forum provides an ongoing opportunity to share and discuss with a group of peers the issues that arise from being a startup CEO.
An elpha forum would be really cool. I love that idea! Thank you!
I’ll put together the details and share it over the weekend!
Here's the link -- use the code ELPHAFREETRIAL to try it for free https://channels.marcopolo.me/diane-prince-co
My experience with https://www.beondeck.com/founders has been amazing. It's the mix between classes and community that really helps you grow as a founder. Feel free to DM if you're interested in learning more.
+1 also can't say enough good things about the Founder fellowship at On Deck. they do a fantastic job bringing together ambitious people with sharp minds and generous spirits. also happy to chat with anyone considering that program.
I've been seeing a lot about On Deck lately but haven't taken the time to read into it. I'll check it out and DM you with questions. Thank you!
How difficult is it to get in, if I may ask? :)
If you have any interest in mental health + startups, the What If community is amazing! They have created an open mental health startup slack community here: https://join.slack.com/t/mhealthstartups/shared_invite/zt-kz3rx65z-Pr1o21InnskRqz4nmZfxIgAnd they also have a fantastic Fellowship program that I highly recommend for any aspiring or somewhat establish mental health entrepreneurs (I'm a participant in their current cohort): https://whatif.vc/fellowship
I'm not in the mental health space but I will still check it out. Thank you for the suggestion!
Hi Emily, Thanks for sharing these resources. I'm very passionate about mental health and would like to discuss with you about your experience with the fellowship program and in general about the space. Let me know if you are available for a chat. Looking forward to talking to you.
Listen to the podcast, Startup Therapy with Ryan Rutan & Wil Schroter. These two serial entrepreneurs talk about the emotional, mental, and physical toll starting a company has on you & how to navigate those (usually) murky waters. It's AWESOME.
This is the content I want to listen to--someone who knows the craziness going on in my brain these days!
Then you're gonna love these guys, and realize that all these crazy feelings, questions, anxiety - is normal AF for ANYONE playing the entrepreneurial game. Not normal, as in healthy...but normal. Lol! Prepare to binge listen and take it ALLLLL in.
Dreamers & Doers (https://www.dreamersdoers.com/) is filled with female founders, from early-stage to growth-stage to founders who've had exits. It's one of the most supportive, resource-rich communities with tons of events and opportunities. Every single member gives back to the community far more than they take and I've developed some incredible friendships. Highly recommend.
I applied to Dreamers & Doers for their next cohort a month or so ago! Looking forward to hearing back!
I highly recommend https://www.letsguild.com/, the leading community for women entrepreneurs! I attended their academy as well which helped me tremendously to launch my business.
Thank you for suggesting--I'm on their email list and I'll look into the academy as well!
Hey,I am part of https://www.femgems.club/ which got founded las year in August. It's still growing itself, but I feel very connected to the members and also mentors are great :) Let me know if you're interested, I'm happy to recommend you.BestKat
I'm going to look into this! Thank you for suggesting!
Hi @Ashima! I actually had a similar issue and co-founded DFA Communities (dfacommunities.com) with my business partner, Brad, last March right when covid hit Denver, CO. We are not female-only, but we are only founders - no investors, no vendors, no selling. We host a few events a week (and I lead a weekly community yoga class) and are growing in really cool ways. I'd love to share more if you're curious :)
Thank you for sharing, Hannah! I'm going to look into this now!
Hey Ashima! I’ve actually started a club of solo founders and we meet every week. We’ve been meeting for almost a year and we’re like family! We just opened the doors for more founders that want to join, but really we’re a small group just being a support system to each other. Let me know if you’d like to join.
Read Lean Startup before you do anything else. Good luck!
Thank you!!
Yes! Recommend https://www.extrafounder.com — they have a team that’s very engaged and active to connect with other solo founders.
This is super interesting, this looks helpful
@Ashima tons of great suggestions here already! If you are on Facebook groups, I will highly recommend the Women Founders Community (the largest group for women founders of startups):https://www.facebook.com/groups/FemaleFoundersCommunityIt's a global community with 11K+ members with experience ranging from new startup founders to experienced serial-preneurs. One of the most giving, helpful, and generous community groups I've been a part of 👏🏻
Just joined! Thank you!
Have you checked out Indie Hackers? The podcast is amazing and there's an online community too.
I've heard of them and I'm on the Slack group, but I'll check out the podcast. Thanks!
I agree with this, Indie Hackers are a very helpful community.
Hey @Ashima - congrats on the company! I'm a former founder, now COO at FFA - femalefounders.org. We focus on supporting founders in the vc space, so the community is vetted. Free to join (app on website), and the main benefits are having access to the community (previously on FB, now transitioning to a Mighty Network), our monthly newsletter is chock full of great resources, and early access to events & programming we run. Hope we can help connect you with community - it's a lonely journey for sure.
Signed up, thank you!
New Entrepreneur Series is intimate and high impact, meets every two weeks for a check in. It just kicked off but you can join the next session: https://www.lessonsup.com/lessons/empowering-new-entrepreneurs
Atlas is an integrative leadership group that hosts (bi?)monthly events and inner growth groups for early stage founders - https://www.atlasq.com/founders-against-burnout Have been to a couple of events so far and the format is v intimate and authentic (like here but only founders and in live-time video). Creates a foundation to connect w other people who were there really openly. Kari who started it just shared this about the next group -https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6763267841581031425/
Hi, just saw this post! I belong to https://www.sprinters.co/It's an amazing global community of female founders. Lot's of fab resources & people on there. Hope that helps. x
Female Founders Alliance - www.femalefounders.org Full disclosure - I am their VP of marketing, but I can say that the founder community is a solid support network. We work very hard in providing programming that is super relevant as well. Happy to chat anytime if you want to learn more :)
I also highly recommend checking out Pando:https://www.pandopooling.com/founders. We build communities (pools) that are intended to be an entrepreneur's most valuable resource. Let me know if you’d like to connect and learn more!
There's many "support groups" out there who love talking about ideas and business. If you are looking to really develop your idea and becoming truly invest-able, I definitely would recommend our community http://shetransacts.com You get matched with 5 fellow female founders at the same stage of your company who are in completely different industries, and go thru together developing your idea with both expert guided and structured peer-to-peer feedback on the app. This is super intimate group, protected with mutual NDA safezone, access to expert/advisor ongoing support to learn and grow, and IGI (our AI) constantly helping find resources for you as you grow. $100 moFor mentor ship I recommend https://owntrail.com/ FREE for nowFor media and press opportunities once your ready with your biz to promote I recommend this for female founders https://www.dreamersdoers.com/ Runs about $150 mo For learning about boards and advisors who are aligned to help female founders https://thefourthfloor.co/ $100 moBest fo luck! Community and collaboration is the key to success as an entrepreneur:-)
Hi @Ashima - what kind of help are you looking for? We work with individual startups in converting their conceptual ideas into fully functional technology solutions. You'll work with real world industry experts. One of our clients has greatly summed it up for us:"Working with FourFront Insights is a unique experience. Beyond they’re ability to deliver innovative technological solutions, they take a keen interest in understanding your business and providing insightful advice in helping you reach your business goals in the most effective and efficient manner (which is especially important in the startup world where capital is limited). Santha especially is highly innovative and very well experienced in the startup world. Her insights were greatly appreciated as she helped us think outside the box and adjust our strategies to get the biggest value for our precious dollar. I would recommend Santha and her team at FourFront Insights to any business, especially those starting out."If you think we can help you, please complete this survey (https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/NGChrm) to help us better understand your needs . Let me know if you think I can be of any help.
Hi! I am a solo founder myself and struggled with this a lot, still do. Accelerators help! Also check out founderland.com and TOA - they are amazing communities.
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