Small Business Month

When I started The Collective, I didn’t have some perfectly mapped-out plan for what it would become. I had a clear feeling, though.

I knew what it felt like to be building something without a roadmap and what it felt like to be figuring things out in real time, trying to make the right decisions without always having the right information. And I knew how isolating that could feel.

So I built something I wish I had.

A space where small business owners didn’t have to do it alone. A place where people could show up as they were, learn, connect, collaborate, and actually feel supported while they were in the messy middle of building something. I’ve learned over the past 7 years that it was never just about creating a platform; it was about creating relationships.

There’s this idea that success in business is about grinding it out on your own, pushing through, and eventually “making it”, but that’s not what I’ve seen. I’ve seen growth that happens in rooms full of conversation, in referrals passed between businesses, in partnerships that start casually and turn into something meaningful, and in someone taking a chance on you before you fully feel ready.

That’s what actually moves things forward, and that’s what has allowed The Collective to grow the way it has. Not because one person built something perfectly, but because a lot of people showed up and built it together.

One of the things I’m most proud of isn’t just what The Collective has become, it’s how many of our members have grown alongside it. Businesses that started small and are now expanding, people who joined with just an idea and are now running a business, and so many members who have collaborated, partnered, and created opportunities for each other that didn’t exist before.

That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident-it happens when people are willing to support each other, even when they’re still figuring things out themselves.

Supporting small businesses is something I care about deeply, and it isn’t just about where you spend your money, although that matters. It’s also about how you show up.

It’s choosing to recommend someone when you could keep the opportunity to yourself, it’s collaborating instead of guarding ideas, and it’s understanding that when one business grows, it doesn’t take away from another; it adds to the ecosystem. There is room for all of us, and when people start operating from that mindset, everything shifts.

The Collective was never meant to be a highlight reel of successful businesses. It was built to support people where they are at while they’re testing ideas, while they’re pivoting, and while they’re learning from both wins and failures.

We don’t grow because of one big moment. We grow because people keep showing up for each other.

If you’re building something right now, whether it’s a business, an idea, or just figuring out your next step, you’re not meant to do it alone. Find your people, support them, and let them support you.

The strongest businesses aren’t just built on good ideas; they’re built on community, and that’s something we’ll always keep investing in.

“When one of us shines, all of us shine.” - Moira Rose