What Most People Get Wrong About Collaboration (Especially When You’re Building a Business with C...

Today's episode is one that is going to talk about lead generation or acquiring more people to know about what you do so that you can nurture and convert them. And we're talking about this through one of my favorite ways of creating lead generation, which is through collaboration and community. And I'm going to share with you why most people are doing it in a way that leads to burnout, misalignment, and just plain disappointment. So whether you're at the start of your business or you've been building for a while, you've likely heard that you need to network, you need to pitch, you need to get visible, you need to collab with the right people. And maybe you've tried, but something about it has felt off. It's felt draining, it's felt awkward, it's felt one-sided. It's just not felt authentically you in any way, shape, or form. And this is not just for introverts that feel like this, but also extroverts have felt like this as well. So if you've ever felt like, I don't have the energy to be everywhere, or I have the energy to be everywhere, but I don't want to be everywhere. I'm not the kind of person who just slides into people's DMs. I want real connection, not just the surface level kind of collab. You itch my back, I itch yours. This episode is for you.

Welcome to Business with Chronic Illness, the globally ranked podcast for women living with chronic illness who want to start and grow a business online. I'm your host, Nikita Williams, and I went from living a normal life to all of a sudden being in constant pain with no answers to being diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses and trying to make a livable income. I faced the challenge of adapting traditional business advice to fit my unique circumstances with chronic illness, feeling frustrated and more burned out than I already was while managing my chronic illness, to becoming an award-winning coach with a flexible, sustainable online coaching business. I found the surprisingly simple steps to start starting and growing a profitable business without compromising my health or my peace.

Since then, I've helped dozens of women just like you learn how to do the same.

If you're ready to create a thriving business that aligns with your lifestyle and well-being, you're in the right place. Together, we're shifting the narrative of what's possible for women with chronic illness and how we make a living. This is Business with Chronic Illness.

A value that guides everything that I do is something I wanna share with you before we dive into this conversation. It's probably one of my deepest truths when I think about how I've grown my business. Community holds us, collaboration grows us. This value runs through my entire business ecosystem. It's how I've built long-term trust with clients. It's how my podcast has grown without paid ads, and it's also how people find me and feel like they they know me instantaneously and want to be in my offers or in my world or just connect, right? Because the reason why I believe this is because community is what holds us through the messy parts when we're authentically showing up and being who we are. And collaboration is what expands us beyond our current reach or our current rooms or situation, but only when it's done from alignment and not performance. So today I'm going to walk you through one powerful shift you can make to build community and collaborations that feel good, that support your capacity, and that actually move your business forward without burning you out. Now, there is a lot to this actually when I was thinking about this episode. So I'm just gonna break down for you in this episode the most important starting point I want you to remember when it comes to this. And most people start in the wrong place when it comes to lead generation, when you're using collaboration and community. So I wanna share what I think has been the reason why people are starting at the wrong place. This is just to bring more awareness to why, if you've been doing this, why it hasn't been working, or if you've been wanting to do this, why you haven't really leaned into it more. Most people try to network, quote unquote, before they connect to themselves. They ask, who should I be pitching? What's the best strategy to get seen? Who do I need to know to grow faster? But when your life includes everyday ups and downs, chronic illness, burnout recovery, or just being a deep-feeling, sensitive human being, that strategy doesn't feel right. It just feels completely out of alignment. It feels transactional because it skips the most important part: your capacity, your values, your rhythm, your vibe, and your actual reality. So instead of asking, how do I get in the right rooms? Try asking, where do I already feel most myself? The real starting point is what's gonna help you connect in the right rooms, right? Connecting from what you care about is what will help you shift your thoughts about this. So start your collaborations and your community building from what already brings you joy, both inside and outside of your business. It's that lane that I always say that business is personal. It's that point that what— who and you are vicariously is being brought into your business in some way, shape, or form, and that is a part of how we can grow. This is what I've coached so many of my clients through, and it changes everything. Why does it do that? Because it removes the pressure to quote unquote perform, to be something that you're not, and anchors your connection in truth, not tactics. It naturally attracts people who value what you value. So what does this look like? Maybe you love talking about plants and your home habits or DIY projects. Maybe you're obsessed with long-form content like podcasting or YouTube. Maybe you're a huge book reader and you love mystery, or you love old school books. Maybe you're a poet. And you love poetry. Maybe you love slow mornings and journaling and scrapbooking and book clubs. Maybe you enjoy certain aspects of your creativity, paint by numbers, crocheting. Maybe you love music like I do, and it's just something you are feel— you feel so moved to. Maybe it's traveling. There's so many things. There are so many doors into connection, and from that connection, collaboration grows. And here's the beautiful part for anyone listening who's still learning how to make a livable income with your hobbies, your professional skills, or your innate talents. Community Holds Us, Collaboration Grows Us is your business model. If you want to start coaching, creating, or consulting online without burning out, this is where you begin. You let community hold your confidence while you're building. You let collaboration grow your visibility, even if you only show up once a week. Let your values and your passion be the map, not someone else's funnel. This is how you grow using strategies that work even on flare days, even on brain fog days, or just bad days and unpredictable life things happening because you're not forcing output, you're creating connection. You're sharing from what's already inside of you. That's lead generation that works with your body, with your reality.

This can happen in a doctor's office.

This can happen at the mall. This can happen at getting your nails done. Leads can come from anywhere, and so can clients. And that is how your income comes from this place of integrity. That's how you build a business that actually feels like you.

When I started my podcast, I was in recovery from a surgery related to my chronic illness, trying to connect with other businesses and searching for a way to keep growing my business without sacrificing my healing or well-being. Podcasting became my most aligned marketing tool. It let me show up consistently without showing up constantly. That's why I created the Start Your Podcast Planner, a digital guide to help you launch a purpose-driven podcast that feels like you. Whether you're starting from scratch or finally ready to get your voice and your story out there, or looking for a sustainable way to grow your business through marketing that converts, this planner gives you everything I wish I had. It's got step-by-step strategies that won't overwhelm you, confidence and building prompts to help you fall in love with your voice and share it with the world, and tools and templates you can use again and again without overworrying or being concerned about the tech. Most importantly, it helps you turn your story into sales or income that actually feels aligned. If you're ready to grow your audience, attract clients, and share your message in a way that works with your capacity, this is where you start. Tap the link in the show notes to grab your Start Your Podcast Planner or visit thrivewithnikita.com/podcast-planner. You've waited long enough. Let's get your voice and your story out in the world and build a profitable, sustainable marketing system through podcasting.

So here's what I did back in the early days when I started my podcast. I wanna share this in context of like how I know this is to be true. And also currently I'm like playing with TikTok and I'm testing out this theory on this new platform on how this is working. And my first viral pieces of content came from literally this truth, this reality, right? It's tapping into things that I just— values are connected to. But let me go back to the days with the podcast. When I started my podcast back in 2017, I wasn't thinking about who is a big or small person. I was like, wasn't trying to think about who is most famous. I was just trying to connect with people that I felt like there might have been some resonance. Some commonalities, some common ground, some interest that I was interested in, right? I wasn't tracking audience numbers. I wasn't trying to optimize my reach. I was thinking, who do I genuinely admire? Who feels aligned with what I believe in? And from there, I made it a practice. Every week I picked 3 people on Instagram to just engage with. I didn't pitch them. I asked them questions. I learned about them. I engaged with their content. I did not slide into their DMs automatically to ask favors. I just connected. I'd reply to a story, comment on a post that resonated, ask questions, like I said, and cheer them on. And eventually it felt, it just felt good to naturally lead into, I love your content. I love who you are. I'd love to get curious about you and your story. Would you be interested being on my podcast? Not because they had a massive following, but because they had something to say about their story or something to share. Something that aligned with the conversations I wanted to hold space for. That simple rhythm built relationships that I still have today, years later. And some of those people are now doing huge things, like very popular. But when they first came on my show, they were just people I connected with. And I think that's a really big, important piece because that's how I have led with my values and why I've been able to sustainably keep growing in the way that I have done it. Especially on my show. And I'm testing this theory out as well in a way on TikTok by talking about all these, all these different buckets of things that I am interested in. And it's not just business related. And I'm really bringing my full personality as much as I can that feels good and within my capacity. And I believe that's the reason why it went pretty viral pretty quickly. Now, let's be real for a second. This is a note on capacity. You might think That sounds great, Nikita Williams, but I'm tired. I'm already stretched thin. I don't have the energy to engage like that, and I get it, which is why I teach this as a capacity-conscious process. You don't need to connect with 30 people a week. You can start with one. You don't need to go to 5 networking events. You can start by joining a conversation online that feels safe and welcoming. In fact, I often coach my clients to choose one platform one value thread and one intention and build from there. Because when you respect your capacity, you build connections that respect it too. So let's reflect, pull out your pen and paper journal or whatever, because this is the part that will help you be more intentional in creating these, this community and these collaborations that will lead to leads is these questions. What topics, hobbies, or experiences make you feel most like yourself? Where am I already engaging with curiosity and joy that I want to share? What parts of my business or things that I do is something that I could talk hours and hours about and not feel like it's work? What would it feel like to build a community based on shared values, not just business metrics? So let me say that again. What would it feel like to build community based on shared values, not just business metrics? These questions are the foundation of sustainable visibility. This is how you grow without doing more. Because again, say it with me, community holds us, collaboration grows us. This is how we scale visibility, deepen trust, and expand without doing more. So here's what I want you to know. You don't have to network like everyone else. You don't have to collaborate like a marketer. You don't have to push yourself into burnout to be seen. You can build from your truth. You can collaborate from your capacity, and you can connect through resonance or vibing, not just reach. And when you do, the people who are meant for you, they find you. You don't need to be everywhere all of the time. You just need to be where your values live. Your energy will do the rest. So if you're craving more of this kind of approach, one of— one that makes space for your reality, your rhythm, and your values, come join us inside of Chronically You and Profitable, my hybrid group coaching program where I give you one-on-one coaching along with a group community where women living with chronic illness are wanting to build a business that is sustainable. Literally, if you decide to join by the end of this week that you're listening to this, you could get your own capacity conscious plan on how to start lead generating for your business so you can bring clients and build a community that serves you even when you're resting. All right, until next time.

That's a wrap for this episode of Business with Chronic Illness. If you would like to start and grow an online coaching business with me, head to the show notes to click a link to book a sales call and learn how to make money with chronic illness. You can also check out our website at www.craftedtothrive.com for this episode's show notes and join our email list to get exclusive content where I coach you on how to chronically grow a profitable business while living with chronic illness. Until next time, remember, yes, you are crafted to thrive.

So let me tell you about one of the tools that has quietly become the heartbeat of my business over the years. It's HoneyBook. I use it for everything. No, seriously, everything. It's how I book my podcast guests, bring on new one-on-one clients, even manage group coaching calls when my other platforms decide that they want to have a meltdown. From contracts and payments to contact forms to task reminders, HoneyBook keeps all of the moving parts in one place. And it is all automated. And here's the real kicker, it works with my capacity, whether I'm having a low energy week or need to automate a bunch of stuff in one go, or just create a system that makes it easy for me to run a flexible business. HoneyBook gives me that freedom to still move my business forward. If you are looking for a central hub to help you work smarter, not harder, I highly recommend you checking it out. So if you head on over to the show notes, you'll get 50% off your first year. And yes, that's my affiliate link, but I only share what I actually use and love. HoneyBook is my jam, and I hope you check it out.