This is what you can expect from this series:

Whether you're a business owner, a community leader, or someone who's just curious about what it means to do business differently, this is for you.

A Natural Turning Point

In February, we both got last minute Teams calls from leadership, the kind you know is bad news before you even answer.

We hadn’t planned to leave the Women’s Business Center. We were proud of the work we were doing there and we felt like we were making a difference for our clients in NH. Entrepreneurs who are brilliant visionaries creating businesses from the ground up. They are supporting their clients and communities in big ways, and can often feel like they are on their own entrepreneur island. We worked with these clients to lay the foundation for an ecosystem where they can get support, measure success by their own standards and create businesses that give them the flexibility to integrate their craft with their home life and self-care. These are folks forging bold paths that reflect their values, their cultures, and their lived experiences.

It was devastating to learn that we had been let go, but getting laid off came with a blessing, the freedom to chart our own course and reimagine what our individual contributions to our community could really be. There was nothing to hold us back!

You may be surprised to know that when we got the news, neither of us contemplated going in a different direction. We had come so far together, developed an amazing community, and found our calling in walking alongside small business owners. Our paths collided 5 years ago and we never really looked back.

So, what happens when you find yourself out of a job, but you work so well with someone that you often have a secret language? That person is someone you can toss a semblance of an idea to and not only do they know what your bigger vision is, but they can enhance and help bring it to fruition bigger and better than you could have dreamed? 

You find yourself in business with that person without question or pause!

Re-Imagining What Impact Is Possible

This isn’t a reactive pivot for us. It’s a step forward into a natural next chapter, built on a foundation of deep experience, shared values, and a clear-eyed understanding of what business owners are really facing today, especially the solo- and micro-businesses that are vital to our economy.

Since 2020, we’ve seen how external events could quickly disrupt even the best-laid plans for both small businesses and the community organizations that support them. We also saw how many small business owners weren’t yet connected to the resources that already exist in their own backyard, through no fault of their own. And we saw gaps in programming when funding deliverables didn’t leave room for community-led programming. 

These and so many more observations shaped our vision for Collective Agency. We’ve taken what we’ve learned about how people access support, what helps them stay the course, and where systems get in their way, and we’re applying that insight to meet those needs in a way that is flexible, trauma-aware, and relationship-centered from the start - and doesn’t duplicate what is already out there.

We know that success doesn’t have to look one way. And we know that resilience doesn’t come from bootstraps - it comes from real connection, structure, and knowing where to turn when the unexpected happens.

Solo and micro-entrepreneurs (business size of 10 or less employees) face the same challenges that all small business owners do: limited time, inconsistent bandwidth, and a system that isn’t always designed with their lived realities in mind. The same challenges - but when you add that these business owners have to wear all the hats themselves, and our hustle culture means they’re constantly working “in” the business to drive revenue faster, it leaves no time to work “on” the business, scale the business, or build a team. A lot of this is because of perception, how our society says success in business should look. We know that bringing a problem into the light provides the opportunity to question things, and to reach for reformation and ingenuity. Questioning why our systems operate the way they do helps us remember we can create new social contracts that bring solutions that work for everyone, and shared well-being for our community.

With that in mind, we’re centering the voices of the folks we serve to drive and define the spaces and content we offer. We’re prioritizing trust, listening, and collaborative learning because we saw those are the things that kept people moving forward in every phase of their journey.

Collective Agency will change and evolve alongside you. We started with re-launching Empowered Business Practices with clinician Anena Hansen - a program that was created from listening to what our clients need: a space to understand what gets in the way of working “on” the business, and the tools to break the cycle; and peer space where you feel inspired, and where you can ask questions to make your business systems and workflows gel with your way of tackling the to-do list.

People have also shared they would like re-imagined peer accountability spaces, and we are excited to explore what’s possible with you as we create Entrepreneur Village, a space designed to meet that need. Something that steps away from hustle culture (without judgement, as that might be your vibe and work well for you). A place where your goals can grow with you. Where you think beyond the box - instead of shrinking to fit inside it.

This is just the beginning because we have a big vision and big ideas, and we are so excited to do all of it - with you! We are choosing to build organically and take the time to grow each idea with intention.

More than anything, we’re staying in alignment: with you, our clients; with each other; and with the future we want to help shape.

This isn’t a reset. It’s a reimagining. And we’re excited you are here with us!

In the next edition: We will share how we both stepped into our roles during the pandemic and what that experience gave us for the work ahead!

So much has happened in the last five years. Have you taken an inventory of what you have learned? Every piece of our story brought us here. What parts of your story are calling you forward? Share in the comments below!