Do we need a team to start & shine bright?

I started my first two startups with partners. I felt an imperative need to do it that way. I genuinely felt it was the only way possible, it was “the right” way. Little did I know, this was the starting point of a deep journey of self-discovery into embracing my own dreams, self-worth and understand my take on relationship dynamics.

On some level, the need to find partners was an excuse to put off or delay taking the step to vulnerably present myself to the world as an entrepreneur. It truly felt I couldn’t call myself an actual entrepreneur if I didn’t have a set of partners along with me. I dreamed of us wearing matching outfits (the entrepreneur starter pack: jeans, V-neck t-shirts and white sneakers ✌️) for photoshoots and hug it out when we celebrated a glorious victory. By the way, that is actually a magical moment; however, it is not the only way to do it. It is a (one in many) way. I was called to redefine my own idea of success, entrepreneurship and partnerships.

Here, I’ll share some nice gossip on my entrepreneurial journey with business partners and the key lessons I’ve learned along the way.

The idea of belonging to a group, a tribe, that vibes in the same frequency, has the same dreams, goals, beliefs and works together to accomplish their life purposes is also magical. An idea straight out of utopias. Very much like my view on the world, very dreamy and optimistic. In all honesty, my soul feeds on this sense of belonging.

Although I have met partners and teams that have incredible bonds of complicity and companionship, this is quite rare to find (much like a 🦄)and does not have to be the norm.

In the bigger picture, spiritually speaking, our souls plan and make agreements with other souls to seek our evolution in each experience on earth. This applies for absolutely every bond, encounter or person who takes part in our life. In terms of business partnerships, we could in very general terms, talk about two different types of agreements. On one end, some pacts between souls are meant to lead to a big breakthrough or learning to reconnect with our real genuine essence. This will usually lead to a greater understanding of our soul’s purpose and how we could fulfill it on earth. On another end, we have souls that plan to share an entrepreneurial journey as part of the manifestation of their soulful purpose, instead of a particular learning.

No type of bond between souls is better than the other, they’re just different. It would not be honest to say one is superior to the other, they simply are as they are meant to be, and it is just what our soul, in divine wisdom and connection, has planned for us to evolve.

I have been fortunate enough to have experienced a business partnership with friends. One in particular, a friendship that transcended the basic understanding of friends, where no communication was required for us to be in sync, we were there for each other 24/7 (literally), creating such a deep and strong bond that comes from several lives ahead of us. It was the type of bond I needed at the time to provide emotional, professional, intellectual and personal support while I started realizing I am a magical being, powerful in my true self and a passionate entrepreneur (a solopreneur). Being partners in crime, business and school was a lot. We didn’t realize how intense it was until it became evident. We had created some form of co-dependent bond. We wouldn’t move a finger without consulting or sharing with the other. We lost ourselves in the high of feeling supported, seen, understood and embraced in our most genuine version. It was such an incredible feeling and new to both of us that we couldn’t get enough of it (in a way, I think I craved it).

It started taking a toll on our dreams. Fast forward several honest conversations, meditations, and healing sessions, clarity and understanding came! Our souls planned to be there for each other as partners so our path could be more loving, joyful and we didn’t have to go through it on our own. We learned so much about ourselves, our gifts, the story we were telling ourselves about our self-worth, our dreams and what brought joy to us. We grew and evolved as individuals so much we needed to create space between us, as business partners, to take in new (and even bigger) dreams, ventures, and goals.

It wasn’t easy. Like every cycle ending, it felt like a breakup and required time to process and grief. I learned it is natural for our relationships to change as we evolve. Relationships can take many forms and ending one of them doesn’t mean you are ending the bond you have with the other person. Remember, your soul planned it! On some level of existence, this bond and the gratitude we feel for someone who has been part of our journey and evolution will still be there. Maybe, it will always be there. 🤷🏽‍♀️

In my case, my mind has a lag in processing reality. This is why I must take time to do so. After processing, comes understanding and clarity: that incredible moment where I can see how it all connects and contributes to my greater and maximum wellbeing, and all of those involved. Only at this time, is when I see how my path and story can help others’ path much easier, graceful and loving. I honestly hope it does it for you.

This understanding and clarity from seeing my partnerships shift, evolve and transform over time has brought great insights.

First, you don’t NEED partners to shine and fulfill your purpose. They are not required (read that again). It may be, that we are fortunate to share some parts of our entrepreneurial journeys with partners, and that is great; because, regardless of the type of pact your soul has with theirs, trust that this will bring you closer to yourself and your purpose. Be it for a couple of months, years or decades. It will be, for as long as it should. Healthy business partnerships can enhance our inner light and make the team shine brighter. Please, don’t understand this as if this is the one and only way to shine brighter, because there is not one correct way. Honoring our bio-individuality, we all have our own journey and path to walk, and we will discover how we can shine brighter.

Second, your dreams are your dreams. I personally realized I believed I ALWAYS had to have people “on my team” to be able to go after my dreams. And, no! You are allowed to dream for yourself and by yourself. Trust your soul will guide you in such a divine way through your intuition to see these dreams. Startups become a way for us to manifest those dreams in reality, they are extensions of ourselves. In this sense, if you find souls along the way that have similar dreams and your purposes converge in the same business model, W O W be grateful for it and embrace it 🙌🏽. It is magical. However, if you don’t, it’s ok as well. You DO NOT need to convince others your dream is worth believing in. Start by allowing yourself to believe in your dreams.

Finally, since there is no correct way, remember that not having partners does not mean you have to do everything on your own. You can have a team of people with an aligned vision of the world, beliefs and values who are willing to take part in your dream startup. It is allowed to be an only partner and have a team. There’s absolutely no need to carry everything on your own and stretch yourself so much you reach burnout. It is so absolutely brave to seek help, support and guidance in ways that align with our values. It is incredibly powerful to empower others by sharing our talents, knowledge, experience and insight as they join our team.

As each journey, our entrepreneurial journey is our own. When we compare it to other journeys, we start questioning our own without realizing we all have bespoke divine plans our souls have crafted for us and only us, to evolve into our purest and most genuine versions. We learn and create ideas of the ideal entrepreneurial path and assume, at least I did at some point in time, “if I’m doing this, I MUST do it the right way”.

Remember, there is no right way, we all have an incredible partner we are co-creating our reality with: our intuition*, you are complete and incredibly powerful, and you will share your light and gifts with the world in your most genuine way and this may happen alongside partners or a team.

Love and light my dears!

♡ N.

PS. Let me know about your own journeys and discoveries!

*divinity, God, gut feeling, the Universe, Mother Earth, however you connect with and name this loving, graceful and divine energy.