Why the People Around You Are Shaping Your Business More Than You Think
There’s a well-worn saying that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Most entrepreneurs nod at this and move on without examining whether it’s actually true in their own life — and whether the mix around them is pulling them forward or quietly holding them back.
The reality is more nuanced than the cliche, but the core insight is sound. Your environment — including the people in it — shapes your decisions, your standards, your energy, and your willingness to take risks. Getting deliberate about that environment is one of the most underrated moves a female entrepreneur can make.
The Energy Audit
Think about the key people in your professional life right now. After a call or meeting with each of them, which way do you leave — energised or depleted?
This isn’t about eliminating anyone who has ever said something discouraging. It’s about noticing patterns. The person who consistently leaves you feeling smaller, more doubtful, or more exhausted than when you started is worth examining your investment in, professionally and personally.
The person who consistently leaves you more curious, more motivated, or more willing to try something difficult? Invest more there.
Why Optimism Is a Business Asset, Not a Soft Skill
Surrounding yourself with positive, ambitious, solution-oriented people has measurable business effects:
- Higher risk tolerance. When the people around you are building things and taking bets, your own risk appetite expands. The norm shifts.
- Faster recovery from setbacks. Communities that normalise resilience and imperfect progress make it easier to get up after a failure.
- Better decision-making. Optimistic people generate more options. Cynical environments narrow thinking. You need both realism and possibility.
- Expanded opportunity. People who are connected, ambitious, and generous open more doors than those who aren’t.
The Difference Between Positive and Uncritical
Positive people are not yes-people. The most valuable people in a founder’s circle are those who believe in your potential AND will tell you when your plan has a hole in it.
What you’re looking for is constructive honesty, not relentless cheerleading. Someone who tells you “this part isn’t working, here’s why I think that” from a foundation of belief in you is more valuable than someone who validates every decision uncritically.
Building Your Circle Deliberately
Your community doesn’t assemble itself. You have to seek out people who raise your standards and reciprocate by being genuinely useful to them as well.
The LEC community exists precisely for this reason. Female entrepreneurs who are building things, sharing honestly, and showing up for each other. The relationships that form in spaces like this — peer masterminding, accountability partnerships, honest feedback from people who get it — are among the most powerful professional investments you can make.
Evaluate your circle not just by who’s been there the longest, but by who’s helping you become the version of yourself your business needs you to be.
