The Power of Being Around Founders Who Believe

Last week, I was reminded of the importance and value of being around other founders who believe the impossible is possible.

When I was first starting out, I would read the local paper and business journals, looking for any articles about startups in the area. If I saw that an entrepreneur had launched a new business or raised money, I would reach out and ask them to lunch. Most of the time, I never heard back, but occasionally, an entrepreneur would respond and agree to meet. I wanted to understand how they did it. I wanted to know what they had learned, what they knew now that they didn’t know before. In hindsight, I also realize I wanted to be around someone who believed so strongly in their vision that they were willing it into reality.

When we first opened the Atlanta Tech Village over a decade ago, we knew there was value in entrepreneurs helping other entrepreneurs—from casual hallway conversations to more formal programs with mentors and speakers. By bringing like-minded entrepreneurs under the same roof, they naturally help one another and increase everyone’s chances of success.

But even with that, there’s another element that’s easily overlooked: the belief that you can create something from nothing, even when everyone is telling you otherwise. Doing it alone is possible, and it’s been done many times. But building your company alongside others who are building theirs, in a community that’s striving to do the impossible, is incredibly valuable.

The more you talk with the entrepreneur down the hall who believes in her business and her ability to make it work, the more your own mind starts saying, “I can do it too.” It’s like a phenomenon where you might never have considered it if you hadn’t been exposed to it—whether it’s entrepreneurship in general, the concept of venture capital, or taking a company public. When you see and hear someone actually doing it, especially in person, your brain lights up and says, “Wait a second… they’re just like me. We breathe the same air. We live in the same city. I can do it too.”

My recommendation for entrepreneurs: be around other entrepreneurs. Find the big dreamers. Find the ones with the deepest belief in what they’re building. Being an entrepreneur is hard; being an entrepreneur without a community is ten times harder. Belief is contagious, and surrounding yourself with entrepreneurs who believe will help unlock a greater level of belief in yourself.