Hey, impact-driven entrepreneur! Happy Sunday! 😊 How did you unwind this weekend? I often get my best ideas for WeStand when I'm having fun. At a comedy show, I thought about positioning WeStand as helping with "people" instead of "relationships." Feedback suggests this wording resonates more, especially since not everyone sees "relationships" as urgent. So, I'm experimenting with "people" in and around your business!

Overview:

🚨 Urgent People Problems: My results from interviews and conversations.

😔→ 😊 Why People Who Have It All Are Still Unhappy: I realized that people who are miserable in paradise have something in common.

📅 Brainstorming a Future Event: Something fun I’m cooking up—an IRL meetup as requested!

👥 Program Updates: Preparing for a great first week!

🚨 Which “People Problems” Are Urgent? Do You Relate?

I went through my interview spreadsheets and notes from conversations and put together this list of both professional and personal people problems:

Professional:

• Team members slacking

• Conflicts with cofounders or business partners

• Communication gaps

• Feeling out of control due to lack of organization

• Feeling stuck and not knowing who to turn to

• Experiencing burnout while trying to be everything to everyone

Personal:

• Losing or outgrowing friends

• Having surface-level support from friends

• Friends not understanding you or feeling jealous

• Not having enough time to maintain existing relationships

• Going through breakups

• Endless dates with the same bad results

• Repeating romantic relationship issues

• Feeling emotional distance and trouble relating to others

• Avoiding hard conversations and not knowing how to phrase them

Can you relate to any of these issues? Did I miss something on this list?

Send me an email with your most urgent people problems!

😔→ 😊 A Realization: Why Are Some Successful, Wealthy, Attractive, and Highly Educated People STILL Unhappy?

While I was sitting on the beach, toes buried in the warm sand, I had a realization. I was having a blast, but it wouldn’t have been the same without my awesome friend beside me.

A few days earlier, another friend had excitedly told me about her dream trip to Madrid—her first time in Europe! Unfortunately, family arguments made the trip miserable. Then I thought of a past classmate who traveled the world, presenting incredible research, yet had no true friends. He was so lonely it was unbearable. It truly shows that the right people and conversations shape your quality of life, no matter your achievements or outer success.

📅 Future Event?

Making friends with similar interests in NYC can be tough, so I'm thinking of creating a walk-and-talk event for people in the impact space to make friends! Just like our first Zoom event, there will be no sales or business transactions. We'll chat about what we're building, our passions, and life stories, but save business talk for after the event. We'll have icebreakers and deep conversations to connect on a deeper level and get some exercise!

Email me your thoughts on the event and any conversation topics you care about!

👥 First Program Closed and Future Programs

I’m running the first people skills cohort for impact-driven entrepreneurs starting this week, and will keep you all updated about what I learn along the way as it continues to evolve! Stay tuned for more information on the next program 🙂 

Please do something you enjoy this week,
Ginny
Founder, WeStand
LinkedIn 
[email protected] 

P.S. What is WeStand today?

A slight change in the wording, but the same concept:

WeStand is a people skills accelerator to speed up impact-driven business success and avoid costly people problems, loneliness, and burnout. We talk in Zoom groups about research-backed best practices for four key connections that help you speed up success and avoid costly mistakes: mentors and teammates (professional) and friends and significant others (personal).

Why people skills?

• 65% of startups fail due to people problems (HBS), like slacking or toxic teams, mishandling conflicts, and burnout from stretching too thinly. Personal issues like losing friends, isolating yourself from important people, and rocky romantic relationships can also lower the chances of business success. My 170+ interviews confirmed that entrepreneurs with better people skills were more successful and fulfilled.

Why impact-driven entrepreneurs?

• We often have higher rates of burnout and obsession with our work, worsening people problems. I’m also sick of people not realizing their dreams of positively impacting the world.

Am I an impact-driven entrepreneur?

• If your startup contributes to social, health, environmental, educational, and cultural breakthroughs, then yes! As long as you have a strong mission for the greater good in one of these 5 areas 🌎