If there's one thing I believe strongly (there are many things, honestly, but this is a big one), it's that we cannot run our businesses in a vacuum.
We need each other.
Feels cliché, but it's true.
Every part of this industry relies on every other part of this industry. Fiber farmers need shearers. Shearers need wool buyers (if they aren't doing it themselves). Wool buyers need mills. Mills need dyers. Dyers need designers. Designers need tech editors.
The list goes on and on, and there are typically multiple connection points, but you get the idea.
This may be obvious, but it's worth iterating that it's NOT smart to be a business that tries to do everything on its own.
Not just because we need each other's area of industry, but because each person in this industry has a unique set of experiences, skills, knowledge, and perspectives that WE DO NOT HAVE. And we need to be able to use ALL of those things as resources to help guide us in our own decision-making.
TLDR; This is really a conversation about being resourceful and finding different ways to try to problem-solve or meet goals that we may have.
One of the things that I've realized is important within my Fiber Business Collective membership is the ability for members to be able to learn from each other - and not just me.
I started the FBC almost two years ago and a lot of the instruction and advice really came from me as the “coach”. But what I've begun to understand more and more over the last year is that I don't always have the answers… and I don't have to. It's far better for members to be able to run ideas and questions by different people who have different experiences and thoughts than I do.
Here are the steps to figure out what kinds of questions you should be asking who to approach.
1. Identify your goals
As you figure out what you want your business to be, clearly identify your goals. What areas do you want to change or improve? How do you want to develop them?
2. Figure out what’s needed
As you plan out the steps to achieving your goal, consider: what skills or experiences do you feel you need? What’s going to be required for this specific task? Getting a clear idea of what’s involved will guide your questions.
3. Look to your community
Think about who in your space could be beneficial as a resource. Who do you know that could help you find different or even better ways to meet your goals? Who might have some insights they can share from when they did something similar?
To be perfectly honest, it's actually REALLY good for our brains to be able to tap into the perspectives of others who see things differently than we might on our own.
4. Branch Out
If you don’t know anyone who might fit the bill, who else can you bring into your circle of peers to bounce ideas off of? Even if someone isn’t in our industry specifically, they probably still have knowledge to share that can apply. Many people within this industry have skill sets they've acquired OUTSIDE of it that are immensely helpful!
If you want to come learn alongside other fiber business owners and be in a true cohort of peers that are trying to make a difference in the fiber arts industry, then the Fiber Business Collective may be just the thing you're looking for.
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