Build Ecosystems, Not Empires
Social entrepreneur and business coach for purpose-driven BIPOC founders. I help you design a business that makes you and your community flourish. Build Ecosystems, Not Empires 🌿
Build Ecosystems, Not Empires™A newsletter for BIPOC founders growing businesses that make them and their communities flourish. You can unsubscribe any time. By Gelaine Santiago of Founding Possibilities​ What would rooting deeper in your values look like today, even as you navigate harmful systems?↓Hey Reader, A few weeks ago during the Build Ecosystems, Not Empires Virtual Summit, I moderated a panel about community and capital, and what building ecosystems looks like in practice as founders and entrepreneurs. We had brilliant panelists: Mari from The Cadence, Jaime from Common Future, and Mollie from Fern CRM. Throughout my decade of experience working with purpose-driven BIPOC founders around the world, I hear variations of the same question: “How do you survive this capitalist hellscape without sacrificing your values?” So I asked our panelists. Each panelist’s response was so nourishing and thoughtful that I wanted to share them with you*:
Mollie: “A lot of times in activism and business, you will fight the good fight, and sometimes you win, sometimes you won’t. Sometimes you feel a reward, sometimes you don’t… We're building something that the next generation can continue building off of. Like, we're not leaving them with a pit to climb out of, or at least letting them start at ground level and keep building up.”
Mari: “What helps me is being honest about the tension - and making true intentional choices wherever we can influence change. One of our values that we practice is “rageful curiosity”. We channel our anger into asking more questions - why are these systems the way they are? Why do we continue to adhere to them? It’s not about ideological purity or creating a “perfect” system, but taking opportunities to recognize that the system is the way it is, while also asking: how can we push back against them in real time?”
Jaime: “I’m not an eternal giving tree or well. I’m only one person, and it requires having grace for that, recommitting to my boundaries, and what’s possible in the work that I get to do. Indigenous women are doing multiple jobs. They're activists, leaders, water protectors, business owners, the primary breadwinners in their communities and nations. So it's holding a lot of space and compassion for myself and each other…”
Gelaine (that's me): “I sometimes find myself navigating spaces where I feel the need to perform or push - whether that’s in activist spaces where I feel my activism “should” look a certain way, or certain business and investment spaces where I feel the need to prove myself. I realize that I don't show up as my best self in those spaces, so I try to practice awareness of that and release the need to perform or be “perfect”. ​ ​ Perfection at the end of the day is more about ego, than service. So what are the ways that you can show up and serve your community best? Just like in an ecosystem, everyone has a role to play. We each need to embrace ours because that's what allows us all to flourish." *I’ve tried to stick as close as possible to the original responses, but note that these quotes are condensed & lightly edited for readability and flow. The through-line that emerges for me in this conversation is: survival and softness go hand in hand.That to survive a capitalist obstacle course that tries to extract as much as possible from our bodies and land, the only way we make it out intact is through grace and empathy - especially towards ourselves. Your attempts to survive capitalism don't make you a bad person. Charging your worth and raising your prices doesn't make you exploitative. And setting boundaries around your labour and energy doesn't mean you're abandoning community. Instead put blame where it belongs: Blame the systems, not yourself. And fight as hard as you can to dismantle them and build something better. So here's my question for you today, Reader - what would rooting deeper in your values look like today, even as you navigate these shitty capitalist systems? This panel convo was so nourishing and one of my fav moments of the summit. If you missed it, you can catch the replay with our Summit Library Pass! The Summit Library Pass also gives you access to all 20+ summit presentations and live workshop replays on topics like sustainable pricing, values-aligned marketing and sales strategies that won't burn you out, money mindset, ancestral healing, and more.
Already have the Pass? You can access the recordings through your handy dandy Pass portal here! You can click 'login with a secure code'. And if you’d like to explore what a business that's rooted unapologetically in your values and truth could look like, I’d love to connect! Book a call with me and let’s chat. Wishing you an obstacle course-free day,
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Build Ecosystems, Not Empires
Social entrepreneur and business coach for purpose-driven BIPOC founders. I help you design a business that makes you and your community flourish. Build Ecosystems, Not Empires 🌿