Can Building Business Communities Change Lives?
In this inspiring episode of the Business Growth Podcast, powered by ActionCOACH UK, we sit down with Penny Power OBE, entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of Ecademy, the world’s first social network for business owners.
Back in 1998, long before LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, Penny and her husband Thomas created a global network of over 650,000 entrepreneurs. Their mission wasn’t profit; it was about connection, trust, and friendship in business.
Penny shares how community can transform businesses, but also opens up about the struggles behind the headlines: financial stress, identity, and the mental health challenges that come with carrying responsibility for others.
She reminds us that “people bring their childhood into the boardroom” and that business is always personal.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- The three ingredients of powerful communities
- It’s not about you, it’s about the members.
- Help people feel significant. “The best gift you can give anyone is to help them feel significant.”
- Build culture through love and vulnerability. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Get the culture right, and everything else follows.”
- Why success without truth can be damaging. Penny says: “The gap between identity and truth is where so much pain lies.”
- How contribution and reciprocity drive belonging. “Community doesn’t exist without people contributing, but contribution looks different for everyone.”
- The role of love in leadership. “Love is not soft; it gives you courage.”
- Why vulnerability is strength, not weakness. “If you want to build trust, you have to allow people to see your truth.”
How to ask better questions to build connection:
- What are you most proud of?
- What’s something you’ve dared to overcome?
- What experience has shaped who you are?
Penny also reflects on family, resilience, and what legacy really means: “Allow everybody to be who they are and be connected to one another. That is my definition of family.”
This is more than a story of building a business. It’s about rethinking how we lead, how we connect, and how we measure success.
Grab a pen and paper. This conversation is packed with wisdom every business owner, leader, or entrepreneur can apply today.
🎧 Listen now to discover how to build communities that create impact, trust, and long-term business success.
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