The Power of Community: How Connection Can Grow Your Business

Why Community Matters When Starting a Business

What if the secret to growing your business wasn’t another marketing strategy, but the people you surround yourself with?

When you’re starting a business, it’s easy to focus on social media, finding clients, and building your brand. But one of the most powerful ways to grow your business is through community, collaboration, and genuine relationships.

That’s exactly what my guest, Meg McAleer, founder of Coasst, discovered. After leaving a successful career in financial services, Meg explored entrepreneurship, franchise ownership, and marketing before finding her passion for connecting people and helping small businesses grow.

On the Second Act Success Podcast, we discuss how Meg turned that passion into a thriving entrepreneurial community, why meaningful connections matter in business, and how collaboration can create opportunities you never expected.

Listen to episode #280 of the Second Act Success Podcast about this topic below…

Listen on Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube

 

Leaving a Corporate Career After Becoming a Mom

Meg began her career in financial services, starting with an internship at Morgan Stanley while she was still in college. Over approximately 15 years, she worked in marketing and client relations for financial institutions, private equity firms, and hedge funds.

She built a successful career, but after having her first child, her priorities began to shift. Returning to work after maternity leave was difficult. The commute and lack of flexibility made it challenging to balance her career with motherhood. Eventually, Meg stepped away from the corporate world. But something was missing.

She loved being a mom, yet she also realized she needed professional fulfillment to feel like herself. And that’s an important distinction. Wanting to spend more time with your family doesn’t mean you have to stop pursuing your professional dreams. Sometimes it means finding a different way to work.

 

Using Transferable Skills to Explore Entrepreneurship

After leaving finance, Meg began exploring new opportunities. She took on virtual assistant work before an old colleague approached her about helping grow a fast-casual salad franchise. What began as a part-time opportunity eventually became a significant role in marketing and franchise sales.

Meg later had the opportunity to own and operate a boutique fitness business while continuing her franchise responsibilities. These experiences taught her about marketing, business development, brand building, operations, and entrepreneurship. But they also helped her discover something important. She loved bringing people together.

While operating the fitness business, Meg organized collaborations with local businesses, hosted community activities, and built relationships with entrepreneurs in her area. She realized that community building wasn’t simply something she was good at. It was something she genuinely loved doing.

Sometimes your best business idea comes from paying attention to the work that energizes you.

 

When Entrepreneurship No Longer Fits Your Life

Here’s something we don’t talk about enough when discussing how to start a business. Not every business opportunity is the right opportunity for your life.

As Meg continued working with the franchises and raising three children, her responsibilities grew. What started as a flexible, part-time arrangement evolved into the equivalent of two demanding full-time jobs.

Eventually, she realized that the pace wasn’t sustainable for her family. So she stepped away and reassessed.

This is such an important lesson for women considering leaving corporate careers to become entrepreneurs. You don’t want to leave a demanding job only to create a business that gives you even less freedom. The goal isn’t simply to become your own boss. It’s to build a business that supports the life you want. That may require experimenting, changing direction, or recognizing when something isn’t working.

 

Finding a Business Idea That Matches Your Strengths

When Meg and I began working together through business coaching, she had a vision. She wanted to create a community where local entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals could connect, collaborate, and support one another. She saw a need for stronger relationships and resources among small businesses in Monmouth County. But she didn’t have every detail figured out. And that’s okay.

In fact, that’s how many successful businesses begin. You identify a problem, recognize an opportunity, and start exploring possible solutions.

Meg began by hosting small gatherings at local boutiques, coffee shops, and other businesses. She brought people together through events and collaborations. These early experiences helped her build relationships, understand what her community wanted, and refine her business idea.

Eventually, Coasst began taking shape. The name reflects her focus on connection, collaboration, community, and assisting others.

 

How One Email Turned a Business Idea Into Reality

One of my favorite parts of Meg’s story is how she found a home for her business. Meg had always imagined creating a coworking space.

When she learned that Anderson Market was being developed in Red Bank, New Jersey, she saw an opportunity. She already had a growing community. The market had physical space. What if they could work together?

Meg created a presentation outlining her vision for a collaborative coworking environment with events and professional development opportunities. Then she sent an email introducing her idea. Within minutes of the email being delivered, she received a response inviting her to meet.

That conversation eventually led to The Residency, a coworking community within Anderson Market. The concept began as a three-month pilot and continued growing. Think about that.

Meg didn’t wait until every detail was perfect. She recognized an opportunity, put together a proposal, and started a conversation.

Sometimes building a business begins with having the courage to send one email.

 

Why Community Matters When Starting a Business

One of the biggest themes in our conversation was the importance of community. Entrepreneurship can be lonely.

When you leave a corporate job, you often leave behind coworkers, professional relationships, and the daily interactions that come with working on a team. Even if you love working from home, you may miss having people around who understand what you’re building.

Meg created Coasst to help fill that gap. Through The Residency, entrepreneurs and professionals can work alongside one another, attend events, share ideas, and develop relationships. Members collaborate on projects, refer business to one another, and support each other’s growth.

It’s a reminder that business networking doesn’t have to feel transactional. Sometimes the most valuable relationships develop naturally when you’re surrounded by people who share your interests and ambitions.

 

Building a Business Through Collaboration Instead of Competition

Meg has been intentional about creating a supportive environment. Rather than focusing on competition, she encourages members to celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

The community includes entrepreneurs, professionals, creatives, and people building side hustles. Some members come to work regularly. Others participate in events or connect through the online community.

What matters is creating opportunities for people to learn from one another. And this is something I encourage my business coaching clients to think about, too.

When you’re starting a business, you don’t have to figure everything out alone. Building relationships with other entrepreneurs can help you discover resources, find collaborators, receive referrals, and gain confidence. The right community can become an important part of your business growth strategy.

 

 

How to Balance Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

Meg is also refreshingly open about the challenges of balancing business ownership with raising three children. She doesn’t pretend to have a perfect system. Instead, she’s learned through trial and error.

Some professional opportunities were too demanding. Others didn’t provide enough structure. And some consulting roles didn’t offer the flexibility she needed. Those experiences helped her understand what kind of business model would work for her.

Having The Residency located within an established, managed space was particularly appealing because it offered operational support. That allowed Meg to create a business without having to manage every aspect of a standalone facility herself. It’s a smart reminder to think beyond what your business does and consider how it operates.

Ask yourself:

• How many hours do I realistically want to work?

• What responsibilities do I want to manage?

• What type of flexibility does my family need?

• Can I collaborate with another business instead of building everything myself?

• What support would help me run the business sustainably?

These questions are just as important as choosing a business idea.

 

Why You Don’t Need Everything Figured Out Before Starting

One of Meg’s biggest lessons is that entrepreneurship often involves a messy beginning. She didn’t immediately know exactly what Coasst would become. She experimented with different ideas, services, and ways of bringing people together. Some worked. Others helped her realize what she didn’t want. But every experience gave her more information.

That’s something I want every woman considering a career change to understand. You don’t have to have the perfect business plan before taking your first step. You do need to research your idea, understand your potential customers, and make thoughtful decisions. But you also need to take action.

Sometimes you learn more from hosting one small event, talking with a potential customer, or testing an offer than you do from months of thinking about it. Clarity often comes from doing.

 

Surround Yourself With People Who Help You Grow

Toward the end of our conversation, Meg shared another valuable piece of advice. Put yourself in rooms with people who are doing things bigger than what you’re currently doing.

For Meg, that has meant spending time in established coworking communities, learning from other entrepreneurs, and participating in professional groups. These experiences help her grow personally while also giving her ideas for supporting her own community.

When you’re starting a business, it’s easy to stay within your comfort zone. But surrounding yourself with people who challenge and inspire you can help you see what’s possible. You don’t have to know everything.  You simply need to be willing to learn.

 

Ready to Start a Business That Fits Your Life?

Meg’s story is such a wonderful example of what a second act can look like. She didn’t move directly from corporate finance into her dream business. She explored different opportunities. She learned what worked and what didn’t. She discovered her strengths. And she eventually created a business that brings together her professional experience, personal passions, and desire for flexibility.

If you’re thinking about leaving your job to start a business, I hope her story encourages you to explore what’s possible. Your next chapter doesn’t have to look like your last one. And your business doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.

You get to build something that works for you.

 

Let’s Plan Your Second Act

I’m Shannon Russell, business coach, author of Start Your Second Act, and host of the Second Act Success Podcast. I help women take their professional experience and turn it into businesses that offer more freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment. If you’re ready to explore your business idea, I’d love to help.

 

👉 Book your free strategy call with me at https://secondactsuccess.co/strategy

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Connect with Meg McAleer

https://coasst.co

 

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