After more than a decade of living with my sister and all our kids (six between us, currently ranging from 21 down to nearly 14), we’re finally going our separate ways.
The process of packing up our house has been equal parts nostalgic and utterly baffling. I’ve found things wedged behind furniture that hasn’t been moved in years – the archaeological evidence of a hasty “tidy your room” operation circa 2019. We have acquired approximately a million forks. None of them match. No one knows where they came from. And we have a piano neither of us want to take with us but we also have no earthly idea how to get rid of it.
The whole thing has got me thinking about villages. Our household worked because we had one. I haven’t cooked dinner more than once or twice a month for thirteen years because my sister did the cooking while I worked evenings. When a kid melted down for Mum, Aunty could swoop in and manage the mayhem (because aunties are always cooler than mums, obvs). I’ve worked long afternoons with my sister’s twins asleep on my lap because she’d been up all night and needed rest, but they needed cuddles.
And it wasn’t just us. It was family, friends, Scouts, homeschool co-ops, church. We genuinely could not have done this without our village.
Now I’m heading into a phase where my personal circumstances are completely different—going from all the parenting to none of the parenting, from constant companionship with someone I literally grew up with and who finishes my sentences to… well, whatever comes next.
Then, over the last week, I read an article called “Everyone wants a village, but no one wants to be a villager” which has me considering what kind of villager I want to be now. For my business, for my community, and for myself.
We all want support, community, connection. But actually showing up to be that for others? That’s harder, scarier, less convenient … and probably won’t go viral.
I’m not great at it to be honest. But I think it’s worth exploring what it might look like for small businesses – like yours and mine – to be better villagers. Not in some grand, performative way, but in small, sustainable, human ways.
A Menu of Experiments
I’m not qualified to give you a step-by-step system for becoming the perfect villager. Instead, here’s a menu of experiments that I’m excited by – small, human things for us to try to grow our capacity for showing up as a better villager for our business community.
Pick one. Try it for a month and see what happens. Some will work for you, some won’t. Some will feel natural, others will be wildly outside your comfort zone. That’s fine. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s fun and personal growth – and maybe making business (and life) a little easier.
- Office hours – Offer time for clients or peers to drop in and ask a quick question. At a café, over Zoom, in a bookable meeting room, at your office, or as a monthly “bring a problem” session where people troubleshoot together.
- Lunch and learn – Gather a group for lunch every month and take turns teaching something you know.
- Networking events, coffee catchups, walking meetups – Show up to things – or start something new.
- Make referrals – When you know someone who does great work, send them business.
- Shout out businesses you love – Products or services that make your life better.
- Acknowledge great service – Leave reviews, send thank you notes, tell people when they’ve done something well.
- Send actual mail – A print-only newsletter, thank you cards, postcards. Physical things that show up in letterboxes (and aren’t parking fines).
- Sponsor or share community events – Put money behind local events, or just amplify them to your network.
- Engage on social media – Like, share, mention, comment. Or go old school and read and comment on blogs.
- Share newsletters and podcasts you love – Help good people find good audiences.
- Buy local, buy small – Support the people around you with your actual wallet if you can.
- Create community challenges – Like the Art of Noticing’s Savour of the Month – get people together around a shared experiment.
- Join community organisations – Your local business association, service clubs, the gym, evening/weekend classes.
- Write book reviews for your local library – Help other readers discover good books.
- Bake biscuits for your neighbour’s dog – My youngest won the neighbours over at age 8 with lavish treats for their dogs.
- Share great lead magnets – Help someone else build their email list by genuinely recommending their useful free thing.
- Create a “recommended suppliers” page – Not affiliate links, just genuine recommendations for the plumber/accountant/designer/coffee roaster you actually use and trust.
- Start a “what I’m learning” email circle – Monthly notes to a small group (5-10 people) sharing what you’re reading, learning, or thinking about. Low-key knowledge sharing.
- Offer your space when you’re not using it – Meeting room, office, whatever you have. Let other business owners book it for free or koha.
- Make introductions without being asked – When two people should know each other, actually connect them.
- Share your mistakes openly – Blog posts, social media, newsletters. The thing you messed up and what you learned – this makes it easier for others to avoid the same disaster.
- Participate in community consultations – Local council plans, industry feedback, community surveys. Show up and have a say.
- Support crowdfunding campaigns – For local businesses or community projects. Small contributions add up & sharing multiplies impact.
Start Somewhere
You don’t have to do all of these. You don’t even have to do most of them. Pick one that feels doable, or one that makes you slightly uncomfortable in an interesting way. Try it. See what happens.
Building a village isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up, in small ways, consistently. And maybe, just maybe, making business a little less lonely and a lot more human in the process.
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash
